The Paradox of Productivity, Technology, and Innovation in Canadian Healthcare
The current methods of paying healthcare providers do not encourage systematic consideration of cost-effectiveness in the selection of treatment or new technologies, finds a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In The Paradox of Productivity, Technology, and Innovation in Canadian Healthcare, authors Åke Blomqvist and Colin Busby analyze the role of healthcare technology and innovation […] Jacobs and Muthukumaran – Five Ways to Increase Immunization Among Canadian Children
From: Aaron Jacobs and Ramya Muthukumaran To: Provincial and Federal Ministries of Health and Public Health Agencies Date: May 2, 2017 Re: Five Ways to Increase Immunization Among Canadian Children Many communities in Canada are well short of childhood immunization targets, and children there remain at risk of contracting infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and whooping cough, among others. […] Besoin d’un rappel? Comment améliorer la couverture vaccinale des enfants au Canada
Quelques Canadiens très bruyants s’opposent à la vaccination, mais ils ne constituent pas la principale raison de l’insuffisance de la couverture vaccinale, selon un nouveau rapport de l’Institut C.D. Howe. Dans «Besoin d’un rappel? Comment améliorer la couverture vaccinale des enfants au Canada», les auteurs Colin Busby, Aaron Jacobs et Ramya Muthukumaran suggèrent une stratégie […] In Need of a Booster: How to Improve Childhood Vaccination Coverage in Canada
A vocal few Canadians hold anti-vaccine views, but they are not the main reason for insufficient childhood vaccination coverage across Canada, finds a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. In “In Need of a Booster: How to Improve Childhood Vaccination Coverage in Canada,” authors Colin Busby, Aaron Jacobs and Ramya Muthukumaran, suggest that a […] Colin Busby – Who is to Blame for Insufficient Vaccination Coverage among Canadian Children?
From: Colin Busby To: Provincial and Federal Ministries of Health and Public Health Agencies Date: April 24, 2017 Re: Who is to Blame for Insufficient Vaccination Coverage among Canadian Children? In a number of Canadian communities, vaccination coverage among children falls short of what is required to effectively prevent the spread of infectious diseases. As […] Intelligence Chat – Fence-Sitting Parents to Blame for Falling Vaccine Rates
A vocal few Canadians hold anti-vaccine views, but they are not the main reason for insufficient childhood vaccination coverage across Canada.Breaking Down Canada’s Health-care Silos: More Money Isn’t The Answer: Globe And Mail Op-ed
Since December, Canadians have been treated to the spectacle of provincial and territorial health ministers squabbling with their federal counterparts for more health-care dollars. As they argue over cash, they overlook a lesson from Canadian health-care history: Asking how much without also asking how those dollars will be spent is a recipe for more of the same.
The last time health ministers haggled with the feds, in 2004, they received a record $41-billion over 10 years. This so-called “fix for a generation” achieved little of the sort. Across the country, emergency departments are still as congested as ever and unhealthy numbers of hospital beds remain filled by seniors who should be receiving care elsewhere. Even waiting…
Bill Robson – Fairer Taxation Of Canadians’ Medical Expenses
To: Canada’s Minister of Finance From: Bill Robson Date: January 23, 2017 Re: Fairer Taxation of Canadians’ Medical Expenses Your government is reviewing many aspects of Canada’s tax system, including how personal income taxes treat various health-related costs. While such reviews are always helpful, a worrying rumour is going round: that your upcoming budget will […] Integrated Funding: Connecting the Silos for the Healthcare We Need
The Study In Brief by Jason M. Sutherland and Erik Hellstein Once held in high esteem worldwide, Canadian healthcare has taken a drubbing in recent international comparisons, posting repeated poor showings against similarly high-spending OECD peers. The erosion in the worldwide status of Canadian healthcare has been attributed to the failure of the provinces to […] Canada’s Existing Healthcare Funding Model Has A Fatal Flaw: National Post Op-ed
As of now, it looks like there will be no new health accord between the federal and provincial/territorial governments in the immediate future. It would be a pity if this means no reallocation of aggregate healthcare spending toward home care and mental health programs, two areas where additional spending could greatly benefit patients. Barring this, however, the failure to agree on a new accord is better than a repeat of the 2004 agreement and could ultimately lead to a better alignment of responsibilities in Canadian healthcare.
The federal government’s willingness to help provinces pay for healthcare helped establish Canada’s universal Medicare system in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Half a century later, however, our model of divided…
William Robson – Setbacks in the Struggle to Constrain Provincial Healthcare Budgets
From: William Robson To: Canada’s Health Ministers Date: December 20, 2016 Re: Setbacks in the Struggle to Constrain Provincial Healthcare Budgets The 2016 release of the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s National Health Expenditures (NHEX) database contained two items of disquieting news, one immediately noticeable, the other getting less attention than it should. More noticeable […] What We Need More than a New Health Accord: A Revenue-Sharing Accord: Globe and Mail Op-Ed
Last week, Canada’s federal and provincial health ministers were engaged in negotiations about the future federal transfers to the provinces for health. The negotiations appear to have ended in a standoff, with provincial governments insisting that there have to be bigger transfers in order for them to offer even current levels of care, and the federal government refusing to increase the transfers significantly unless the provinces agree to a set of conditions in a new Health Accord.
The best outcome would be to leave matters as they are: There should be no new transfers beyond those already scheduled, with or without conditions.
Jane Philpott, the federal Health Minister, should be commended for her explicit recognition…