UTURE OF MEDICARE

| Private health insurance, toleration of

extra billing, the use of deterrent fees
and the loss of political commitment at
both the federal and provincial level of
government is eating away at the heart
of medicare says the general manager of
CU and C Health Services, David Schreck.

"Schreck will speak about the Future of
Medicare at Douglas College on Hovember
22 at 7 p.m. in Room 3820 of the Royal
Avenue Campus.

Schreck recently addressed a national
conference on medicare at McGill
University in Montreal where he told the
audience that Canadians would "see the
death of our system of public health in-
surance unless we restore the political
commitment to Medicare."

 
 

"The loss of commitment at the provincial
level is evidenced by the ‘toleration of
extra billing, the use of deterrent fees,
the reliance of three provinces on pre-
mium payments to determine eligibility
and the rationing of services," Schreck
said.

 

Although Schreck adnitted that B.c. res-
idents were fortunate to have no extra
billing, he said the closure of 10 per
cent of acute care beds in B.C. meant a
rationing of services,

Schreck charged that British Columbia's
premium system has resulted in 100,000
or more people having no medicare cover-
age.

“And rumours are surfacing that B.C.
might introduce a user fee at the doctor's
office to do what extra billing has done
elsewhere," Schreck said.

 

Another area of concern for the CU and C
Health Society is the recent calls from
some physicians to allow private health
insurance back into the business of cov-
ering themselves and hospitals.

"We are aware that same insurers would
like nothing more than to offer coverage
for extra billing...if that ever happens,
medicare will be dead," Schreck claimed:

"The reemergence of private health in-
surance would soon lead to a situation
whereby medicare would be ans te

escalate ak of control

Schreck also called for the development
of "alternative delivery systems" of
health care.

"We believe that no single delivery sys-
tem should dominate health care; so when
we speak of alternatives, we are not ad-
vocating the elimination of the fee-for-
service Tat merely the moderating of its

   

Schreck was invited to Douglas College
by sociology instructor Dr. Aida Meshaka
to speak to the Sociology of Health I1l-
ness class.

Meshaka bolas that, in keeping with the
goal of community colleges, sociology
should serve the community at large as
well as career programs, and address it-
self to current social problems.

"In view of the importance of this topic,
I am opening up this session to the gen-
eral public," eek said.