PLWBlogSpot2

OHIP- And Out Of Country Health Services In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled that Canadian governments  federal and provincial — had created a "virtual monopoly" over health care. That monopoly, the court further ruled, had proven itself incapable of providing timely care to many patients. Even so, governments had made it illegal for Canadians to pay for treatment on their own when the government monopoly could not or would not provide it. That was putting Canadians' lives at risk with no possibility of escape, which the court determined 6-1 was a violation of our Charter rights. Unfortunately, because the Chaoulli challenge was brought only against Quebec's health care law, the court's decision applied only in Quebec. For it to apply across the country, it may be necessary to bring similar challenges in every province. The Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms has decided to start with Alberta. Both Allen and Cross (the two patients who will serve...

Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney outlined his plan to reduce health benefits for refugees. Earlier this month, all refugee claimants — except for government-sponsored refugees, such as those who arrive in Canada as permanent residents — lost federally funded supplemental health benefits for prescription drugs, dental work, vision care and medical devices, such as walkers and wheelchairs. Those refugees who are rejected after exhausting all appeals are also no longer eligible for free health care of any kind, unless their conditions pose a risk to public health or safety, such as infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV. When the Conservative government eventually comes up with its list of designated "safe" countries, refugee claimants hailing from nations on that list will face the same restrictions as rejected claimants. The changes are expected to save the federal government $100 million over five years. Doctors have been protesting the cuts by interrupting m...

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court's decision to uphold most of President Barack Obama's health care law will come home to roost for most taxpayers in about 2 1/2 years, when they'll have to start providing proof on their  tax returns that they have health insurance. Under the law, the IRS will provide tax breaks and incentives to help pay for health insurance  and impose penalties on some people who don't buy coverage and on some businesses  that don't offer it to employees. Those who don't get qualified health insurance  will be required to pay the penalty — or tax — starting for the 2014 tax year, unless they are  exempt because of low income, religious beliefs, or because they are members of American Indian tribes. The law allows the IRS to withhold tax refunds  to collect the penalty, and most filers get refunds.  This year, 77 percent of the 135 million individual  income tax returns processed by the IRS qualified for a refund. The average refun...

By a single vote, President Barack Obama's health care overhaul survived a painstaking Supreme Court review that consumed thousands of pages in legal filings and an extraordinary six hours-plus of oral argument time back in March. In the end, the court upheld the law, with a minor change, and dashed Republican hopes of bringing down what conservatives deride as "Obamacare" on constitutional grounds. The outcome surprised many who thought tough questions from the conservative justices during the arguments foreshadowed the demise of the far-reaching legislation. The decision leaves a trail of winners and losers, from Main Street, USA , to the very steps of the Supreme Court. For some, it's a mixed bag. Here's a look: WINNERS Casey Quinlan, a 59-year-old breast cancer survivor who lives near Richmond , Va. , and millions of other uninsured people. Starting in October 2013, the uninsured will be able to sign up for taxpayer subsidized coverage either through private ...

The mineral rich Ring of Fire is Ontario's "oilsands" and the province should take a page out of Alberta's playbook by developing it quickly. The remote Ring of Fire area, located nearly 500 kilometres northeast of Thunder Bay, it is said to hold more than a $30 BILLION haul of chromite — the key material used to make stainless steel "In many ways, the Ring of Fire is Ontario's oilsands — an enormous wealth beneath the earth that can break open a new frontier for job creation and investment in Ontario. Sometimes we look (with) wonder and awe at what Alberta can do; we can do that in Ontario and we can do that with the Ring of Fire. Mining it  creates an open pit mine and a transportation corridor to be built through one of the last intact boreal forests. Most people have no idea what the Ring of Fire or chromite is but everybody knows what the oilsands and potash is, "We have our own oilsands, our own potash potential in the far north. It is a treasure c...

We cruised through this week's record-breaking temperatures with only minor glitches. And while the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty would like you to believe it's their energy policy that's saved us, in fact it's their economic development plan — or lack thereof— that's freed up massive amounts of electricity. Ontario has lost almost half a million manufacturing jobs since McGuinty came to power, so we just don't need the same kind of generation we once did. Worse, they were in industries, such as auto companies, that provided good, high-paying jobs that had a multiplier effect in their communities. The bad news is, GM recently announced it was shutting another line in Oshawa — despite the $10-billion bailout the federal and provincial governments gave it in 2009. The good news is it will free up even more electricity so the government can brag about its conservation policies. Thursday's peak power demand was 24,000 megawatts at 5 p.m. On a similar day...

Denial of OHIP help for the little boy with sight problems is going to be paid for by a Alberta Frim. Geez talk about good PR for this firm. A brick to OHIP and The rich Ontario Firm's who did not lift a finger, a bouqet for the generous Alberta Firm. McGuinty's ear's must be glowing red,but he saved the Ontario taxpayers about $45,000 -Way to go Dalton.