\ December 28,1983 __ Se c2 Castlégas News December 28, 1983 ~ Coming Soon. . . See the- Castlegar Nows of Wed., Jan:,11 There's more .: _ to Mutual Life ~ than Life Insurance; : When you're looking for individual tte insur: ance, group life and health insurance, annuities, registered retirement savings plans or estate © planning, look at what we have to offer." “Even if all you want is advice, get in touch. - Jack Parkin 365-6664 By STEVEKERSTETTER - OTTAWA (CP) — ‘Debate in the C on the “The Gan acs i . Proposed Canada health act hasn't even’ begun, but it's already clear-the provinces are going.to have to handle most of the fallout from the legislation, ii With all three federal parties on record in favor of the be’ surprised to bee it event: bill, its passage by early spring seems almost a foregone _ conclusion. That leaves p in the Position of taking a stand for or against first provisions and possibly battling it out with their respective medical asso- clations. The health act would impose financial penalties on provinces that allow extra billing by doctors and hospital The first option is to don tlomhas decided to av Associa with Ottawa for'the moment, but no ne ‘would support protests by one or provinces will probably {dealingwith the most + Stopping ‘doctors from allowed under provincial othing and bear the cost of any posed, dollar-for-dollar’ penalties that are 1m; The amount ‘collected in xtra billing in Saskatchewan, for example, is estimated at$2.3 million a\year. The province: now gets $289 imillion a year in federal cash grants for ‘Health act to impose penalties on provinces’ cuser fees. It also would require that all residents be covered ry Pi dicare plans — a p most likely to cause problems for governments that levy monthly medicare premiums. : Initial reaction from the provinces was largely negative, but it remains to be seen how they will actually come to terms with the bill if it becomes Jaw as planned April 1. as Presumably, some could adopt a wait-and-see attitude in hopes of getting more co-operation if the Conservatives win the next federal election: Jake Epp, Conservative health critic in the Commons, is keeping any predictions about what the provinces will do to himself for the moment. NDP health critic Bill Blaikie says some provinces will probably decide to use the act to get rid of out-of-pocket charges, “Others will get their back up,” he adds. “Ontario and Alberta are the most likely to do that.” Z BIRTH DEFECTS CITED Benedictin calle OTTAWA (CP) — The . Bendectin, a drug used by the média, litigation lawyers millions of women to combat morning sickness, has wound up as a resounding defeat for medical science, says an edi- torial in the Canadian Med- or public hysteria, but should - continue to be a result of careful examination of sci- entific evidence. “Litigation proceedings edi and could that total, © -° i A second option is to, informal understanding Columbia’ and the’ B.C; vis ly afford to lose $2.8 million of Extra billing is clearly the most explosive issue raised ‘bythe Canada health act, becatise of the strong/stand taken by doctors‘and its ability to disrupt non-emergency services as t,did'in Saskatchewan two decades ago. $ » The Canadian Medical Association and its provincial affillates consider extra billing a matter of right and also a matter’ of protecting themselves “against any ‘tight-fisted “Extra billing becomes ‘an explosive issue’ able” fee schedule, that refuses to negotiate ‘@ “reason; No similar lobby exists in favor of hospital user fees or ‘afford t0 lose any money from Ottawa Leaman A his extra 3 '