Regina Leader Post
November 16, 1946. p.8
"Blazing the trail" for the continent, Saskatchewan had reached the "first milestone" on the road to complete socialized health services, Premier T.C. Douglas declared in the legislature Friday as he moved second reading of the Saskatchewan Hospitalization act.
"I am pleased and proud that Saskatchewan should be the first province to launch a complete province-wide scheme of hospitalization," the premier said as he outlined the aims and provisions of the bill.
The measure, by which hospital services for every resident of the province will be paid for out of a hospitalization fund administered by the health services planning commission, would fit in with the government's broad program by providing health services for everyone in Saskatchewan, regardless of ability to pay.
Hospital services of all bona fide residents of Saskatchewan would be paid for under the scheme at public ward rates, the premier explained. Diagnostic services would be provided for both in-patient and out-patients. The commission is empowered to pay for services required in hospitals or clinics outside of the province.
On the basis of the best information available, it was estimated the scheme could be financed with a $5 per person levy. This did not mean it would cost that much but the bill gave the government power to collect that much. If an agreement on health services was reached with the federal government, the provincial cost would be much less, Mr. Douglas said.
Every person 21 years or over and every person under 21 years living apart form his parents and supporting himself would be personally liable for the tax he continued. The bill as originally worded would have made persons 16 years and older liable for the tax, but a house amendment will be introduced to make the age 21. Parents will be responsible for the levy on dependents. Maximum tax for a family is $30.
The provincial or municipal authorities will be responsible to pay for indigents under their respective care. The levy for pensioners and their dependents, for example will be paid by the provincial government, which will make their contribution to the fund.
Penalties are provided for non-payment of a levy, delinquency rendering a person liable to a fine not exceeding $25.
"It will be necessary to have the whole-hearted co-operation of the public to make the plan work," said Premier Douglas. "I think we will get it. The people have been asking for some form of health insurance for years and I am sure they will gladly co-operate. But it is possible there may be a small minority that will not." This was the reason for the penalty.
Provision is made for payroll deduction of the levy. This was to make it convenient for persons for whom a lump payment for family might be difficult.
Hospitals would be paid according to the services they were able to render, the premier continued, based on a grading by a point system. There would be an incentive for hospitals to install better equipment, he believed.
"Lest there be any misunderstanding, I wish to make it clear there will be no change in the status of hospitals," said Mr. Douglas. Those owned by municipalities or charitable organizations would remain under that ownership. There would be a combination of local ownership and administration with provincial financing and supervision, an ideal situation, he said.
The hospitals would benefit from the scheme as a majority of their accounts would be guaranteed. They would be in a stronger financial position than ever before, the Premier said.
Premier Douglas said the government was undertaking successive steps to provide a complete plan of socialized health services. The first step, already in effect, was to provide free care for those suffering from prolonged and costly illnesses. Tuberculosis, cancer, mental illness and venereal disease came under consideration.
On Jan. 1, 1945, the government made provision for giving free medical care to people in special groups who were unable to pay. These included old age pensioners and their dependents and mothers allowances cases and their dependents and indigents.
The third step was to provide health service for the balance of the "general run" of the population who were in a position, perhaps, to pay for minor illnesses but could not take care of any major sickness and treatment involved.
He stressed that a year ago he had pointed out than even if Saskatchewan had $20,000,000 available to spend on a health scheme, "we could not have instituted a complete health program because of insufficient equipment and trained personnel."
The government was gradually tackling this "double problem" of obtaining equipment, supplies and facilities and also trained men and women.
Fourteen health regions were to be established in the province, he said. Already two had been set up, with another six completed.
He said the federal government scheme called for a cost of $21.60 per person. "We think this is too low," he said. He said the federal government has broken the cost down for various services, but the province had been successful in getting some of these changed to meet Saskatchewan's conditions.
The federal government was prepared to contribute three-fifths of the cost of the actual operation of the Dominion-wide health scheme up to a maximum of $21.60 per person. If the services went over that, the province would be liable for the amount over that figure. The province would also have to pay the administration cost.
