So, the you-know-what has hit the fan in Ontario.In commenting, I will take my cue from a certain politician's comments around the issue…I’m not saying this, but some might say that…The McGuinty government looked around at healthcare and noticed that you have to wait in line to see your family doctor(if you don’t have one you have to wait in line to get one), and if you need a bed in hospital or long term care, you have to wait to get one. If you need surgery, or diagnostic tests like MRIs, you have to wait in line to get one (unless you play for the Leafs). Yet you can go right in to a pharmacy and speak to a pharmacist within minutes.They recognized that this was two-tiered health care, and so decided to cut funding to pharmacy so that you have to wait in line there too..Or… The people of Ontario have been subsidizing the government plan for years. They pay 50% higher fees, and higher drug costs, because the government wants to shift costs to patients. Now they have changed the rules so that pharmacies will either go out of business, or increase the amount they charge the paying public. Insurance companies will benefit too, but the way drug plans are structured means that people with drug plans may end up paying more anyway, or that their plans may not be honoured. The illusion of savings is really just a cover for shifting pharmacy costs onto working Ontarians – they’ve had to make up the difference in the past, and they may have to again.Or… The ultimate goal of the government in Ontario is to close pharmacies. They recognize that what they are paying is insufficient because in remote areas with only one pharmacy they are paying a lot more (surprise, surprise, about 50% more) than in areas where pharmacies are closer together. If they understand that this is what is required for these pharmacies to stay open, and so give a whole lot less to everyone else, clearly they want to put somebody out of business. Apparently the public is suffering from too much access to a health professional. Closing pharmacies will solve that problem.Or… I had an appliance fixed the other day. I asked the repairman what would happen if he didn’t make any money on the parts for the appliance. He replied that he would have to charge more for labour. Can somebody at the Ministry of Health please call an appliance repairman to explain how this works.I’m not saying this. But someone might.
