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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-01-29, Page 4(mF BLYTH STANDARD) Page 4—CLINTON INTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29,19$6 The Ciintoa Nevesti i rd 9f published each Wednesday of P.O. sox 70. Clinton. Ontario. Corrode, NON111,0. Tel.: 412=7447. Subscription Rate: Canada -'21st Sr. Citizen -$ 11.00 per year U.S.A. foreign $IS.00 par year it is registered as second class maul by the post office under the permit number 41917. The Nows.Racard Incorporated In 1924 theNuron News -Record, faunded In 1.001, and The Clinton News Era, toundod In 1005. Total press runs 7..700. Incorporating J. HOWARD AI.TKEN - Publisher ANNE NAREJKO - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager . ' Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective Oc• tobor1, 19114. CCNA 46. MEMBER A MEMBER BLUE RIBBON AWARD 1985 Comprornise needed The medical profession has long been respected in this country. Doc- tors are known as hard workers, leaders in the community, and above all, fair and __honest people. Because of this reputation, the public sector should be concerned when the entire medical profession voices strong concerns about government legislation. The extra -billing issue has been in the headlines of daily papers, on the radio and television news for quite some time now. In all likelihood, the issue will continue to be of great interest for a long time to come. The problem - doctors want to maintain the right to bill patients above the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) rates.. At the same time, the government feels extra -billing could leave those in need of medical care, but who have only limited finances, out on the street. The legislation in question is the proposed Health Care Accessibility Act. One of its purposes is "to ensure the principle of accessibility to needed health care is preserved and protected without any regard to an individual's financial circumstances or ability to pay." This is an admirable stand for the government to take, but what about the physicians' principles? Are they not allowed to set prices for their ser- vices the same as any professional? ° Approximately 12 percent of Ontario doctors extra -bill, however, it is worthy to note that it is not only 12 per cent of the doctors who are up in arms over the issue, but the entire Ontario Medical Association (OMA). They view it as a principle - a right - to be able to charge what they feel their services are.worth. It would appear that'neither side is looking for financial gains, they are sticking by principles - an item which is usually uncompromising. But compromise they must. This issue of whether to allow extra -billing or stick strictly to OHIP. could have great ramifications on Ontario's medical care. The one thing the OMA and the government must not lose sight of is those who require the service. If either side pushes too hard; those who need medical care will be the ones that suffer the most. - by Anne Narejko. Young Offenders Act has some serious flaws Notwithstanding the property and good intentions included in some facet of Canada's Young Offenders Act, that piece of legislation has some serious faults that have remained uncorrected for too long. There is no argument with the fact that young people must be treated differently than adults in courts and penal system, but the Act ap- pears to go too far in the leniency that it provides. A 17 -year-old Vancouver youth was recently given a three-year sentence for manslaughter. Evidence revealed the youth beat and slash- ed a man to death. The attacker repeatedly cut his victim with a straight razor and carved his initials in the man's chest. In contrastranother 17 -year-old who shot and killed a taxi driver in Lon- don was tried in adult court and was convicted of second degree murder. He was sent to prison and won't be eligible for parole for at least 15 years. The latter penalty would appear to serve as sufficient deterrent and adequate protection for society. The first clearly falls far short, although it was the maximum penalty, that could be imposed under the Act. In other instances, the new Act hampers law enforcement agencies. in dealing with young offenders and almost eliminates the victim's and the public's right to know what action has been taken against young people who have committed crimes against them. The complaints and concerns have been validated and the changes that are evidently required should be quickly made. + Exeter Times- Advdcate. Problem isn't extra -billing Dear Editor, The concern expressed by most of On- tario's 7,500 family doctors who oppose the Peterson government's proposed Health Care Accessibility Act deserves special at- tention. Unlike many of our physician colleagues, most family doctors (greater than 95 per- cent) are not opted out, and do not "extra bill". Our concern is for our patients and the future of our health care system, and our fight is for the freedom of those of us living and practicing medicine in a country which once took pride in protecting the rights and respecting the integrity of individuals such as ourselves. Over the past decade, the costs involved in maintaining a quality health care system have escalated and the public purse has been stretched beyond its capacity to afford the resources required. Rather than admit- ting its failure to come to grips with this scenario, governments have -found it politically expedient to create the myth that paying doctors is thep oblem. As family doctors whose role each day is .to_act as. advocates on behalf of these for whom we care, we are asking.our elect % f ficials to review the facts and to