Iggy, Don't Piss Us Off - Your Health Care Line Is BS

I read the Iggy speech very carefully and checked the media reports. He is trying to thread a needle that isn't there (relevant passages & analysis at bottom). He needs to stand up for ACCESSIBILITY REGARDLESS OF INCOME, not this BS "universality" escape clause. Parse his remarks and they could be interpreted either for or against user fees & regressive taxation. He's chicken to criticise Charest (or he agrees) and he's chicken to stand against Medicare (or he believes in it, but chicken to say so). But there's no way around this, there's no Mac Kingian obfuscation possible. You're either with the counterproductive user-fee & regressive taxation idiots, or you're with the forces of productive truly accessible universal health care. You're with us or against us. I should note, for the ignorant, that the reason the UK has always made their health care "freely" available for all, recently landed immigrants & refugees as well as anyone else (no three month waits!) is because of the danger of communicable diseases, and costs: what happens if someone has some Ebola or something, but didn't get it checked out as early as possible because they were poor and wanted to avoid the user fee? Think, people, think!!!

GPs win care fight for asylum seekers

The government is ready to scrap controversial plans to clamp down on so-called 'health tourism' among asylum seekers, following a revolt by doctors.

Ministers had threatened to withdraw the right to free GP treatment from asylum seekers whose claims were rejected, forcing them to pay for care privately or go without in all cases except emergencies. However, doctors have argued the move would be unethical and potentially illegal, with some saying they would treat patients regardless of any new rules.
(...)
Ministers first proposed denying free primary care from GPs four years ago, driven by concerns about the cost of health tourism. But a decision has been repeatedly delayed, amid objections from doctors and refugee organisations, who argued that it would be inhumane, could encourage the spread of infectious diseases and would put A&E wards under strain as overseas patients whose conditions had gone untreated developed life-threatening complications.

Iggy Speech - Relevant Section

La semaine dernière, quand on m’a demandé ce que je pensais du budget du premier ministre Charest, j’ai rapidement reconnu qu’il agissait pour essayer de résoudre un très gros problème : celui du financement du système de santé dans un contexte de vieillissement de la population.

Il faut être ouvert à ce que les provinces puissent expérimenter, dans le cadre des grands principes de la loi canadienne sur la santé. Il faut protéger l’accès au système de santé.

Le gouvernement du Québec le sait et a indiqué qu’il allait situer sa réforme à l’intérieur des paramètres de la loi canadienne. Je salue le fait qu’il lance le débat. C’est de là que vient le progrès.

Lancer un débat, oui, mais un débat qui respecte le grand principe de notre système : de garantir l’accès universel aux soins de santé. Ce principe est l’épine dorsale de la citoyenneté canadienne.

Est-ce que M. Harper entend respecter ce principe? Son silence est révélateur.

You see, the problem is he says "access must be protected", "QC is saying it'll reform system within parameters of Canada Health ACt (untrue), "must respect universal access as basic principle' and opposes his support for "universal access" with Harper's silence. BUT ANYONE WHO FOLLOWS THESE THINGS KNOWS IT'S POSSIBLE TO CLAIM UNIVERSAL ACCESS WHILE CHARGING USER FEES. We all have universal access to McDonald's, theoretically, it's just that we need to pay for food and drink...so if you don't have the money, you can't. There is a huge difference between the principle of universality and accessibility, and Iggy, you're not fooling anyone. Speak up for accessibility, as defined by the Canada Health Act, or suffer the consequences.

CHA
Accessibility
12. (1) In order to satisfy the criterion respecting accessibility, the health care insurance plan of a province
(a) must provide for insured health services on uniform terms and conditions and on a basis that does not impede or preclude, either directly or indirectly whether by charges made to insured persons or otherwise, reasonable access to those services by insured persons;
(b) must provide for payment for insured health services in accordance with a tariff or system of payment authorized by the law of the province;
(c) must provide for reasonable compensation for all insured health services rendered by medical practitioners or dentists; and
(d) must provide for the payment of amounts to hospitals, including hospitals owned or operated by Canada, in respect of the cost of insured health services.

And this is translated into law the following way:

EXTRA-BILLING AND USER CHARGES

Extra-billing

18. In order that a province may qualify for a full cash contribution referred to in section 5 for a fiscal year, no payments may be permitted by the province for that fiscal year under the health care insurance plan of the province in respect of insured health services that have been subject to extra-billing by medical practitioners or dentists.
1984, c. 6, s. 18.
User charges

19. (1) In order that a province may qualify for a full cash contribution referred to in section 5 for a fiscal year, user charges must not be permitted by the province for that fiscal year under the health care insurance plan of the province.

Deduction for extra-billing

20. (1) Where a province fails to comply with the condition set out in section 18, there shall be deducted from the cash contribution to the province for a fiscal year an amount that the Minister, on the basis of information provided in accordance with the regulations, determines to have been charged through extra-billing by medical practitioners or dentists in the province in that fiscal year or, where information is not provided in accordance with the regulations, an amount that the Minister estimates to have been so charged.
Deduction for user charges

(2) Where a province fails to comply with the condition set out in section 19, there shall be deducted from the cash contribution to the province for a fiscal year an amount that the Minister, on the basis of information provided in accordance with the regulations, determines to have been charged in the province in respect of user charges to which section 19 applies in that fiscal year or, where information is not provided in accordance with the regulations, an amount that the Minister estimates to have been so charged.