Will you be using your credit card for health care?

Vincent Black Opinion

Do not be fooled by Doug Ford telling you that you will not be paying for health care with your credit card. This flashy news line that plays well in the media is something that Ford would like you to believe. The unfortunate reality is that this type of health care access is coming to the average citizen. Corporate health care is for folks that can afford to pay for health care through a corporate entity along with a tax write-off.

Corporate health in Ontario has existed for many years with many folks and their families taking advantage of these benefits that come with a privilege of having money. The structure allows a company to take care of their employees and their families through paying for medical services and in most cases jumping the que to get quicker testing done for the patient coming through a corporate model. It’s not a foolproof system, but the advantages for payment still exists and has its front of the line privileges. Doug Ford is just taking this existing model and letting you know that they will start to download certain procedures from hospitals on to semiprivate health care facilities.

The problem with downloading to “take the load off the hospital system” is a political to get procedures that will eventually be upsold. Once they download medical procedures such as cataracts, hips, knees and some shoulder operations off site from hospitals, it opens up a whole new set of circumstances. Yes, they will take your health card to start, but once in there the up sale of certain upgraded features will be paid for out of your pocket. When they have you in a vulnerable state and your well-being is on the line, many will take the recommended upgrades that benefit the private side of health care.

The citizens of Ontario continue to struggle through this pandemic with long wait times in emergency rooms, crowded hospitals and delays for surgeries and procedures. Meanwhile, health care workers are burned out and staffing shortages continue to plague our system. The health care system is on life support, yet this government is sitting on their hands with no intention to fix it. Instead, Ford’s plan is to let the system crumble and push for more private, for-profit providers to deliver services. Our hospital system can be further maximized and can take on more patients, but the present funding model does not favor the present system. In many of our hospitals, there are full wings with empty beds available to be used, but the funding modeling does not help the average patient. Many of our hospital executives will not public state these issues, but off the record many employees who work within the medical community have said that empty hospital beds are just sitting empty.

Ontario’s plan to reduce wait times for surgeries and procedures is going to seriously damage the publicly funded healthcare system in Ontario. It appears that much of the medical staffing that is needed to perform the surgeries and procedures in these centers will come from our already overtaxed hospitals. Ford said that they will be the same doctors that work in our hospitals. If it is the same staff, why not just fund the procedures and surgeries at the public hospitals and save taxpayer dollars by not also financing private profit?

This is JUST the start......

Health care in Ontario and across the country has become very political and the two should not mix, but unfortunately, they have. This past week the Trudeau Federal government has indicated that they will be getting involved in Ontario’s health care system by transferring some federal funding for health care. A great political move by Trudeau and the Federal Liberal government to capture attention back to them and be seen as the saviors of health care especially in Ontario where the Liberals would need traction to form a majority government.

Health care in Ontario and in Canada was the gold standard for many countries to be envious of and wanting to copy our model.... many have tried but with not much success. Trudeau has realized politically that health care and the state of one’s family and friends goes to the heart of support and anyone or any political party that is able to deliver such will benefit from the political fruits. The health of our province and nation is at the heart of our existence and survival. Without a proper health care system, the state of our nation cannot function at peak forms both physically and mentally.

Doug Ford....please take my humble advice.... if you are ever able to figure out our health care system you will be re-elected. Health care could be your political legacy and one that you should take very seriously. Yes, you need to be more creative with health and not just with political fluff but with hard cold support commitments.

• Health care in this province is at a very sensitive and pivotal stage in our existence. Where it goes from here could be very harmful or can give us great momentum as a nation and a province. How we tackle it by coming up with alternative methods that can work is the million-dollar question. As with most medical conditions, lets treat it with care and compassion, because our future depends on it.

Envelheci...

Quando um dia no valor que não me dei me perdi.

Daniela Martins Lima, terapeuta em gerontologia