Ontario Private Clinics Illegal

[Jersay]

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario's health minister says government lawyers are examining what legal tools there are to restrict the activities of a Vancouver-based private health-care company.

George Smitherman says Copeman Healthcare Inc. could break federal and provincial law when it opens three clinics in Ontario this summer. The company plans to charge patients $3,500 to register at the clinics in Toronto, Ottawa and London, and hopes to open eight more across Canada by 2007.

A legal opinion prepared for the Ontario Health Coalition suggests Copeman undermines medicare by giving patients quick access to care based on ability to pay.

The coalition says individuals who pay the fees, and doctors who accept them, could face penalties of up to $10,000.

Smitherman says ministry lawyers are looking to see if provincial legislation allows the government to fine the clinics.

"The government of Ontario does not support two-tier medicine," Smitherman said Monday.

"Accordingly, any attempt to extricate from an Ontarian a certain financial sum in advance of the provision of a medically insured service is not on."

But he acknowledged Copeman hasn't done anything wrong yet.

"Saying that you're going to do something is not the same as doing it," he said.

Smitherman said he has been in contact with Copeman officials and urged them to meet provincial officials for a discussion.

The legal opinion was prepared for the coalition by lawyers at Toronto law firm Sack Goldblatt Mitchell.


©The Canadian Press, 2006

http://start.shaw.ca/start/enCA/News/NationalNewsArticle.htm?src=n013025A.xml

 

[Jay]

"The government of Ontario does not support two-tier medicine," Smitherman said Monday.

He should have said "The Liberal government does not support two-tier medicine"


I don't think these Liberals are going to do so well in the next election....whatever they want to do they need to so now, before it's too late...

 

[I think not]

They don't want two-tier medicine? OK, the US spends $1.9 trillion a year on health care, $1 trillion of that is paid for by the federal and state governments. The economist I got today has a great article on Americas health care, too bad I can't post it.

 

[Jersay]

He should have said "The Liberal government does not support two-tier medicine"


I don't think these Liberals are going to do so well in the next election....whatever they want to do they need to so now, before it's too late...

Well, the conservatives screwed up under Harris. The Liberals in Ontario don't support two-tier health care, so I think it is time for the NDP.

 

[tawker]

RE: Ontario Private Clini

What about the place Layton went to, will that be illegal as well?

 

[Jay]

He should have said "The Liberal government does not support two-tier medicine"


I don't think these Liberals are going to do so well in the next election....whatever they want to do they need to so now, before it's too late...

Well, the conservatives screwed up under Harris. The Liberals in Ontario don't support two-tier health care, so I think it is time for the NDP.

I don't think the NDP have official party status in Ontario anymore...

Does the name Bob Rae mean anything to you?

 

[Jersay]

I don't think the NDP have official party status in Ontario anymore...

Does the name Bob Rae mean anything to you?

Yeah Bob Rae. Good guy.

Was the investigator into the Air India Bombing and in any public inquiry he will be the head.

And the NDP have 2 seats in the provincial parliment. Because no one wants the conservatives in again, the NDP will win.

 

[Jay]

Ontario traditionally votes conservative. We don't trust the NDP to govern because we are business driven. The NDP have an anti-corporation and raise taxes rhetoric.

 

[Jersay]

Ontario traditionally votes conservative. We don't trust the NDP to govern because we are business driven. The NDP have an anti-corporation and raise taxes rhetoric.

Really?

Wow, I'm surprised that Ontario is where Harper lost than, and where Layton picked up a majority of his seats.

 

[Jay]

We are discussing the provincial issues....there is a difference.

And in the Southwestern Ontario region Harper picked up every riding not attached to a city. He lost every riding attached to a city.

 

[Jersay]

We are discussing the provincial issues....there is a difference.

And in the Southwestern Ontario region Harper picked up every riding not attached to a city. He lost every riding attached to a city

But it makes a good point, why conservative in provincial and Liberal and NDP in the federal.

But back to the provincial, from looking at it you have had at least 2 NDP governments so it can be done.

 

[McDonald]

"The government of Ontario does not support two-tier medicine," Smitherman said Monday.

He should have said "The Liberal government does not support two-tier medicine"


I don't think these Liberals are going to do so well in the next election....whatever they want to do they need to so now, before it's too late...

Liberal government or not, it is the elected power in that province, and the legitimate extension of the will and interest of the people. If a majority of the citizens in Ontario supported TTH, I suppose it would be your ilk in the provincial government instead of the people who were actually elected to run the place.

The implications of the rabid Neoconservatism displayed by many on this board is a Canada that looks a whole lot like the US {and indeed I have read many articles from Conservative authors who express that very aspiration (www.proudtobecanadian.com, Joel Johannsen)}.

Let me try to attempt to shed light on the unmitigated disaster that is American healthcare to those who are ignorant to it. I've lived here for over 20 years, so I guess that puts me in a pretty good position to do so. Over 44 million people are without any sort of health coverage (imagine the entire Canadian population, plus about 11 million). The middle class is shrinking more everyday. Millions more people are one job loss away from losing their coverage. Health costs have skyrocketed out - of - control. And Americans largely have the philosphies of unfettered capitalism and neoconservatism to thank for it.

If that's the direction you want for Canada, then so be it... but wouldn't it be easier to just emigrate? Do you have to destroy the social fabric of an entire nation just to come to terms with the fact that you'd rather be an American than a Canadian?

Then again, maybe I'm totally wrong.

 

[Jersay]

Agree totally with you McDonald. Most people say that they want to be more like the Americans, and America is so great but it does have problems,

just look at your example with American healthcare, where people who enmass more than the population of Canada have no healthcare system at all.

And you think alot of people are conservative? I was told there was a ton of left-wingers on this board.