On December 6, 2012, Bill 144 – the Insured Health Services Act: An Act Respecting the Funding and Provision of Health Services – received royal assent and became law in Nova Scotia.
In a November 28, 2012 campaign blog, we noted – CBC reports, “The act is designed to protect a single tier, publicly funded health-care system. Section 38 of the act prevents patients from billing the public health-care system for medical services performed by a doctor who has opted out of the public MSI plan. Adrienne Silnicki, of the Council of Canadians, (says) ‘We see this as a visionary piece of legislation. What we’re not going to do is use public money to use private services to jump the queue.'”
Months earlier, Silnicki wrote in a June 29, 2012 blog, “The Government of Nova Scotia (has) released proposed changes to the The Health Services and Insurance Act that will make health care in Nova Scotia more equitable and accessible. …We applaud the government of Nova Scotia for taking such progressive measures.”
Silnicki has commented, “Bill 144 is the most progressive bill on health care in Canada for the past 30 years. We were thrilled to be able to support it for years by attending every debate and motion on it. Congratulations to our Nova Scotia allies – the Nova Scotia Citizen’s Health Care Network (NSCHCN), to the labour unions, community groups – like our Nova Scotia chapters of the Council of Canadians – and to everyone that submitted reports and participated in making this progressive change!”
For past campaign blogs on Bill 144, please see http://canadians.org/blog/?p=16002 and http://canadians.org/blog/?p=18175.
