H. Hampson's List: Health Accord

The Hill Times – Special Health Policy Briefing

OTTAWA – The Harper government has given the unelected Senate the mandate to conduct a second mandatory review of the 2004 Health Accord.

The previous review was conducted by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in 2008. The move bypasses the House of Commons, where the Harper government is in a minority, to a Senate committee where the Conservatives are now in a majority. This is one more in a growing list of anti-democratic actions by the Harper government.

Hearings started today in the Senate Committee on Science, Technology and Social Affairs. Already, organizations that support a strong leadership role of the federal government in health care, including the Canadian Health Coalition, have been told they will not be allowed to appear and give testimony.

“The message for Canadians is clear: The Harper government not only holds Parliament in contempt, it also seems to view Canadians who strongly support public health care with contempt as well,” said Michael McBane, National Coordinator of the Canadian Health Coalition. “This does not bode well for the future of Medicare.”

The 2014 Health Accord in brief:

Who: The provincial, territorial and federal governments, the politicians
What: A multi-year agreement on funding for public health care
When: By 2014
Where: Negotiations will be taking place around the country, including a session here in Halifax in September 2011.
Why: The 2004 Health Accord is coming to an end
How: Behind closed doors if we let them!

The “Health Accord” (the First Ministers’ Accord on Health Care Renewal) expires in 2014. This FPT agreement focuses on federal financial support to insurable health care services, with a focus on making timely access to quality care a reality for all Canadians. This agreement also identifies primary health care, home care, catastrophic drug coverage, access to diagnostic/medical equipment and information technology and an electronic health record as important issues to be tackled.

As debate on the future of a federal-provincial health accord that expires in 2014 begins, the federal government should take a look at aboriginal maternal and child health as part of the process, says an NDP MP.
“One thing that our party has certainly been calling for for as long as I’ve been elected is the need to kick start the dialogue with the public about what’s going to happen in the next health accord. One aspect that I have not heard discussed is there should be a whole separate train on dealing with this disparity on aboriginal health,” said Linda Duncan (Edmonton-Strathcona, Alta.), her party’s aboriginal affairs critic.

Mandate the AFN to advocate and ensure the federal government and other bodies such as the
Aboriginal Affairs Working Group, the Council of the Federation and Provincial Health ministers, include
First Nations in revising and extending the Health Accord beyond 2014, and further include a parallel
commitment for a First Nations Health Transfer.

Discussion around maintenance of the 6%. Very general and brief.

Popular opinion on the 2014 Health Accord.

Liberal discussion of their 2014 accord platform. Issues outlined below.

Rural Health Care, Prescription drugs, 'Family' health care - essentially caring for elderly/impaired.