Public services and privatization
British Columbians are fed a stream of bad news about our public health care system. But there is one very common health story we rarely hear about. A 100 year old woman, almost totally blind, has all her home support services cut. A 90 year old woman loses her home support services, has a stroke, ends up in the hospital and spends the rest of her days in residential care. A woman in her 50s, disabled with MS, has her home support hours reduced to the point that she has to move from her home to an institution.
In 1997, after wide consultation across the country, the federal government's National Forum on Health concluded that home care should be considered an integral part of publicly funded health services. A year later, the National Conference on Home Care identified home care as a vitally important component of a responsive and sustainable health care system. Numerous studies have come to the same conclusion: home care is key to the modernization of Medicare.
(Vancouver) The BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives co-published a major new study today. Without Foundation: How Medicare is Undermined by Gaps and Privatization in Community and Continuing Care finds that access to community and continuing care in BC has been seriously eroded over the past decade. Without Foundation is co-authored by Donna Vogel, Michael Rachlis and Nancy Pollak.
The Community and Continuing Care sector is fundamental to B.C.'s entire health care system. The sector's significance can be traced to the 1991 Seaton Commission, which proposed a "closer to home" theme for health care restructuring. The commission urged the transfer of resources from hospitals to the community, to promote the benefits of early intervention, prevention and integrated, local care.
(Vancouver) A new report released today by the BC Office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives finds that BC has the advantage over Washington State. The report, "In Search of the Good Life: 'Competitiveness' in British Columbia and Washington State," looks at both traditional business measures of competitiveness as well important cost-of-living and quality of life measures.
Almost 30 years into its mandate as British Columbia's public auto insurer, ICBC has suddenly stopped singing its own praises. With clear signals from the new government that ICBC's exclusive provision of basic auto insurance may soon be a thing of the past, the corporation has issued an edict prohibiting its workers from publicly discussing the virtues of public auto insurance on company time. A strange turn of events for a corporation that has long been proud of its work on behalf of British Columbians. But these are strange times.
(Vancouver) A new study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives urges the provincial government to reconsider its plans to open auto insurance in BC to "full competition".