The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-04-05, Page 5Soz$6.90 per hour is not enough
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THSJRSDAY, APRIL 5, 1979—PAGE 5
Why one doctor "opted out of OHIP"
Dear Editor:
Recently, the "opted
Out" physician has come
under attack. While
critics have a right to
their opinion, they have
been very inaccurate and
unfair about many issues.
Since I am an "opted
out" physician in this
community, and since I
am proud of my stand in
this matter, I felt com-
pelled to write this letter
to explain the facts as I
see them.
First, I would 'like • to
explain two reasons why I
,,chose to "opt out" of
OHIP.
The first reason is to
defend my professional
freedom and identity.
The many British and
Irish physicians in
Ontario today are a
testament to the un-
bearable medical con-
ditions that came to exist
in the British Health
System after it was taken
over and then completely
destroyed by govern-
ment.
I and many other
physicians feel very
strongly that if we don't
take a stand profesionally
against government
interference, some day it
will be too late and we
will have the British
Health Care System here.
The two most important
things to government are
getting into power and
then gaining control.
It gains control by
bureaucracy, laws and
red tape. Already there is
Dear Editor.
• from page 4
the unseen dangers of
nuclear energy.
Sincerely,
D. Carpenter,
CANTDU,
Box 342,Goderich.
Be careful
Dear Editor,
You hear it said:
"Canada has untold
wealth in abundance." Is
this really true?
First, you must be able
to define what is meant
by WEALTH! As Karl
Marx stated, it is
something that has "USE
VALUE"! This simply
means that it must fulfill
an EXISTING want or
need.
You cannot use natural
resources until they
are made available. This
takes work and machines
that cost money in the
form of CAPITAL!
To produce goods and
products that have a
value, first you must find
and establish an
EXISTING market. This
requires CAPITAL!
The Canadian dollar
today:. has a limited
ACTUAL value, but a
very high POTENTIAL
value because of our
abundance of natural
resources which offer
POTENTIAL wealth
realizable sometime in
the future. D9 NOT ..sell
the Canadian dollar
short!
According to Marx,
value and wealth, can
only be realized by the
use of "LABOUR
POWER" as he termed
it. Not a bad definition of
work!
As Marx stated the
MORE labour employed,
the higher the EX-
CHANGE VALUE of that
which is produced! That
makes sense.
Labour costs MONEY -
people refuse to work at a
mere subsistance level.
Canadians just love to
make money, spend it
and save it, but they
hesitate to INVEST
CAPITAL to create
wealth, because this
involves RISK. We need
those resources NOW!
The- government can do
this for us through HIGH
TAXATION, to provide
this necessary capital to
invest for all of us !
Is the government a
good investor? The
•
record shows that it is
NOT! They invariably
use potential capital to
obtain VOTES by
spending OUR money on
those things that
PLEASE THE
MAJORITY - ' more
welfare schemes, a
bigger beaurocracy,
solving language
problems, more work for
lawyers, things that
"stroke our backs", so to
speak!
We are a country and
will remain so.
Wise Canadians would
tell the 40 -year to 60 -year -
age group who now run
everything, with few
exceptions, to invest our
dollars effectively and
cleverly in CANADA -
and not let it dribble out
of our country! It is
POTENTIAL capital.
In a decade or so, when
the dollar is restored, the
young, who are better
EDUCATED and will be
Turn to page 6 •
too much bureaucracy
and red tape in this area,
through more
bureaucracy and red
tape, it will soon gain
control to the point of
dictating the day-to-day
treatment of individual
patients.
The horrifying part is
that these bureaucrats
(who will be making
important decisions
about a patient's illnessr
will be well versed in
statistics and know
nothing about medicine.
From Toronto, these
bureaucrats will be
making important
decisions about our local
hospital - often coming up
with inappropriate
decisions.
If a patient needs a
certain drug, a form will
have to be sent to the
Department . of Health
and a decision will be
made by some committee
in Toronto. The same will
apply if a patient needs to
see a consultant, or needs
to go to a certain hospital,
or needs a certain test, or
needs a certain treat-
ment, etc.
Do not be disbelieving.
This is happening in
Britayn today. Mean-
while, the doctor is
stripped of his identity
and function. All the shots
will be called from
Toronto and the most the
doctor can do is sit beside
the patient, waiting,
powerless, to do in-
vestigations and treat his
patients.
Basically, I feel this
way. I have gone to
university for a total of
ten years to learn
medicine and when some
politician, who may be a
used car dealer or an
insurance salesman (as
our recent Ministers of
Health have been) starts
telling me how I should
practise Medicine, that is
the day I would quit!
