Ontario’s budget watchdog estimates that a new contract with the province’s doctors will increase health spending by $1.5 billion over four years.
Last month’s arbitration ruling put no hard cap on increases in the physician services budget, which the government had urged. Payments to physicians in Ontario are currently over $12 billion, and the arbitrator’s decision means the government will foot the bill for any growth at a time when it is working to eliminate a $13.5-billion deficit.
The arbitrator also directed the province and the doctors to work together to find $480 million in annual savings, which the FAO says it took into account in its analysis. The FAO also projects that the rate of growth in overall health spending will rise over the next several years, due to inflation, population growth and aging – up to $73 billion in 2022-23, up from the current approximately $60 billion budget.
While I'm all glad for giving doctors more, didn't lesser minds in Ontario elect a man for finding 'efficiencies' in the budget, but now ends up spending an extra $375M?
Wish we will be able to reduce long queues for appointments.