Bernard Ho

A broken promise, yet again: Why Canada needs national pharmacare now As an emergency room doctor, I watch seniors decide between groceries and blood pressure pills; I see new immigrants ration insulin. In a country as wealthy and compassionate as Canada claims to be, t...

CDM board member @bernardho.bsky.social's powerful words in @hilltimes.com today:

"From the front lines, I see how pharmacare isn’t just about equity; it’s about dignity. I watch seniors decide between groceries and blood pressure pills. I see new immigrants ration insulin."

#pharmacare #cdnpoli

Ontario doctors don't get paid when they treat uninsured patients. Here's how that might change | CBC News Several times a week, a man comes to the busy ER in Toronto where Dr. Bernard Ho works — and the doctors treat him, despite the fact that they’re not being paid for it. The Ontario Medical Association...

Doctors shouldn't have to choose who "deserves" care. As emergency physician @bernardho.bsky.social said, "This is a health equity issue for Ontario’s most vulnerable."

We need a permanent program that provides #Healthcare4All regardless of immigration status.

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Paid sick leave could boost business and help healthcare, but Ontario… Canada Healthwatch | The most important health news, in one place. 🍁

Paid sick leave could boost business and help healthcare, but Ontario won't act canadahealthwatch.ca/2025/02/26/p... @nicktsergas.ca

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀: CanadaHealthwatch.ca/newsletter 🍁

On March 8, 2025, we will be hosting our first-ever in-person conference in Toronto! 🎉

The Health Summit will spotlight evidence-based solutions to strengthen our public health system and counter the shift toward for-profit care. To buy your ticket, visit the link in our bio!

Federal government reaches first pharmacare agreement with Manitoba The agreement will see more than $219-million given to Manitoba over four years and residents are expected to begin receiving coverage in June

Great news! Manitoba leads the way as the first province to reach a bilateral agreement with the federal government on #Pharmacare
www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

Statement from the Minister of Health on the Canada Health Act Statement from the Minister of Health on the Canada Health Act

Big health news today.

A long awaited Canada Health Act 'interpretation letter' re: new private-pay charges has dropped.

www.canada.ca/en/health-ca...

It's a mixed bag.

A brief thread on the news, good and bad. Expect more media on this as the day progresses.

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“Today’s announcement is lukewarm for patients, but a win for the insurance industry and for-profit virtual care corporations” - @bernardho.bsky.social

@cdndrsformedicare.bsky.social press release with Drs. Melanie Bechard and @danyaalraza.com

www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca/canadian_doc...

Canadian Doctors for Medicare Says Canada Health Act Policy Interpretation Letter Falls Short Seeking to strengthen and improve Canada's universal publicly-funded health care system. Evidence-based, values driven.

@cdndrsformedicare.bsky.social press release here:
www.canadiandoctorsformedicare.ca/canadian_doc...

Statement from the Minister of Health on the Canada Health Act Statement from the Minister of Health on the Canada Health Act

While the Canada Health Act interpretation letter released today was a win in stopping NP-led clinics and other healthcare professionals from charging patients for medically necessary services, the omission of for-profit virtual care is deeply disappointing.
www.canada.ca/en/health-ca...

Study confirms face masks' effectiveness in reducing disease transmission, calls for improved public understanding Researchers reviewed the benefits, practicalities, and harms of masks and masking, finding that masks are effective in reducing respiratory disease transmission despite some adverse effects, and empha...

When the mask mandate was lifted from Mass General Brigham in May '23, hospital transmission of resp virus went up. When the mandate was re-instituted in Jan '24, infection rates went down. www.news-medical.net/news/2024052...

Climate change, poverty, and health: A scoping review of the Canadian context The understanding of the role of climate change in worsening health outcomes and social disparities is growing, highlighting poverty as a key factor a…

Our review of intersections between #climatechange, #poverty and #health in Canada was just published.

