B.C. Government Claims About Medicare

In the last three months, billing numbers were issued to
1,200 new doctors following the B.C. Appeal Court striking

down Bill 41 (the Act controlling where doctors can practice).

Each new doctor costs Medicare $250,000 a year, or an
additional $300 million of Medicare costs.

Medicare costs in B.C. are out of control.

Medicare costs will be “capped” next year and regional
budgeting will be imposed.

45 - Wednesddy, November 23, 1988 - North Shore News

| boating in winter

“PEOPLE WHO boat in the
winter have to guard against
hypothermia as well as drowning,”
said Steve Borthwick, chairman of
the Red Cross Water Safety Ser-
vice. ‘‘If a person falls out of a
boat they should climb on top of
the overturned craft and assume
the help position. They should not
attempt to swim to shore as the
chances are that they will die from
hypothermia — the lowering of the

temperature of the inner core of
the body. The loss of only a few
degrees heat can be deadly.”’

“The best thing to do if you
can’t get on top of the overturned
boat is to minimize movement so
that you can conserve body heat,”’
said Borthwick. ‘‘Conserving body
heat is crucial to survival. Each
time you move you expend energy
and generate heat — which is
quickly lost to the elements.’’

What the Government Neglected to Tell You

In fact, only 184 billing numbers were given to “new” doctors.
Most of the 1,200 were already practising with restricted
numbers issued during the 3 years since Bill 41 passed.

That same formula means the 69 members of the legislature
would cost the government $170 million a year each-
Yoch of B.C’s budget. Ridiculous? You bet.

Medicare costs are not out of control. The portion of the -
provincial eccnomy spent on Medicare has remained constant
for over 15 years. A November 7 Vancouver Sun editorial
labelled the government's contention that Medicare costs are
out of control as a “false claim.”

This is a government attempt to ration health care, based
on false claims about costs and doctor distribution. Quebec
tried this and failed. Regionalization will discriminate against
patients and their doctors and treat them differently, de-
pending on where they live.

Your doctors regret that the provincial government is playing political football with our Medicare
-program. Medicare is too important to you and your family.

The Doctors of British Columbia

SPEAKING OUT FOR YOUR HEALTH

b British Columbia Medical Association

“ .