address the real issues of eoncern to our patients.. • We applaud any discussion which honestly addresses the issue of "accessibility"'-ubut, surely, when we speak of better access, we must be speaking about issues, such as im- proving the.faciliities and resources avrailable,to. care•for the elderly, the disabi- ed, the abused, and the underprivileged;, surely we must be referring to we need for increased community services, improved home care programs, and more appropriate utilization of our hospitals for both in- patient and out-patient care. Surely, we must recognize that it is in areas such as these that the real ' problems with ac- cessibility to health care exist. For most family physicians, passage of the Peterson government's health bill will have little or no impact upon our incomes — but will have major impact, upon our freedom and our rights. For most of our patients, passage of this act will make little or no difference with respect to their access to doctors - but it will also do nothing With -respect- toimproving their` access to other vital health care needs. By Anne Narejko The real problem,, facing not only doctors but all Canadians, is not "extra billing". It -...is. the ongoing trend towards underfunding:., and the resultant deterioration of otic health care system. The real dilemma facing the population of Ontario today, is not related simply to accessibility to health are — it is rather more siggnificantly the question of ac- cessibility t o - p of t(cal wisdorri. Sincerely; Calvintlutkin,iv11 ,FCFP(EMVM),, rr'esidentw Extra -billing The Liberal government has been com- mitted to ending the practice of extra billing by physicians in this province and in this regard, the Honorable Murray J. Elston, Minister of Health introduced the Health Care Accessibility Act on Dec. 19. The government is concerned that extra billing creates a two-tiered system of medicine in this province — one for the poor and one for those who can afford the extra fees. We believe that, all Ontarians are en- titled to the:best'health care available, irL respective Of thein ability td pay. Ektra bill- ing clearly undermines, this principle of ac- cessibility. It causes hardship for those in fixed incomes, the elderly and the less of- . fluent in our society. Under the direction of my colleague, Mur- ray Elston, public information forums on extra billing were held by nine district health councils across the province, in Oc- tober and November 1985. They were open to the general public and a wide range of consumer, health and interest groups par- ticipated. At each forum, the public was provided with information on the various approaches to implementing a ban. The participants had general discussions on the possible im- pact of these options, and were asked to pro- vide the minister with their ideas and com- ments. Their,suggestions were valuable in drafting the legislation. The Health Care Accessibility Act is a bill to regulate the amounts that may be charg- ed for insured health care services provided by physicians, dentists and optometrists. There is to be a complete ban on extra bill- ing for all insured physician services, all in- sured dental services performed in hospital and for all insured optometry services. Those who opt out and bill their patients directly, because they prefer this profes- sional arrangement, will not be permitted to charge more than the OHIP rates. Their pa- tients will, in turn, be reimbursed at OHIP rates. The bill also empowers the Minister of Health to enter into agreements with associations representing physicians, den- tists and optometrists to provide methods, of negotiating and determining the amounts that will be payable for services under OHIP. Reasonable compensation for these health professionals must be assured and the legislation provides that the ministry will enter into discussion with the associa- tions, leading to a mutually acceptable fee negotiation process. The bill will protect physicians'" profes- sional freedom in choosing whether to opt in or opt out of the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. However, the right of each and every individual to accessible, affordable health care will not be compromised. Highlights of proposed Health Care Ac- cessibility Act. (BM No. 94 Introduced Dec. 19, 1985). - physicians, dentists and optometrists who do not bill OHIP jdirectly may not charge more than the OHIP rate for render- ing an insured service to an insured person (practitioners that do bill OHIP are opted -in under the Health Insurance Act and accept the OHIP rate as full payment) - a practitioner who contravenes the act is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of not more than $10,000 k+ cmmiu',', '59'12{41 rt, ARAWP4v7'f iTM3 - a judge may also order a person found guilty to pay back to an insured person any money received in excess of the OHIP rate, or alternatively, an insured person may sue the practitioner for that excess - Minister of Health may enter an agree- ment with associations representing physi- cians, dentists and optometrists to provide methods of negotiating and determining the amounts payable under OHIP Purpose of Legislation - to ensure the principle of accessibility to needed health, care,is presegedS,and„ pyo- tected without>any; regard ton in4 vadual's „ financial circumstances or ability to pay. = to end extra -billing as supported by ma- jority of Ontarians and as a long-standing commitment by present Ontario govern- ment to end this practice. - provincial compliance with Federal Health Care Act 1984 (July 1984) (only Alberta has not indicated an intention to end , extra -billing) - recovery of federal holdback of health care funding to