Be Aware Health Care | April 24th, 2024

Shedding Light on Bills You Shouldn’t Be Paying | Bypass to Boston Marathon

Author

Marc
April 24, 2024

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Good morning readers! Today's dose of inspiration comes straight from the streets of Toronto. Meet Ian Kinsella, a marathoner with the heart of a lion. After a year battling through double bypass surgery, he's back on the pavement, defying the odds and gearing up for the Boston Marathon.

But hold onto your sneakers - this isn't just about breaking records. It's about the resilience to face life's toughest hurdles head-on. So, as you tackle your own challenges today, remember: it's not just about the race, it's about the journey to get there.

In this week’s email:

Ontario News

  1. Shedding Light on Bills You Shouldn’t Be Paying

  2. 65,000 Get 6%

  3. Providing More Primary Care By The Thousands

  4. Capital Gains = Medical Losses

Canada as a Whole

  1. From Corporate to Care | Virtual Care

  2. More Than Just An Apple a Day Keeps The Dentist Away

  3. Creeping Private Sector in P.E.I

Ontario News

Shedding Light on Bills You Shouldn’t Be Paying

Graphic of magnifying class over top of bill revealing 4 money symbols and 4 question marks

The Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) sounds the alarm on Ontario's push to expand publicly-funded surgeries at private clinics, citing various cases of those who got hit with hefty bills for cataract surgeries. These aren't isolated incidents; they're part of a troubling trend, with hundreds more cases reported to the OHC. Seniors and those on fixed incomes are hit hardest, bearing the brunt of out-of-pocket costs for procedures covered by OHIP. Despite assurances from Health Minister Sylvia Jones, patients still face financial strain, sometimes even getting upsold on unnecessary extras. Critics warn of a creeping privatization agenda, but the province denies any such move.

65,000 Get 6%

The Ontario Council of Hospital Unions-CUPE (OCHU-CUPE) and SEIU Healthcare, representing 65,000 hospital workers, clinch a new deal scoring a 6% wage bump over two years, plus beefed-up benefits and premiums. Despite initial hiccups, the unions unite for upgrades, tackling staffing crunches head-on. Not just about the money, it's about keeping patient care top-notch with fair wages and bolstered staffing.

Providing More Primary Care By The Thousands

The Ontario government's on a roll, dropping nearly $6.4 million to hook up over 23,000 folks to primary care teams in London, Lambton, and Chatham-Kent. It's all part of a big-picture $110 million plan aiming to link up to 328,000 people province-wide. These moves mark a big leap forward in making sure every Ontarian has access to top-notch primary care. From new mobile services for Indigenous communities to beefed-up family health teams, the government's backing a slew of interprofessional initiatives. The goal? Offering comprehensive, convenient, and culturally tailored care, all thanks to dream teams of healthcare pros. With these investments, expect quicker access to care, less ER chaos, and better health outcomes all around for Ontarians.

Capital Gains = Medical Losses

Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the province's medical bigwigs are ringing alarm bells over the federal government's latest move: hiking up the capital gains tax. They're worried it'll hit docs hard and maybe even send them packing. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's budget shook things up by cranking the tax on capital gains for companies to two-thirds and extending it to individuals scoring over $250,000 in gains. For docs, who often stash cash in professional medical corporations, it's a potential hit to their retirement plans and a whole lot of uncertainty. The Ontario Medical Association's waving red flags, warning this could worsen the doc drought and mess with patient care access. While Team Trudeau says it's targeting the super-rich, critics like Ford argue it'll also whack middle-class folks relying on investments for their golden years.

Canada as a Whole

From Corporate to Care | Virtual Care

Graphic of two phones facing eachother and inside each phone is a doctor and patient coming out of the phones and shaking hands

Twin Oaks Memorial Hospital is shaking up the ER scene with an innovative fix for the overflow of patients clogging up the works without primary care access. Picture this: a conference room turned into a Virtual Urgent Care hub decked out with iPads. Now, folks with minor issues like coughs or sprains can dial in and chat with ER docs via video call. It's all part of Nova Scotia's push to harness the power of virtual tech in healthcare, aiming to unclog ER traffic and speed up access to care. So far, it's been a hit, pulling in around 100 visits weekly across nine virtual care spots. While it's still early days to measure its impact on wait times, Nova Scotia Health's got big plans to roll this out to more ERs, fitting right into the nationwide push for healthcare reform.

More Than Just An Apple a Day Keeps The Dentist Away

Picture this: as Canada gears up to roll out its national dental care plan, fresh stats from Statistics Canada reveal a shocking truth - almost a quarter of kids and teens aged 5 to 17 are skipping dental checkups due to lack of insurance. While 89.6% of these youngsters got their pearly whites checked in 2019, there's a glaring gap between the insured (93%) and uninsured (78.5%). Money talks, with 60.8% hitting financial roadblocks. And get this - even adjusted net family income throws a curveball, leaving 15% of families making under $70k in the lurch. But fear not, the upcoming federal plan's aiming to bulldoze these barriers, potentially opening up oral health services to more Canadians. Plus, while Canadian youth seem on top of their dental game compared to grown-ups, there's a worrying drop in visits for the under-fives, highlighting the need for early education and preventive measures to keep those smiles sparkling.

Creeping Private Sector in P.E.I

Alright folks, let's talk east coast. The P.E.I. government's throwing $25 million at for-profit long-term care facilities, and the crowd's split. On one side, you've got the urgency - 54 new beds can't wait. So, the province turns to the private sector, promising faster results. But hold up - critics are waving red flags, warning that chasing profits might just compromise care quality. And they've got a point - past reports have shown some gnarly gaps between private and public care standards. Plus, this ain't the only privatization rodeo in town - we've got the Maple app and whispers of private clinics too. NDP Leader Michelle Neill's shouting from the rooftops, demanding accountability and top-notch care in the public system. Health P.E.I.'s nodding along, but let's be real, we need some serious clarity on who's steering this ship in the long run. Strap in, folks, this healthcare debate's just heating up.