The Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-04-16, Page 31Grossman accuses government
of overkill in extras -billing issue
*from page I .
date of the event and this .had been
planned for months previous tolhe request
for someone to attend the forum in
Goderich.
Grossman accused the government of
overkill in the way they are handling the
issue of health care accessibility. "What
you have is the extension of a very small
problem where less than one per cent of
the people in Ontario have a problem with
extra -billing and the government comes in
changing the way the profession looks at
itself and the relationship between the
doctors and the government.
"The approach is very out of focus. You
provide bad government if you don't try to
keep. the problem and its solution
relative," said Grossman. "This is overkill
and the exercise of power isn't worth it."
"How many will have a dramatically
improved health care as the result of Bill 94
and how many will .have their health care
quality: •da.Maged over thenext 10 years
because. of the greatly changed relation-
ship between thedoctorsand the govern-
ment resulting from Bill 94..." Grossman
asked.
Grossman said the premier has backed
himself into a corner and the Liberals don't
have the political maturity to back off. He
suggested Peterson can resolve the issue
by simply backing away, leaving Bill 94 on
the order paper and negotiating with the
doctors until the end of 1986. The govern-
ment has one year- to comply with the
Canada Health Act to qualify for $50
million in federal health transfer pay-
ments.
The Conservative leader said he promis-
ed to support the government if they
agreed to negotiate with the OMA until the
end of 11986. ‘ittpIst Mr.. Peterson yester-
day 1 would support the.government ,on the
specific issue of negotiation until the end of
1986 and not let them -be •cornered on an
election on the issue of negotiating."
Og called the proposed bill the last great
'hurdle to government taking .oyer the
health care system. "Once every doctor is
conscripted into the system in this way, it
is easy to begin to tell them where• they are
going to practise. It is easy to cap their
incomes. It is easy•to begin to second guess
their judgements and,th put barriers to the
numbers of procedures. they can. perform."
Grossman said when the health, care
system in Canada is destroyed after the
passage of Bill 94, he won't be telling his
children `Bob.41ae-;required me to do it. It
was the price to pay to get into public
office.'
"I will be able to stand on principle. I
will,be able to tell them it wasn't a perfect
. •
system, but it was the best in the world."
Crossman invited 'the .ctinttituents in
Elston's riding to take him up �n a
challenge he Made in an interview on CBC
Radio two weeks ago. "Elston has invited
his constituents to kick a certain part of his
anatomy all around his riding if he is
misguided on this issue. finvite you to do
it," said Grossman.
Less than one per cent of the population
may have a problem.with extra -billing. For
this we have the erosion of the 'foundation
of medicare, observed Grossman.
He went on to say doctors opting out has..
slippedfrom 18 per cent to 11 per cent.
"How does Elston treat the physicians...
He says the physicians criticism is out of an
ideological time warp."
"This sort of rhetoric is inappropriate."
One member of the audience at the forum
commented that she had been extra -billed
more than O per cent beyond the OHIP
rate by a physician. "It does haPten. I still
_have the bill and I'm waiting for the
repercussions (since she has decidectpot to -
pay it)," she said. She continued by
commenting that she doesn't agree with
making all doctors civil servants but she
disagrees with the thought that her doctor
can look at her and say, 'I think she can
afford it, I'll extra -bill her.' 7
Grossman made the observation in light
of her remarks that Elston should take time
out from "doctor bashing" to come and
listen and then sit down and quietly tay all
of these issues on the table for discussion
with the OMA. Dr. Bruce Thomson told the
woman that historically doctors are not in
the business of hurting people financially
and that if a patient has a concern about a
bill, they should 'contact the College of
Physicians' and Surgeons or 7'"the. Ontario
Medical Association. , •
GrosSinan said he brought in the
prerequisite that a physician discuss extra -
billing with a patient prior to treatment in
September, 1983 while he was health
minister.: He said if 'physician fails to
consult prior to treatment the patient does
not have to pay more than 24 per cent
beyond the OHIP rate which is the
difference between the OHIP fee schedule
,
and the OMA schedule.
Another member of the audience asked
if the premier's comments on a special tax
health, tax were an indication of his inten-
tions. Grossman answered . that even
though he withdrew the suggestion of a
sickness tax. or user fee, the premier had
indicated a yearago thai one 'Of the things
he would do is implement a special ,:taxon
the rich. "A sickness tax isnot far below
•the surface of his political philosophy,"
added Grossman.
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