Lots of talk about fiscal restraint by Ontario's Liberals. Too little, too late. When Smitherman was setting up his expensive Family Health Teams and spending oodles and oodles of cash to transform Ontario's health care system into a consultant-happy- bigger black hole than it was, people said "we can't afford not to do it!"--- A dangerous sign of things to come.
Our politicians stand before us and tell us that now is the time for difficult decisions (that time was long ago) but it is difficult to make difficult and possibly initially unpopular but necessary decisions when one's political life depends on telling people what they want to hear.
I will acknowledge that the Ontario Liberals are caught between a rock and a hard place and no matter what they do they will hear complaining from one camp or another. But at some point, it is important to do what is necessary. That doesn't look like it is coming any time soon since Dwight Duncan tells us recently that continued spending increases will occur in health care. Strange thing that comment since rapidly rising health care expenditures are what is driving spending in other necessary areas to be cut.
Alas, we are tied to the mast of the health ship that is taking every other sector down with it while politicians hold hands and will leap just as the going gets rough, just as they always do.
Definitely, I am sounding cynical today. The public is led to believe that health care is their God given right and they are soon to find out the repercussions of such thinking.
The leadership vacuum persists. There is no independent body to speak to the public with cold hard fact. Health Council of Canada does little if anything except spout the political health care dogma of the day persistently. Nope, no leadership there either. The OMA seems bound to government so tightly it can't breathe a breath of fresh air into the whole mess either. The CMA tries but will have difficult times ahead as its soon to come leadership may turn out to be regressive.
The media fails because of its largely left wing tilt and because it sees more payment and responsibility for individual health as evil--apparently better to keep us all dependent. But new media sources are coming on stream and the traditional private care hating journalists have probably had their day in the union sun.
At least in Alberta, politicians are trying to tell it like it is but the public denial may turn out to be too strong.
Perhaps the real catalyst for change will be a dose of reality, delivered to the public from non-health care related sectors.
Some facts, if you didn't already see them in the headlines today:
* Ontario deficit to hit 25 Billion-up sharply from $14.1 Billion in March
* Action plan to be revealed in 2010 (doesn't sound like action to me)
* Leaner and more efficient provider of quality public service to come (!!)
* Ontario is spending 4.8 Billion more this year than predicted
* Tax revenues falling dramatically- about 6 Billion less that predicted last spring
* Corporate tax revenue is about one third lower than predictions-2.65 Billion less (a hefty drop)
* Ontario's massive deficit is heightened by the growing size of the health care sector, expected to account for half the budget as early as 2015-Pascal Gauthier, TD Economics
*deficit budgets for years to come
* projected deficit of $21.1 Billion in 2010-2011
* projected deficit of $19.4 Billion the following year (wanna bet it will be more?)
*and how 'bout that eHealth spending, and hiding Tepper', McLeod's and Sapsford's funding deep in hospital budgets to top it all off?
The public may have to find out for themselves the hard way...just like my teenagers.
Lots of talk about fiscal restraint by Ontario's Liberals. Too little, too late. When Smitherman was setting up his expensive Family Health Teams and spending oodles and oodles of cash to transform Ontario's health care system into a consultant-happy- bigger black hole than it was, people said "we can't afford not to do it!"--- A dangerous sign of things to come.
Our politicians stand before us and tell us that now is the time for difficult decisions (that time was long ago) but it is difficult to make difficult and possibly initially unpopular but necessary decisions when one's political life depends on telling people what they want to hear.
I will acknowledge that the Ontario Liberals are caught between a rock and a hard place and no matter what they do they will hear complaining from one camp or another. But at some point, it is important to do what is necessary. That doesn't look like it is coming any time soon since Dwight Duncan tells us recently that continued spending increases will occur in health care. Strange thing that comment since rapidly rising health care expenditures are what is driving spending in other necessary areas to be cut.
Alas, we are tied to the mast of the health ship that is taking every other sector down with it while politicians hold hands and will leap just as the going gets rough, just as they always do.
Definitely, I am sounding cynical today. The public is led to believe that health care is their God given right and they are soon to find out the repercussions of such thinking.
The leadership vacuum persists. There is no independent body to speak to the public with cold hard fact. Health Council of Canada does little if anything except spout the political health care dogma of the day persistently. Nope, no leadership there either. The OMA seems bound to government so tightly it can't breathe a breath of fresh air into the whole mess either. The CMA tries but will have difficult times ahead as its soon to come leadership may turn out to be regressive.
The media fails because of its largely left wing tilt and because it sees more payment and responsibility for individual health as evil--apparently better to keep us all dependent. But new media sources are coming on stream and the traditional private care hating journalists have probably had their day in the union sun.
At least in Alberta, politicians are trying to tell it like it is but the public denial may turn out to be too strong.
Perhaps the real catalyst for change will be a dose of reality, delivered to the public from non-health care related sectors.
Some facts, if you didn't already see them in the headlines today:
* Ontario deficit to hit 25 Billion-up sharply from $14.1 Billion in March
* Action plan to be revealed in 2010 (doesn't sound like action to me)
* Leaner and more efficient provider of quality public service to come (!!)
* Ontario is spending 4.8 Billion more this year than predicted
* Tax revenues falling dramatically- about 6 Billion less that predicted last spring
* Corporate tax revenue is about one third lower than predictions-2.65 Billion less (a hefty drop)
* Ontario's massive deficit is heightened by the growing size of the health care sector, expected to account for half the budget as early as 2015-Pascal Gauthier, TD Economics
*deficit budgets for years to come
* projected deficit of $21.1 Billion in 2010-2011
* projected deficit of $19.4 Billion the following year (wanna bet it will be more?)
*and how 'bout that eHealth spending, and hiding Tepper', McLeod's and Sapsford's funding deep in hospital budgets to top it all off?
The public may have to find out for themselves the hard way...just like my teenagers.