| Asarial,
A health clinic is all over the news, for all the wrong reasons. The Marda Loop Medical Clinic in Alberta has made headlines for introducing a $2200 membership fee to its patients, promising reduced wait times for appointments. [1] We should all get access to excellent healthcare whenever we need it, no matter what. But the existence of membership-based clinics like Marda Loop doesn’t solve the problem of long wait times. It creates a two-tiered system of healthcare: promising faster, higher-quality care, but only to those who can afford it. Clinics like Marda Loop threaten the integrity of our public healthcare system. And it turns out they may be allowed to exist because of a loophole in the Canada Health Act. By offering appointments to non-member patients once a week, they can argue their services are still “available” to all. [2] This loophole is a potential backdoor for increasing the privatization of our healthcare system across the country — and our federal government can fix it. Health Minister Mark Holland is new on the job, and establishing his priorities right now. If tens of thousands of us help get this on his radar, we could make sure protecting public healthcare is high on his agenda. If you agree that the two-tier healthcare loophole should be closed, will you add your name to the petition now?
We need the federal government to act now, before other private healthcare companies see that they can get away with charging exorbitant fees and start taking advantage of this loophole too. Jim Dickinson, a health sciences professor at the University of Calgary, called what’s happening at the Marda Loop Medical Clinic “the canary in the coal mine”. [3] Under the Canada Health Act, clinics are not allowed to charge patients for medically necessary services. [4] But more and more membership-based clinics like Marda Loop are popping up all over Canada, offering a range of insured and uninsured services that fall into a grey area of the Act. [5] Healthcare experts have called it “skirting the boundaries of what’s allowable”. [6] We need to protect our public healthcare system, so no matter who you are or how much money you make, you can get the care you need. Will you sign the petition now?
https://act.leadnow.ca/membership-health-clinics/ With hope, Sources: |
|
Leadnow doesn’t take handouts from corporations or political parties. Everything we achieve together is only possible because of ordinary people like you chipping in what they can. Please will you consider donating a few bucks a week to Leadnow? Click here to set up a secure donation: http://www.leadnow.ca/donate Leadnow n’accepte aucune aide financière de la part de corporations ou de partis politiques. Tout ce que nous réalisons ensemble est le fruit du travail de gens normaux, comme vous, qui donnent ce qu’ils peuvent. Pourriez-vous donner quelques dollars par semaine à Leadnow? Cliquez ici pour faire un don sur un site sécurisé : http://www.leadnow.ca/donate Leadnow.ca is an independent campaigning community that brings Canadians together to hold government accountable, deepen our democracy and take action for the common good. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. To contact us, you can reply to this email. This message was sent to wordpress-pub@destrukt.ca, because you previously signed on to a Leadnow.ca campaign. If you no longer want to be part of our campaigning community, you can unsubscribe at any time Leadnow.ca – À l’Action est une communauté indépendante qui souhaite réunir les Canadiens afin de demander des comptes au gouvernement, approfondir notre démocratie et passer à l’action pour le bien commun. Suivre sur Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Ce courriel a été envoyé au wordpress-pub@destrukt.ca. Vous pouvez vous désinscrire à tout moment. Leadnow.ca, PO Box 2091, Stn Terminal, Vancouver, BC, V6B 3T2 — 1‑855‑LEADN0W | 1‑855‑532‑3609 |