By "opting out", 1 am
standing up for my rights
as a professional person
and, hopefully, making it
quite clear that in-
dependence and freedom
from government and
other interference is
essential for me to fun-
ction the way I was
taught in medical school
with the patient's in-
terests coming first and
not some bureaucrat's or
politician's!
The second reason why
I have "opted out" of
OHIP is financial. I
respect myself greatly as
a doctor. I work hard and
long hours. I try to do the
best job I can, even at the
sacrifice of hours from
my personal life and from
my family, which is very
dear to me.
I spent money on ex-
pensive equipment for
my office because I
thought it would help me
to do a good job. I spent
ten years of my life
studying at university
sweating at the books for
long hours and at no or
minimal pay.
After having been in
practice a• number of
years, I returned to
school for three more
years (at a great loss in
income) `because I
thought that additional
training would make me
a better doctor. I respect
my profession greatly
and I consider the present
OHIP payment for many
services an insult!
Yes, I know income tax
statistics show that
Medicine is one of the
highest paid professions.'
The reason for this is the
consistent long, long
hours of work. I per-
sonally work 70 to 80
hours per week. Wouldn't
you earn a lot of money if
you worked 70 to 80 hours
per week and, which is
more, almost every
week?
I wish to illustrate
some typicl doctor's fees
and you tell me if they are
too high.
Let us take the typical
office visit or what we
call the "minor
assessment". The OHIP
benefit for this service is
$7.70. For most doctors
the cost of overhead is 50
percent (mine is higher)
so that $3.85 is left.
Because of the long
hours of work and
resulting income level, 50
percent of the $3.85 goes
to income tax, leaving
$1.93. Usually a doctor
can perform five such
visits per hour, producing
a •pay rate of $9.65 per
hour. Garages charge
more!
It is true that fees for
many other services are
higher, but these usually
take longer so that fewer
services can be per-
formed per hour and the
hourly rate usually
remains the same.
Another example is the
hospital visit. OHIP pays
$5.50 less 50 percent for
overhead, leaving $2.75
less 50 -percent for income
tax, leaving $1.38 for the
doctor. At five patients
per hour, the resulting
pay rate is $6.90 per hour.
Do you believe it - and I
am responsible. -for these
patients' lives! Do you
see why I feel insulted by
OHIP rates?
Furthermore, I have
irregular hours and get
no overtime pay. I get no
coffee breaks and no
lunch hours. I have 'no
benefits. I pay my own
hospitalization. I have no
drug o‘ dental plans. I
generate my own pension
funds. I lose income for
holidays and through
sickness. I am not
provided with a disability
plan and I am not eligible
for . unemployment in-
surance.
I pay high income tax, I
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have a high overhead and
1 must pay all of this
before I get a penny. I
provide employment and
yet I am discriminated
against in the 'new small
business tax laws.
I am continually being
lied about and disgraced
on TV and in newspapers.
I'll tell you at the end of a
long hard day this is hard
to take. How much more
can I put up with before
going to the States? How
much more can other
doctors endure?
My solution to the two
problems of professional
independence and
inadequate OHIP fees
has been to "opt out" of
OHIP.
I charge' according to
the Ontario Medical
Association Schedule of
fees. Before, OHIP used
to cover 90 percent of
these fees, but now they
only cover 70 percent of
these fees.
I wonder what the
U.A.W. would say if the
government only allowed
their workers 70 percent
of their pay? At any rate,
I don't charge anyone
over 65 years, any needy
person, anyone on
Welfare anyone on a
Disability Pension or
anyone who is unem-
ployed a penny extra over
the OHIP benefit, which
is 70 percent.
And why - because I'm
trying to rip off the public
as politicians suggest?
.You know the real
problem is that OHIP
only covers 70 percent of
the 0.M.A. fee.
I mean, if OHIP
covered 100 percent of the
0.M.A. fee, what would it
matter to the patient if a
doctor were "opted in" or
"out"? What happens to
your high premiums if
OHIP offers such poor
insurance coverage? Too
much goes to ad-
ministrative costs.
Mastercharge and
Chargex can still make a
profit charging three to
five percent for ad-
ministrative costs in-
stead of the 30 percent
charged by OHIP.
I agree that the people
of Ontario are getting
poor insurance coverage
for the high premiums
they pay. However, your
doctor has no say in this.
The amount of coverage
is OHIP's decision.
I hope that the above
has clarified the reasons
why myself and many
other doctors are "opting
out" of OHIP.
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