The Beacon - June 4, 2016 | Vol XXII, No. 12 The Healthcare Financial Crunch For a service as important as healthcare, it is vital that our public policies distinguish between sound, evidence-based solutions and mere fads. And where problems exist, we must find and respond to their true cause. Health policy has been on our [...]
Atlantic Canada is in a financial squeeze. With our ageing population, healthcare costs are rising. But these circumstances aren't created by neglect from the federal government, as Ottawa’s health transfers to our region are at record highs. Rather, our poor economic policies – like high taxes and banning onshore shale gas development – [...]
In the Telegraph-Journal, AIMS Vice President of Research John Williamson argues that the fault for Atlantic Canada’s financial squeeze in healthcare lies more with our economic policies than with Ottawa’s funding formulas. When a young worker moves West, his federal health subsidy goes with him, rather than staying here. Read the full article on the [...]
The Beacon - May 2016 | Vol XXII, No. 10 AIMS Health Literacy Forum Our latest AIMS Health Literacy Forum was a resounding success. We are delighted that over 350 people came to discuss the healthcare system and the ways that they, as users, can help to improve its performance. Among those in attendance were business [...]
In the Charlottetown Guardian, AIMS policy analyst Jackson Doughart discusses AIMS's health forum of April 13, featuring Doctors John Ross and David Zitner. He adduces that a third of P.E.I.'s budget goes to healthcare, and that much could be done to improve the system and contain costs. Read this article on the Charlottetown Guardian website. [...]
The Beacon - April 2016 | Volume XXII, No. 9 Changes to Employment Insurance Last week, I was asked to speak to a group of fiery young Atlantic Canadian entrepreneurs, who were meeting in Shediac, New Brunswick. People in business are typically concerned - as they should be - with their bottom line. The more so during [...]
Healthcare is the largest expense in provincial budgets and a hugely important public service. But our system lacks accountability: little to no attention is paid to health outcomes, which would tell us how effective our health system is working, where improvements could be made, and where costs could be lowered. Citizens should insist that governments [...]
In the Chronicle Herald, AIMS Senior Fellow for Healthcare David Zitner explains how patients are often stymied from adequately participating in their own healthcare. Many people are medically illiterate; others cannot navigate between informed medical opinion and amateur advice available online. His article promotes the upcoming AIMS Health Literacy Forum. Medical treatments are usually helpful. [...]
The Beacon - April 2016 | Volume XXII, No. 7 Our visit to Prince Edward Island promoting market solutions and the AIMS brand at the end of March proved very successful. I had the good fortune to meet with Board Members, donors and prospective donors, and visited friends at the Rotary Club of Charlottetown [...]
The Beacon - April 2016 | Volume XXII, No. 8 The 2016 Federal Budget Reactions to the federal budget are still pouring in. At AIMS we have drawn attention to consequences the federal budget might have on employment and youth. We are keeping an eye on Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador's respective budgets soon [...]