Review advocates health care premiums, fees

There are no plans to introduce health care premiums or surcharges to out-of-territory medical travel, Premier Dennis Fentie said following Thursday's question period.

There are no plans to introduce health care premiums or surcharges to out-of-territory medical travel, Premier Dennis Fentie said following Thursday’s question period.

The premier was speaking to an internal health care review, tabled yesterday in the legislative assembly, in which premiums and travel surcharges were among 43 recommendations to ensure cost sustainability over the long haul.

“By no means do we intend to implement all of the recommendations,” said Fentie, flanked by Health Minister Glenn Hart.

While neither would say which of the 43 recommendations contained in the Yukon Health Care Review they favoured, when pressed on user fees for service or medical travel, Fentie ruled those out.

“There is no intention today of implementing such a thing,” said Fentie.

Supported by the Yukon Liberal Party, former government leader Tony Penikett’s minority NDP regime eliminated health care premiums shortly after being elected in 1985.

On Thursday, journalists received the 261-page review immediately before the press conference, providing little time to examine the document and question Fentie or Hart.

The reason for the review, said Fentie, was to “ensure sustainability for the long term” and to “conclude our business case to the federal government for the continuance or renewal of (health) access funding.”

Fentie struck the health care review committee last April.

Beginning in June, it took submissions from the Yukon Medical Association, Yukon Registered Nurses Association, Whitehorse General Hospital and Department of Health and Social Services employees.

What the committee arrived at was a raft of possible ideas to improve health care delivery, preventative public education, working environments and overall cost efficiency.

“By no means do we intend to implement all of the recommendations,” Fentie said.

Appearing to grow tired of questions on potential fees and surcharges Yukoners could be burdened with on the heels of the review, Fentie offered a warning.

“If any one of you report that we’re going to implement all of the recommendations, that would mislead the public and would be irresponsible journalism,” said the premier.

Review and oversight committees would be struck and there would be full public consultation on the review, he added.

When Fentie was elected premier in 2002, health care cost the government $131 million annually.

Today, that figure has risen 54 per cent, to $201.5 million.

During the same period, expenditures by the Justice department have increased just 20 per cent while Education costs rose 29 per cent.

“The more allowance you give to one child, the less you have for the other, and I think that’s what the health care report is getting at,” David Hrycan, deputy minister of Finance and one of the health review committee members, said in an interview today.

“(Health and Social Services’) growth rate is unsustainable.”

Like the premier, Hrycan said the report will form part of a business case, so Ottawa will continue providing territorial health access funding that “was shortly running out.”

Other recommendations in the review included raising daily accommodation rates at the government’s long-term care facilities, improving staff and resource deployment at the hospital to manage workloads and tender air medevac services to Outside competition.

Fentie called it “irresponsible to speculate” which cost-cutting measures could be adopted. He did reveal the government will consider placing Watson Lake’s hospital under the Whitehorse General Hospital Corporation’s authority.

“There is the possibility of the hospital corporation, the Whitehorse General Hospital Corp. taking over the operation of another hospital and that would be Watson Lake.”

Since early September, when it was learned the government plans to convert an unfinished care facility into a $25-million hospital in Fentie’s home riding of Watson Lake, the premier has taken much flak from the media and opposition parties.

As the health care review’s goal is to show financial sustainability, the issue of Watson Lake also played prominently during Thursday’s press conference.

“It will allow for an improvement in the delivery of health care in the community,” Fentie said.

He defended what has been referred to by opposition parties as both a sinkhole and monument to the premier.

The building is expected to cost $25 million-plus to complete.

That figure does not include furnishings or medical equipment, and there are no operation and maintenance estimates.