It summarizes research on heat, air pollution, food security, fires, health systems. And it's open access: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Led by Mariya Bezgrebelna, Emil Aliyev & Sean Kidd

Opinion: Closing supervised drug-use sites won’t just affect those with addiction – it will hurt anyone who uses a hospital Doug Ford’s decision to close nearly half of Ontario’s supervised consumption sites will lead to increased demands on our already overtaxed emergency rooms

Great article written by a colleague on how the Ontario government's decision to close supervised consumption sites flies against the face of evidence and will worsen the ER patient experience
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Don’t have private insurance? You’re still paying for others who do — you deserve better care Private workplace insurance is extensively subsidized by the federal government, and all provincial governments except Quebec. Public subsidization occurs through an income tax exemption, specifically...

Even if you don't have it, you're paying for others to: private health insurance.

Up to $4 billion/year!

What if instead, we spent these billions in public subsidies for private care, on healthcare for everyone?

My latest, for the @torontostar.bsky.social -

www.thestar.com/opinion/cont...

Thanks @casinoshiftmd.bsky.social for having me on your show to talk about private pay family medicine in Quebec. Wealth of evidence around the world that shows outsourcing to private sector worsens patient mortality and doesn't improve important metrics like wait times.
www.cbc.ca/radio/whitec...

CDM Vice-Chair @bernardho.bsky.social speaks to @casinoshiftmd.bsky.social about the concerning trend of family physicians entering the private sector in Quebec.
www.cbc.ca/radio/whitec...

Medicare Advocates Call on Feds to Deter Privatization – November 19, 2024 In Ottawa, representatives from two public health-care lobbying groups call on the federal government to do more to protect Medicare from privatization. Speaking with reporters are Melanie Bechard, ch...

We joined the Canadian Health Coalition and the Canadian Federation of Nurses Union on Parliament Hill today to urge PM Trudeau and Health Minister Holland to protect Canadians from out-of-pocket payments to access virtual care and nurse practitioner-led clinics.
www.cpac.ca/headline-pol...

Opinion: Canada’s harm reduction legacy is under threat. We must not turn back Our enlightened approach to drug treatment and overdose prevention is facing a backlash, but we can’t stop here

"Research shows that mandatory treatment is no more effective than voluntary treatment and often results in human-rights violations and additional harms, including fatal overdose after release."
www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/arti...

Move fast and fix things: Canada can’t afford pharmacare delays - Healthy Debate A limited national pharmacare plan passed into law recently, but so far it is only a small step toward universal, comprehensive, public drug coverage.

Last week, I wrote about the need to move fast on #pharmacare in Canada to score system-wide wins for patients, primary care, and hospitals that are all under strain.
healthydebate.ca/2024/11/topi...

Thanks @cdndrsformedicare.bsky.social @healthydebate.bsky.social @nicktsergas.bsky.social

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Looking for the 🇨🇦 side of #medsky to follow?
Start here!
DM me to be added or removed
go.bsky.app/NZ6xgkH

The rise of private surgery clinics in Alberta | Edmonton AM with Mark Connolly, Tara McCarthy | Live Radio | CBC Listen In 2019, the UCP government launched an initiative to allow private clinics to offer publicly funded surgeries and procedures. The goal was to tackle long wait times for things like hip and knee replacements and cataract surgeries. But one researcher questions if outsourcing surgeries is working. Andrew Longhurst is a health policy researcher at Simon Fraser University in B.C.

The rise of private survery clinics in Alberta

My conversation with Tara McCarthy on CBC Radio Edmonton AM

www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

In the new year, I'll be starting a role focused on primary care & the policy/politics of change (more to share soon).

This issue is everywhere, with good reason. It's also important to understand the context.


A short thread for the curious (yes, I promise there are colourful charts)-

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Hi 👋 Bluesky!

We are an evidence-based, physician-led organization that works to strengthen and preserve our publicly-funded health care system. We advocate for measures like pharmacare, robust primary care & public solutions that work, while outlining the pitfalls of privatization.