|
News Release
User Fees Hurt Sick
Friday August 19, 1994
Doctors who see no problem with asking patients to pull out their
wallets before receiving medical treatment need to be educated about
the negative effects of user fees, says the Medical Reform Group.
Delegates to the Canadian Medical Association's annual meeting
voted this week to strike down a policy opposing user fees, despite
warnings from some delegates that they would be seen as self-serving
and greedy.
The Medical Reform Group, a physicians' group which believes that
health care should be available to all without financial deterrents,
repudiates the stand taken by the CMA delegates.
"There is clear evidence that user fees hurt the sick and
the poor," said MRG spokesperson Dr. Rosana Pellizzari.
Studies on the effects of user fees have repeatedly shown that
people with low incomes are less likely to seek medical treatment
for themselves or their children when user fees are charged.
When Saskatchewan instituted user fees under a previous government,
physician visits by the poor and the elderly decreased by 18%, while
physician visits by higher-income people actually increased. This
finding is not surprising when one considers that a substantial
proportion of patient visits are initiated by the physician rather
than the patient.
The evidence on user fees in other jurisdictions, including the
United States, is similar.
An in-depth analysis of user fees by health economists Greg Stoddart
and Robert Evans, published by the Premier's Council on Health last
September, demonstrated that user fees are ineffective in reducing
overall health care costs, but they do hurt the sick and the poor.
"User fees should be unequivocally rejected once and for all,"
said Dr. Pellizzari. "Doctors who favour user fees should be
clear that they are putting their own pocketbooks ahead of their
patients' welfare."
For more information contact:
Dr. Rosana Pellizzari
Dr. Gordon Guyatt
Ulli
Diemer, MRG Administrator
Medical Reform Group of Ontario
Subject Headings: Abortion
Rights – Community
Health – Community
Health Centres – Drug
Substitution – Epidemiology
– Epidemiology/Community
Medicine – Health
Administration – Health
Care Budgets – Health
Care Cost Containment – Health
Care Costs – Health
Care Delivery – Health
Care Finance & Fund-Raising – Health
Care in Canada – Health
Care in Ontario – Health
Care in the U.K. – Health
Care in the U.S. – Health
Care Myths – Health
Care Reform – Health
Care Resources – Health
Care Services – Health
Care Workers – Health
Clinics – Health
Determinants – Health
Economics – Health
Expenditures – Health
Issues – Health
Policy – Health
Policy/Seniors – Health
Service Organizations – Health/Social
Justice Issues – Health
Statistics – Health/Strategic
Planning – History
– Hospitals
– Labour
Medicine – Medical
Associations – Medical
Costs/Foreign – Medical
Education – Medical
Ethics – Medical
Human Resources – Medical
Personnel – Medical
Research Funding – Medicare
– Medication
Use – Medication
Use/Seniors – NAFTA/Health
– Occupational
Health & Safety – Patients'
Rights – Pharmaceuticals
– Physician
Compensation – Physician
Human Resources – Pro-Choice
Issues – Public
Health – Publications/Health
– Social
Policy – Women's
Health
Click
here to view our Sources Listing
Main
News Release page - The
Sources Calendar -
Search Sources Listings
-
Parliamentary Names & Numbers
How
to Post Your Press Releases
Sources
home page
Search the Sources directory to find
experts and spokespersons
|