This Sunday, February 12th, CBC’s Cross Country Checkup Asks Whether Or Not Canada Should Privatize Health Care.

Tune to the Program on CBC Radio One FM 99.1 from 4 to 6 P.M.

Call in to the Open Line Program at 1-888-416-8333.

An URGENT  Call Out to All of Us from the Ontario Health Coalition, a not-for-profit citizens group advocating for quality public health care

Posted February 12^th, 2023 on Niagara At Large

An Update to This Post – If you want to listen to the CBC Cross Country Checkup Program  referenced in this post, click on the following link – https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/private-clinics-solution-to-health-care-crisis-1.6744362 )

Their odious question for Canadians is – “Are private clinics the solution to Canada’s health-care crisis? How much are you willing to pay for faster service.”*

The framing of their question is false and entirely from the privatization ultra-right wing that wants to dismantle public medicare in our country.

Of course what CBC does not mention is that it us ILLEGAL to charge a patient and the private clinics that are doing so are BREAKING THE LAW for greed.

The docs already make among the highest incomes in the country FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM and do not need to charge more.

That we have Operating Rooms everywhere in public hospitals that are closed due to underfunding while the government doubles and doubles again funding to private for profit clinics.

And of course they do not give an option of restoring taxes on the wealthy and corporations and undoing tax loopholes and giveaways to ensure that they pay their fair share while we provide health care for all under the principles of equity and compassion that are the foundation  of our single tier medicare.

They do not mention that private clinics actually make wait lists LONGER for most, not shorter…

…That private clinics will devastate already critical staffing shortages in public hospitals while only taking the healthy, fast, easy, profitable patients and driving up costs.

…That private surgical clinics will not take patients with diabetes, who are overweight, who have COPD or heart arrhythmia, who cannot walk in and walk out (quickly) and increasingly, who cannot pay thousands for services that we have ALREADY PAID FOR IN OUR TAXES.

…That private clinics charge literally 10 times the cost in illegal user fees for surgeries.

Shame on CBC for setting it up this way.

Shame on them for not having a strong clear voice that can undo the damage they risk creating on the show.

If I seem angry it is because I am.

This follows a truly terrible article using the same framing and premises from CBC at Queen’s Park this week. Really, it was a hack job for the privateers and now Cross-Country Checkup is following suit. Our national broadcaster can and must do better on this issue.

I hope everyone calls in and calls them out.

Call in to the Open Line Program at 1-888-416-8333.

Thank you, Natalie Mehra,  Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition

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