On October 1, we sent our members an open letter. Two weeks later, we want to see how some parties’ health care statements align with the BC Health Coalition’s priorities.
Public Funds for a Public Health Care System
First and foremost, the BC Health Coalition is committed to defending our publicly delivered health care system, pushing for investments in our public system, and fighting back against privatization. We fought and won against Brian Day’s attempts to privatize health care in B.C., and we are prepared to fight against any new threats to public health care.
As well, the BC NDP leader signed a public health-care guarantee Monday, October 13, promising to protect the system. There is no such promise from the BC Conservatives.
In fact, the Conservatives have promised to launch an expert commission to bring proven solutions from other public systems to B.C., while ensuring British Columbians never need anything more than their health card to get care.
This clearly signals they could use public funds to ramp up health care privatization in B.C., like Bill 11 in Alberta, and Ontario and Quebec’s move to private surgery clinics and privatizing formerly public primary care delivery.
Furthermore, the BC Conservative’s own health critic had this to say about private care:
Eventually what happens is you open up to a private system, which we already have. So then there’s competition and some people will want to pay. So you get people then off the list so they pay from their own pockets if they want to. That’s great, right? And it actually saves us money.
This is not great for public health care in B.C.
Taxes fund Health Care
The provincial government funds our public health system – over 40 percent of the provincial budget is allocated to health care.
The BC NDP have committed to creating a wealth tax to fund their promised public health care improvements.
The Conservatives have committed to zero tax increases and eliminating the deficit, while maintaining the existing health care budget and promising to hire more doctors and nurses.
With health care costs rising well above inflation, the BCHC does not understand how a BC Conservative government could balance these priorities without cutting other health services.
As Times Colonist opinion writer Les Leyne noted recently, “the tax policies of the old B.C. Liberals and the new-look B.C. Conservatives are almost identical…. But it’s tricky to make any serious cuts without going near the health and education sectors, which the Conservatives have promised to protect.”
It’s not just tricky, it’s impossible. Health care funding is on the chopping block with the BC Conservatives.
Care for Seniors and Communities
Publicly funded and delivered long-term care provides equal access to high-quality seniors care and puts caring conditions before profits.
The BC Health Coalition supports public investment in seniors care, and we applaud the BC NDP’s commitment to restart building seven new long-term care facilities, adding to the sixteen under construction, with a longer-term plan to build 15 more.
In 2019, the BC NDP returned thousands of home care workers employed by private operators back to the health authorities. This move eliminated precarious work and strengthened recruitment and retention of Home Support Workers (Care Aides).
Retaining health care workers in the community is difficult because of the high cost of operating a vehicle. Removing no-fault insurance would double workers’ car insurance costs, forcing some to leave the sector completely.
The BC Health Coalition fears a BC Conservative government could return seniors to the days of contract flipping, where a client doesn’t know who is delivering care or even which company is providing the service.
Repealing DRIPA and Health Care
Under DRIPA, Indigenous British Columbians have a right to be able to access the highest standard of health care. This is only achieved by investing in the public system and making changes to address Indigenous-specific racism and ensure cultural safety. This work is underway, and the BC Health Coalition is encouraged by these efforts and believes Indigenous communities’ right to access safe public health care is vitally important.
The promise to repeal DRIPA, made by the Conservatives, is an attack on Indigenous communities’ right to equal access to safe, high-quality, publicly delivered health care.
What Comes Next
The election is less than two weeks away, and advance voting opens on October 16th. We encourage all British Columbians to consider what the parties are saying about health care and use their voices and votes to ensure the next government protects and invests in our public health care system.
BC Health Coalition
https://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/