Ontario at a rate of $4,444,000 per month (based on federal estimates of monthly extra -billing in On- tario) Note: To date the Ontario Medical Association has been unwilling to meet with the minister or ministry officials on the mat- ter of extra -billing as they view this issue as a matter of principle and not negotiable. I am most pleased to announce on', behalf of Elston a grant of up to $400,000 or 50 per- cent of the cost to cover the construction of an obstetrical wing at Clinton Public Hospital and carry out renovations. The final dollar figure of the grant won't be known until the construction tenders are let. Bill SmIiey o Rfelf iMi n Itf, iATISVPNVIR l Mi rIAttf(3/4iplt;;,woquy vivoN,- Garage sales Garage sales are quite the fad these days. Many people make them part of their lives. They troop around town watching for hand- made signs and check the ads in the classified section. Drive around any small town and you'll see a cluster of cars, in front of a house. "Must be a wedding or a funeral," you muse. Then you see a pile of junk with a horde of human magpies darting around it, snatching up bits, beating each other to another heap of rubble, like seagulls diving and screeching for a slice of french -fried spud. It's no wedding. There are no vows ex- changed, except that you takes what you gets, "for better of for worse." It's no funeral, except for those who pay six bucks' for something that cost three 10 years ago. It's a garage sale. This phenomenon resembles a mini - auction -sale minus the auctioneer. •The garage sale allows the proprietor (often abetted by some of his neighbours) to get rid of all the useless items overflowing the garage, the tool -shed; the basement and the attic. It sometimes brings in two or three hun- dred dollars to the vendors, and the garage - ',sale groupies go home all excited because they have bought a three-legged chair, a horse draWn sleigh, an umbrella" with -only one spoke missing, or six paperback novels for dollar. One duo contemporaries, an habitueebf these bizarre events, was more than a bit thunderstruck when he found at one sal. .Lour. that he could buy text -books frond cli dirt chea 'r lie .school, y, stamped as su ., p ou owners inting • the Wilde, t re'd With reciions� books , . d to the school and that the- books belo)ige had been stolen by their children, but they'd have none of it. They wanted cash. So much for human nature. These were taxpayers who had helped buy the books their kids had stolen, and now wanted to sell them back to the system so that other kids could steal the books they were still paying taxes for. Back to the garage sales. There is no sug- gestion of stealing here. Both parties, buyer and seller, are perfectly aware of what's go- ing. on. The seller is trying to get rid of something he doesn't need. It's a classic ex- ample of our materialistic age. We want to get rid of some of the garbage we've bought, and the buyer wants to buy some more gar- bage. The epitome of a garage=sale-groupie would be a person who goes to four garage sales, buys a lot of junk, then has a garage sale to dispose of it, preferably with a small mark-up. But they're fun. A friend of mine, who'll make a bid on anything, even though he doesn't know what it's for, has bought two old-fashioned horse- - rawn sleighs. He has worked on them until they are serviceable. All he needs now is a couple of beasts_to haul_the things. Ie'll.pr_o- bably wind up with a camel and a Shetland pony (and will make a fortune hauling peo- ple around when we run out of gas). Well, I wish I'd had a garage sale this past summer.. First, I_'d.have sold_ the garage, a venerable institution. Noneof this electronic eye, or press a button And the door opens. It has a vast door, weighing about 800 pounds. it You hoist the'door acid slidon pulleys and cables, and at the right, moment, on a good day, it stops rising just.attne height to teaoff your radio aeriThe balances fill- ed f 11-edwith sand, aren,t quite enough from crashing down on. your hood, but I've fixed that. To one, I've added an axe -head, to the other a quart of paint. Perfect balance. A real buy. Behind the garage is a sort of tool shed. I say "sort of", because when I've sailed into the garage on a slippery midwinter day, I've sometimes gone an extra foot and crashed into the tool shed, which now leans about 35 degrees to the north. I'll throw in the tool shed with the garage, stuff in but not its contents. Migawd, the there would bug the eyes of either an anti- que dealer or a garage -groupie. We have garden tools in there that haven't been used .since Sir John A. MacDonald's wife told him to get his nose out of that glass and go out and stir up the garden. We have at least four perfectly good tires for a 1947 Dodge.' We have enough holy tar- paulin (or is it holey? I've never known) to build a theatre under the stars. There's a perfectly good set of golf clubs, a wee bit rusty. There's a three-legged garden tool that must' have come over with Samuel de Champlain. There's a three -wheeled lawnmower (mechanic's special). Six hun- dred feet of, garden hose that a little _adhesive would fix. And many more, too miscellaneous t '. mention. And that's only the tool shed. In- side the house, we have eight tons of books, left by our children. The attic is going to of comeright, through to thekitche „,.ane , these days. How about a copy Of agavad- - gita,1,U 0 pages; at $1? 4 Man, I wish I'd got this idea off the ground about six months ago? Anyone interested in an iron crib sides go up and' down, filled with $300 worth of broken toys, exotic pain - flogs ui tingsl some records and a bag of marbles? Who needs to retire, with all this wealth lying around? 6