Dear Editor,
The view from here on Healthcare….
Not actually doing a lot of research but having lived through a lot of Health Care in my life time due to ailments, I can somehow see, in my mind anyways, where the problem lies. I really haven’t got a clue what this all cost?
Yes, I pay tax on many levels in Canada and I don’t begrudge them at all since I live in a country that is free (some would of course disagree on the freedom issue), and safe. I can walk the streets at night, only with my dog though, travel from coast to coast, and feel safe and protected from any eventuality. That is a small price to pay in comparison to other nations around the world; and if you don’t agree, isn’t it wonderful that you have the freedom to move to those jurisdictions at any time you like. But I digress. Healthcare was what I started out on. I think for the average citizen to actually keep tabs on what the system costs, we should be receiving a statement of services performed each time we access the system. It can be either in the form of a paper copy or an electronic version. Further to that a sort of tax statement at the end of the year, like a T4 for income, maybe call it a H1 for Health Care. Yes, yes, I know the nay sayers will say to much cost involved with this idea, but just think each of these Health entities must report to the Provincial Government in order to be paid. To produce this patient statement should not be a biggie as far as I see it.
What good is all this and how will it help Health Care. Well first of all we can easily discover the what I call the “How” factor as in “HOW MUCH DID THAT ACTUALLY COST??” moment. We have that nowadays at the grocery store, restaurants and any other retail or service orientated business. To realize a cost of something is to know that what we have received is either overpriced or underpriced to an extent as to value. We have no base in Healthcare to understand value.
As an example, we can look at the CPP and the information that flows from there. A website to show returns and the costs to achieve those. A statement to show what was contributed each year by each individual person or company. We have the ability to search with some clarity how our retirement savings are doing without much political interference since it is somewhat outside of any politicians influence.
Keeping Health care costs a secret does an injustice in a democratic society. More clarity is needed.
Hey maybe I’m dead wrong, but isn’t that what Health care is there for, to keep me from being dead?
Thanks for listening.
Leo Kleiss
