Friday, January 27, 2023
No Result
View All Result
  • Media
Support Us
Macdonald-Laurier Institute
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media
No Result
View All Result
Macdonald-Laurier Institute

As controversy over the new deal with Ontario doctors mounts, new MLI study sets out options to improve Canadian health care

July 20, 2016
in Latest News, Releases, Sean Speer
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A

MLICanadasHealthcareCrisisSeries6_f_printMLI study examines how to better improve health care for low- and middle-income Canadians

OTTAWA, July 20, 2016 – A new tentative agreement between the Ontario government and the province’s doctors after more than two years of negotiations has attracted considerable criticism from physicians in recent days. The controversy – driven in part by the increasingly unsustainable fiscal burden of health-care spending on provincial budgets – reinforces the structural problems with Canada’s health-care system and the need for reform.

This week the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) released a new study that sets out recommendations not only to put health-care spending on a more sustainable footing, but also to extend public coverage to a broader range of services and treatments for low- and middle-income Canadians.

To arrange an interview with authors Sean Speer and Ian Lee, please contact Mark Brownlee at 613-482-8327 x105 or email at mark.brownlee@macdonaldlaurier.ca.

In particular, the study shows how Canada’s universal, public health coverage is actually more limited than in other countries and leaves low- and middle-income Canadians mostly responsible for paying for drugs, dental, outpatient, and vision services and treatments.

By asking high-income Canadians to contribute to their hospital and doctors costs through different forms of patient cost-sharing, provincial governments would be able to save money for doctors’ salaries and other critical costs, and expand publicly-financed coverage for those actually who need help.

“Asking high-income earners to contribute to their health-care costs in the form of patient cost-sharing can help to ensure that the health-care system is more sustainable and universal,” explained the study’s authors, Sean Speer and Ian Lee.

Thus far the study has received positive attention in traditional media (including on CBC’s The Exchange) and social media including from a number of doctors who are on the front-lines of the health-care system.

As provincial premiers meet this week, the controversy with Ontario doctors reinforces the clear need for health-care reform and MLI’s recommendations can be part of the solution.

Sean SpeerOne common rebuttal to the introduction of patient cost-sharing is that Ottawa will not allow it – that the Canada Health Act precludes this type of financing for hospital and doctors services.

But the tide may be turning. This type of reform – asking high-income earners to contribute to their health care so provinces can expand coverage for low- and middle-income Canadians – is completely consistent with the Prime Minister’s argument in favour of means-tested child benefits. He has said that high-income families such as his should not receive public subsidies. If it is right for kids and parents, how can it be wrong for all Canadians when it comes to health care?

Therefore there lies an opportunity this week for provincial premiers to rally around reforms that make Canada’s health-care more sustainable and universal.

***

Ian Lee teaches strategic management at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business.

Sean Speer is a Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. He previously served in different roles for the federal government including as senior economic adviser to the Prime Minister and director of policy to the Minister of Finance.

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is the only non-partisan, independent national public policy think tank in Ottawa focusing on the full range of issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

For more information, please contact Mark Brownlee, communications manager, at 613-482-8327 x105 or email at mark.brownlee@macdonaldlaurier.ca.

Tags: health careIan LeeSean Speer
Previous Post

Media availability: Philip Cross available to comment on high youth unemployment rate

Next Post

Canada’s leaky health-care system: Sean Speer on The Exchange

Related Posts

Alberta 2023 and beyond: Fiscal policy, health care and federal-provincial relations
Releases

How Alberta can ensure greater prosperity in 2023 and beyond

January 26, 2023
Ford’s health-care plan – disruptive innovation, not privatization: Shawn Whatley in the Financial Post
Columns

Ford’s health-care plan – disruptive innovation, not privatization: Shawn Whatley in the Financial Post

January 25, 2023
Rethinking Bangladesh: A story of national resilience in the face of adversity – Ken Coates for Inside Policy
Inside Policy

Rethinking Bangladesh: A story of national resilience in the face of adversity – Ken Coates for Inside Policy

January 24, 2023
Next Post
Canada’s leaky health-care system: Sean Speer on The Exchange

Canada's leaky health-care system: Sean Speer on The Exchange

Macdonald-Laurier Institute

323 Chapel Street, Suite #300
Ottawa, Ontario
K1N 7Z2 Canada

613.482.8327

info@macdonaldlaurier.ca
MLI directory

Follow us on

Newsletter Signup

First Name
Last Name
Email Address

Support Us

Support the Macdonald-Laurier Institute to help ensure that Canada is one of the best governed countries in the world. Click below to learn more or become a sponsor.

Support Us

Inside Policy Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Back Issues
  • Advertising
  • Inside Policy Blog
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Who Makes MLI Work
    • Tenth Anniversary
    • Jobs
  • Experts
    • Experts Directory
    • In Memoriam
  • Issues
    • Domestic Policy Program
      • Agriculture and Agri-Food
      • Canada’s Political Tradition
      • Economic policy
      • Energy
      • Health Care
      • Innovation
      • Justice
      • Social issues
      • Telecoms
    • Foreign Policy Program
      • Foreign Affairs
      • National Defence
      • National Security
    • Indigenous Affairs Program
  • Projects
    • COVID and after: A mandate for recovery
    • COVID Misery Index
      • Beyond Lockdown
    • Provincial COVID Misery Index
    • Centre for Advancing Canada’s Interests Abroad
      • Dragon at the Door
      • The Eavesdropping Dragon: Huawei
    • An Intellectual Property Strategy for Canada
    • Speak for Ourselves
    • Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative
    • DisInfoWatch.org
    • The Transatlantic Program
    • Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads
      • Aboriginal Canada and Natural Resources
    • Talkin’ in the Free World with Mariam Memarsadeghi
    • Past Projects
      • Justice Report Card
      • Munk Senior Fellows
      • A Mandate for Canada
      • Confederation Series
      • Fiscal Reform
      • The Canadian Century project
      • Fixing Canadian health care
      • Internal trade
      • From a mandate for change
      • Size of government in Canada
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
      • MLI Dinners
      • Great Canadian Debates
  • Latest News
  • Libraries
    • Inside Policy Magazine
      • Inside Policy Back Issues
      • Inside Policy Blog
    • Papers
    • Columns
    • Books
    • Commentary
    • Straight Talk
    • Video
    • Multimedia
    • Podcasts
    • Leading Economic Indicator
    • Labour Market Report
    • MLI in the Media

© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.

IDEAS CHANGE THE WORLD!Have the latest Canadian thought leadership delivered straight to your inbox.
First Name
Last Name
Email address

No thanks, I’m not interested.