The architect of Quebec's now-overburdened public health care system is proposing further privatization and user fees of up to $98 for people to see their family doctor. Former provincial Liberal health minister Claude Castonguay concluded that Quebec can no longer sustain the annual growth in health care costs. The province currently spends about $23.6 billion annually on health care, or about 40 per cent of its budget. Recommendations include:
> An additional tax based on income and the number of visits made to a doctor's office or hospital in a calendar year. Low-income families and children would be exempt."If nothing is done, at one point we will reach a crisis point ... this is why we say it is urgent to act," Castonguay said. "There's no miracle solution, there is no simple solution."
> Encouraging private-sector involvement in the management of hospitals and medical clinics.
> Lifting a ban that prevents doctors from practicing both in the public system and privately.
> Raising the provincial sales tax by up to one percentage point.
[au contraire; personal medical savings accounts, established when young, tax deferred and appreciating like 401k's, but immediately available for medical reasons, with unused funds eventually returned, even if only in part, to the contributors after retirement would work miracles. It would be our money that's being spent - and free market principles could finally be brought to bear]
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