US ambassador killed over a film

[ShadowHM]

They wouldn't have had to worry about medical costs whatsoever.

This may be nit-picking, but I would rephrase that to: They would not have had to worry about the costs of the medical procedures.

Drugs administered while in the hospital would also be covered. But the costs of most prescription drugs taken while not in the hospital would be their responsibility. Many of us have benefits (via our employers or via private insurance) that cover such costs. Many do not. The costs of such prescriptions are eligible tax deductions but that doesn't completely offset their costs.

I feel healthcare is the biggest crisis and in most need of correction. Much of our country does not realize the scope of the crisis. It has only marginally affected them.

I know the above is cherry-picking (and I apologize for that) but I want to use it as a springboard to mention that I feel the same way about the system here in Ontario.

In this province, 43 cents of every dollar raised by my provincial government are spent on health care. These costs have been rising faster than other components of our government spending for some time.

The number of baby boomers over 65 will double in the next 25 years; by 2030, there will be 40 retirees for every 100 working persons - up from 21 in 2003. This means a decrease in taxpayer dollars to fund government services, including healthcare. In addition, people over the age of 65 access the healthcare system more frequently and thereby cost five times as much compared to the rest of the population.

Medical technology continues to become more innovative and thus, more expensive. Because diseases and illnesses are being diagnosed even earlier than before, there are more patients being treated. While this is good news for patients, costs must also increase to meet that need.

A further challenge to our ability to keep funding healthcare comes from the cost of cancer drugs. Many cancer drugs are covered by the province. And that cost is not insubstantial. It can be as high as $10,000 per month.

I am quite worried that this level of spending is not sustainable and the rate of increase in those costs even more so. We, as a society, need to discuss this, but, unfortunately this is a conversation that, thus far, has been impossible to have in this province. Every political party in the last election declined to even mention it.

To be blunt, I would still rather be here than there. I have been extremely lucky thus far and have needed to use very little in terms of healthcare access costs. But there are people around me who have been in need and were able to access the health care they needed without catastrophic effects on their finances, and without having to make painful choices between healthcare and other costs. I remain cheerful about paying the taxes that make it so and so do most of my fellow citizens.

But I am not cheerful about the long term and how this will work out for my sons.





P.S. I love how the conversations here can and do morph through so many topics in a single thread.