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Originally Posted by SeoulFire
Any stats or links? I have not seen anything like that but it may make an interesting read for sure.
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I saw some statistics last year on one of the U of A databases that I will try and find. However the basic premise remains that primary health care saves money in the long run as having a healthy, vibrant population is able to contribute to the economy and reduce the long term costs of chronic illnesses. In the cuts of the 90s the PCs gutted large portions of the primary health care network and since them have been focused on reducing wait times at acute care settings because it is possible to see an immediate measurable impact in the papers and thus help in the polls when there is an election. Investing in health care that keeps people out of the hospital won't see any real impact in the parties term but will have a better long term bang for your buck than building a new floor on top of the Rockyview.
Preventative medicine (and that includes increasing AISH payments which are insanely low by the way at 1,188 dollars per month - hardly enough to live on) is the key to reducing the wait times and the reliance on the health care system but in order to make the changes there needs to be someone who isn't merely going to cut and slash to appease the old boys club of the PCs.