PLWBlogSpot2

Would you pay $60 for a large coffee at Tim Mortons? How about $500,000 for a Toyota Corolla? You probably wouldn't, but consider this: compared to other countries, this is how inflated Canadian prices are for some generic prescription drugs. That our generic drug prices are high is no great secret, and recently nearly every provincial government has taken steps to lower prices. However, instead of leveraging competition to get lower pricing, thus far our governments have stuck to their old — and arbitrary — formula of paying a percentage of the equivalent brand name price. Ontario has gone the furthest and reduced prices to 25 per cent of the equivalent brand name drug. This week the Centre for Health Services and Policy Research at the University of British Columbia published a paper where I demonstrate that Ontario pays nearly a quarter of a billion dollars more every year for the top 100 generic drugs compared to prices in other countries. Since Ontario has the lowest prices in...

The association representing Ontario's 25,000 doctors and Health Minister are talking again, finally. Thafs a good thing for health care in this province. Ontarians will never have easy access to a strong and sustainable health care system unless doctors are active players  working with the government  in the hunt for innovative ways to provide better care, at lower cost. Yet the purpose of resumed negotiations should not be to find system efficiencies simply to fund an increase in the $11 billion Ontario currently pays doctors . Their total billings have risen 75 per cent since 2003.  Health care already consumes 42 cents of every Health Provincial Program dollar.  The Province's doctors have  cannot be allowed to continue contract negotiations or it will undermine every other service Ontarians rely on. Going forward, the key to providing the improved system that Ontarians want at a price taxpayers can afford is to make sure that patients get the right care,...

Did you know that if you need to see a doctor in Florida, you could be handed a bill for $1,200? For Ontario Residents --- OHIP would pay $50.12 of it — the price of the visit if it had happened in Ontario. An overnight stay in hospital could cost $10,000 in the U.S. OHIP would pay $400 if you were in a cardiac ward or ICU. A good reason to buy travel insurance. But even extra coverage won't help if it's decided what ails you is a 'pre-existing' condition. ********************************************* Find out how to wade through the various policies available and choose exactly what is best for your situation. #1: Coverage Is More Important Than Price You will likely pay a premium for good quality coverage that meets your specific needs.  It helps to compare rates and you might even ask your insurance company if they will match competitor’s rates, but always consider the coverage levels and compare policies on an even playing field.  Be aware of the coverage that you n...

Dr.s MIKE ROIZEN and DR. MEHMET OZ Spice up your life — and live longer What do spicy Indian curry, zesty Italian pesto, refreshing Spanish gazpacho, Mexico's chocolate-rich mole sauce and other ethnic specialties have in common? They'll all get your taste buds dancing. But we're pleased to tell you that they do a lot more than that.Tasty ethnic culinary allstars like these deliver a heap of phytonu-trients that make you younger by protecting against cancer, heart disease, high blood sugar, dementia and more. What are phytonutrients? They're compounds found naturally in fruits and vegetables ("phy-to" is the Greek word for plant), and some research suggests there maybe 10,000 phytochemicals in nature that could help protect against those aforementioned diseases. That's an excellent reason to visit the ethnic street fairs going on in most cities across North America at this time of year and make liberal and creative use of the herbs and spices hiding in you...