News
CMAJ
More inequality with demise of health accord
M
Canadian Medical Association
indicator of health need seems “very federal health transfers fixed to each edical leaders warn of weird,” particularly given the link province and territory's gross domestic increasing health inequality between economic disadvantage and product, with a guaranteed floor of 3% across Canada as the federal worse health across a variety of indiper year and without conditions on how government adopts a more hands-off cators. He also notes that have-not that money is used. That means the approach to health care. provinces typically have higher Insufficient national leadership proportions of older citizens, who and mechanisms to hold provinces may also require more health accountable for health system perresources. formance are longstanding barriers Dr. Chris Simpson, Canadian to health reform in Canada, experts Medical Association presidentsaid at a May 21 town-hall meeting elect, expressed concern that the in Ottawa. new arrangement may create or “That was a weakness of the exacerbate disparities in care for [recently expired] 2004 health vulnerable populations, placing accord, and unless we do the busiunsustainable demands on ness of health reform differently in provincial budgets. future, we’re destined to repeat “It’s only a matter of time that failure,” said Dr. Jack Kitts, before the provinces and territoCEO and president of the Ottawa ries mount a renewed challenge Hospital. to the federal government’s moral The 2004 accord, formally authority to enforce the Canada titled the 10-Year Action Plan on Health Act,” he added. Health, boosted federal health Simpson also questioned the transfers to the provinces and terwisdom of providing no-stringsritories by $41 billion over a attached transfers, as “provinces decade with the aim of reducing and territories have been and are wait times, bolstering home care, resolute in resisting attempts to improving primary and preventive facilitate benchmarking for their care, and developing a national performance against each other.” pharmacare strategy. But beyond Further, “we need to stop modest wait time reductions in using the absence of a national cancer care, heart surgery, hip replacement, diagnostic imaging Provinces should publicly report performance on health health care strategy as an excuse to continue as we are,” he urged. and cataracts, the investment pro- reform, says CMA President-elect Dr. Chris Simpson. Simpson called on provinces duced little change. to begin national collaborations on areas provinces and territories will receive $36 “The same document calling for the of shared interest, such as senior care billion less over the next 10 years (based same reforms could be written today reforms, with or without the federal govon an annual economic growth projecwith more urgency,” said Kitts. “Hospiernment. “We have a window of opportion of 4%), according to research by the tals, drugs and doctors continue to domitunity to improve health care before baby Council of the Federation, a body comnate our health care spending.” boomers make peak demands in the prising Canada’s 13 premiers. The 2004 accord expired Mar. 31, but 2020s and 2030s.” — Lauren Vogel, According to Ray Deonandan, an the federal government has refused to CMAJ epidemiologist and assistant professor of negotiate a new deal. Instead, the Conhealth sciences at the University of servatives handed down a funding Ottawa, using economic activity as an arrangement that will see increases in CMAJ 2014. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.109-4815
E350
CMAJ, July 8, 2014, 186(10)
© 2014 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
CMAJ
More inequality with demise of health accord
M
Canadian Medical Association
indicator of health need seems “very federal health transfers fixed to each edical leaders warn of weird,” particularly given the link province and territory's gross domestic increasing health inequality between economic disadvantage and product, with a guaranteed floor of 3% across Canada as the federal worse health across a variety of indiper year and without conditions on how government adopts a more hands-off cators. He also notes that have-not that money is used. That means the approach to health care. provinces typically have higher Insufficient national leadership proportions of older citizens, who and mechanisms to hold provinces may also require more health accountable for health system perresources. formance are longstanding barriers Dr. Chris Simpson, Canadian to health reform in Canada, experts Medical Association presidentsaid at a May 21 town-hall meeting elect, expressed concern that the in Ottawa. new arrangement may create or “That was a weakness of the exacerbate disparities in care for [recently expired] 2004 health vulnerable populations, placing accord, and unless we do the busiunsustainable demands on ness of health reform differently in provincial budgets. future, we’re destined to repeat “It’s only a matter of time that failure,” said Dr. Jack Kitts, before the provinces and territoCEO and president of the Ottawa ries mount a renewed challenge Hospital. to the federal government’s moral The 2004 accord, formally authority to enforce the Canada titled the 10-Year Action Plan on Health Act,” he added. Health, boosted federal health Simpson also questioned the transfers to the provinces and terwisdom of providing no-stringsritories by $41 billion over a attached transfers, as “provinces decade with the aim of reducing and territories have been and are wait times, bolstering home care, resolute in resisting attempts to improving primary and preventive facilitate benchmarking for their care, and developing a national performance against each other.” pharmacare strategy. But beyond Further, “we need to stop modest wait time reductions in using the absence of a national cancer care, heart surgery, hip replacement, diagnostic imaging Provinces should publicly report performance on health health care strategy as an excuse to continue as we are,” he urged. and cataracts, the investment pro- reform, says CMA President-elect Dr. Chris Simpson. Simpson called on provinces duced little change. to begin national collaborations on areas provinces and territories will receive $36 “The same document calling for the of shared interest, such as senior care billion less over the next 10 years (based same reforms could be written today reforms, with or without the federal govon an annual economic growth projecwith more urgency,” said Kitts. “Hospiernment. “We have a window of opportion of 4%), according to research by the tals, drugs and doctors continue to domitunity to improve health care before baby Council of the Federation, a body comnate our health care spending.” boomers make peak demands in the prising Canada’s 13 premiers. The 2004 accord expired Mar. 31, but 2020s and 2030s.” — Lauren Vogel, According to Ray Deonandan, an the federal government has refused to CMAJ epidemiologist and assistant professor of negotiate a new deal. Instead, the Conhealth sciences at the University of servatives handed down a funding Ottawa, using economic activity as an arrangement that will see increases in CMAJ 2014. DOI:10.1503/cmaj.109-4815
E350
CMAJ, July 8, 2014, 186(10)
© 2014 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
