Even more health care privatization problems: Private plasma clinics openly defied the government, the Ontario Health Coalition revealed that extra-billing is a widespread practice at private clinics, ORNGE air ambulance used privatization to hide exorbitant executive salaries, a patient died as private surgical clinics escaped proper public regulation, and a contracting-out scandal sank eHealth, forcing the resignation of the Liberal health minister, the eHealth chair, and the eHealth CEO. The Restructuring The PC government may also look to merge and close hospitals. “Solution”: This was a key strategy adopted by the previous PC government of Mike Harris. It merged or closed dozens of hospitals as part of that government’s attempt to cut hospitals. The Auditor General revealed however that the mergers and hospital restructuring actually cost the province $3.2 billion dollars. Despite hopes that these mergers would help them cut spending, the Harris government quietly recognised reality, starting in 1998. By 2000, they quietly completed a U-turn on hospital funding, increasing funding 12.6% in one year. Between 1998 and 2003 (when the PC government was defeated), funding increased on average 7.5% per year. The Health Services Restructuring Commission completed its work and shut down in March 2000. So arguably the fruits of its work might be expected to have been gained in the five following years (including the first full year of Liberal governance). But funding increases averaged 8.7% for the 2000-2004 period. This, needless to say, is not strong evidence that the mergers, closures and restructuring did anything to reduce costs. Provincial Hospital Funding Annual Percentage Increase (or Decrease): 1995 -1.5 1996 1.9 1997 -4.8 1998 5.2 1999 6.1 2000 12.6 2001 3.1 2002 8.4 2003 9.7 2004 9.6 Source: CIHI National Health Expenditure Trends, Table D.4.6.1 Conclusion: Ontario health care and hospital funding is far below the level in other provinces. Since 2009, cuts to real hospital funding have been particularly harsh. Ontario is an outlier in of the provision of hospital inpatient services. We have very few hospital beds and as a result, very high bed occupancy. Returning Ontario hospitals like
Even more health care privatization problems: Private plasma clinics openly defied the government, the Ontario Health Coalition revealed that extra-billing is a widespread practice at private clinics, ORNGE air ambulance used privatization to hide exorbitant executive salaries, a patient died as private surgical clinics escaped proper public regulation, and a contracting-out scandal sank eHealth, forcing the resignation of the Liberal health minister, the eHealth chair, and the eHealth CEO. The Restructuring “Solution”: The PC government may also look to merge and close hospitals. This was a key strategy adopted by the previous PC government of Mike Harris. It merged or closed dozens of hospitals as part of that government’s attempt to cut hospitals. The Auditor General revealed however that the mergers and hospital restructuring actually cost the province $3.2 billion dollars. Despite hopes that these mergers would help them cut spending, the Harris government quietly recognised reality, starting in 1998. By 2000, they quietly completed a U-turn on hospital funding, increasing funding 12.6% in one year. Between 1998 and 2003 (when the PC government was defeated), funding increased on average 7.5% per year. The Health Services Restructuring Commission completed its work and shut down in March 2000. So arguably the fruits of its work might be expected to have been gained in the five following years (including the first full year of Liberal governance). But funding increases averaged 8.7% for the 2000-2004 period. This, needless to say, is not strong evidence that the mergers, closures and restructuring did anything to reduce costs. Provincial Hospital Funding Annual Percentage Increase (or Decrease): 1995 -1.5 1996 1.9 1997 -4.8 1998 5.2 1999 6.1 2000 12.6 2001 3.1 2002 8.4 2003 9.7 2004 9.6 Source: CIHI National Health Expenditure Trends, Table D.4.6.1 Conclusion: Ontario health care and hospital funding is far below the level in other provinces. Since 2009, cuts to real hospital funding have been particularly harsh. Ontario is an outlier in of the provision of hospital inpatient services. We have very few hospital beds and as a result, very high bed occupancy. Returning Ontario hospitals like