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New Healthcare Deal Needs to Include Demographic Top-up

by Liane
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February 6, 2023

New Healthcare Deal Needs to Include Demographic Top-up

FREDERICTON – Ahead of Prime Minister Trudeau meeting with the premiers on Tuesday, New Brunswick Green Party leader and MLA for Fredericton South David Coon is calling on Premier Higgs to insist on a demographic top-up to provide additional healthcare funding to New Brunswick to reflect its unique demographic challenges.

“Premier Higgs must insist that New Brunswick must receive a demographic top-up to recognize that health care costs are proportionately higher than many other provinces because of our older population and the large number of retirements among our health professionals,” said Coon. “New Brunswick received extra federal funding when we joined the national Medicare program to recognize the challenging fiscal circumstances we faced at the time. Extra financial support is again warranted given our unique needs.”

This past fall, Premier Higgs used his majority to adopt legislative changes that will permit corporations to provide certain surgeries in privately-owned surgical centers. Now, Ontario Premier Ontario Premier Doug Ford has announced his intention to follow in Higgs’ footsteps. 

“However, with the increased federal funding, we must protect our publicly managed healthcare system from the growing creep of corporate interests,” said Coon. “New federal money must come with the conditions that it is not funneled to profit those corporate interests seeking to take over the provision of healthcare services. Public money should not be used to pay dividends to investors in privately delivered health care.”

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