This has been another historic week in BC politics with the swearing in of a new Premier and Cabinet. BC Care Providers Association also welcomed Premier Clark's appointment of the Honourable Michael de Jong as Health Minister. "BCCPA CEO Ed Helfrich said, "We have enjoyed a very positive working relationship with each of the three previous Liberal Health Ministers and we look forward to renewing that collaboration with Minister de Jong." BCCPA will be contacting the Minister's office in the coming weeks to arrange an introductory meeting to discuss challenges and opportunities associated for British Columbia's seniors care sector. Read the Canadian Press report below.
Clark's plans to tie health budget to economy stirs debate
By: Dirk Meissner, The Canadian Press
Christy Clark got a taste of what's in store for her new Liberal government on the health-care front at a Tim Hortons shop in New Westminster days after her election as B.C.'s new premier.
Instead of serving double-doubles, the coffee and doughnut shop located inside Royal Columbian Hospital was doing double duty as a make-shift emergency ward, prompting critics to say the scene was a harbinger of what British Columbians can expect under the new premier, who will be sworn-in Monday.
Clark proposed to move B.C.'s $16-billion health budget to the province's rate of economic growth, a suggestion that created heated debate during the Liberal leadership campaign.
Some experts are saying it's a Band-Aid that may work.
Clark's suggestion was denounced by the Opposition New Democrats and by her leadership rivals, who said it would mean budget cuts of hundreds of millions of dollars.
Fellow candidates Kevin Falcon and George Abbott, both former Liberal health ministers, said her budget plans were dangerous for health care and would mean cuts of $750 million.
Clark's campaign message was that although providing high-quality health-care is the most important job of any provincial government, rising health costs cannot be permitted to compromise other services.
She pledged to bring health-care spending in line with the province's rate of economic growth. Clark also said her government will pay greater attention to health spending and consider appointing a sub-committee on health spending.
The most recent B.C. budget pegs health spending at almost $16 billion this year and forecasts the budget to increase to $18.5 billion -- 42.4 per cent of all government expenses -- in three years.
Bob Evans, a retired University of B.C. health economist who has been analysing health spending trends for decades, said he sees merit in Clark's hold-the-line goals, providing they are not rigid to the point where health spending would decline in times of recession.
"But trying to use that as a base for the medium or long-term, yes, why not?" he said.
Evans said health costs over the last 15 years have increased sharply in British Columbia in diagnostic imaging and testing, especially for people more than 65 years old.
He said he's not convinced the aging population is the sole reason behind rising health costs, because the increases in the numbers of elderly people are occurring over time and are not what many are calling the silver tsunami.
"The real analogy here is with a glacier," he said. "In 10 or 20 years, the aging population is going to transform the landscape, but it's not going to do it this year."
Evans said he supports Clark's plans to keep health spending in check with the economic growth because he's seen it work in the past.
When Ottawa slashed billions in transfer payments to the provinces in the 1990s, provincial health-care systems were forced to find efficiencies that actually helped patients and saved money, he said.
"They started doing a lot of things that they had known about for years that they had not bothered to do before, like not admitting so many people to inpatient wards and instead providing the care on a day basis," said Evans.
"You saw utilization rates fall quite sharply in the 1990s, but you didn't see people dying in the streets," he said. "In this field, until people are forced to think, they'd prefer not to."
But Simon Fraser University health policy analyst Karen Palmer said she would advise Clark to fund health care on based need, not economic forecasts.
Palmer, also a researcher for the left-leaning Centre of Policy Alternatives and the organizer of an SFU international public health financing and delivery conference in Vancouver this weekend, said she fears Clark's budget plans could result in individuals paying for health care.
"I can't think of another way where needs can be met if the public resources are limited," she said.
Palmer said the public medicare system has done a good job of controlling costs and she blamed public spending on private services for boosting them.
Health Minister Colin Hansen suggested Clark's plan won't be a big change because the ministry has budgeted for increases of about four per cent and economic growth is also forecast at about four per cent.
A spokesman for a major provider of seniors care in British Columbia said Clark's Families First campaign theme has many anticipating a major emphasis on health care, especially regarding the elderly.
B.C. Care Providers Association spokesman David Hurford said his organization, which represents private, public and denominational seniors facilities, is watching Clark closely.
"There's a lot of goodwill there for the Family's First theme," said Hurford. "What many people are worried about is their aging parents and themselves. This is an issue that families are talking about."
He said the care providers support Clark's plan to form a health-care sub-committee to monitor and oversee capital projects like seniors facilities.
 Mar 2012-thumb-600x600-454-thumb-600x600-455.jpg)
 Mar 2012-thumb-600x600-454.jpg){kind=link}