Focusing on a common enemy is an effective unifying ingredient, whether it bands together members of a sports team or supporters of a revolution.
Presently, it has unified Canada's provinces in their displeasure over what they view as federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty take-it-or-leave-it offer regarding health transfer payments.
According to The Canadian Press, premiers attending meetings Monday and today in Victoria were unanimous in their calls for Ottawa to change its proposed per-capita health funding formula. The provinces say it doesn't take into account the growing number of seniors, whose health-care costs increase as they age.
"Equal funding is not necessarily equitable funding," Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter said in a Canadian Press story Monday. "This is the problem. We have 16 per cent of our population currently over the age of 65 in our province. We're going to move from 16 per cent over the age of 65 to almost 30 per cent over the next 20 years."
B.C. Premier Christy Clark echoed that view, noting that without changes, "Otherwise what we will see is a system where we're not able to support seniors care across the country."
The issue of the growing seniors population is, of course, an important part of any discussion about the future of Canada's health care. The provinces have reason to be concerned since they're the ones who must provide the front-line care that seniors require. If the federal government skimps on holding up its end of the health-care load, it means a greater burden falling onto the shoulders of the provinces, and not all provinces have the economic muscle to bear a heavier load. Even the "have" provinces are facing an increasing challenge with respect to health care.
Flaherty's health transfer plans are to continue increasing the payments at six per cent annually until 2017, after which they will be tied to the rate of economic growth and inflation, though Ottawa promises not to let the payment increases drop below three per cent. But more than the plan itself, the provinces took exception to what they viewed as Ottawa's unilateral approach. As Quebec Premier Jean Charest suggested, in a federal system of government, there should be a dialogue on such matters.
He's right, of course. If the goal is to improve Canada's health-care system, it will require discussions by all the major partners in that system - namely, the provinces and territories. The discussions should include all aspects of health care, including the drug system, which appears to lack affordability for some members of society, according to a new report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
The report, based on findings from the 2007 Canada Community Health Survey, indicates that almost one in 10 Canadians don't always fill a prescription because of the cost. That "saving" actually produces other health-care costs farther down the road such as the need for acute care.
The study noted that about two-thirds of Canadian households incur out-of-pocket expenses for prescription drugs each year because they don't have a private or public insurance drug plan.
One of the researchers, Dr. Michael Law of the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at UBC, said the findings are timely in view of the premiers' meeting this week in Victoria. "The country's 13 provincial and territorial premiers should focus on how to address this disparity to improve access to prescription drugs for all Canadians," he said in a news release.
This is just one of the health-care issues that must be addressed. The provinces appear unified in their desire to push Ottawa to help craft a better health-care system. A unified approach is what it will take.
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