Why health co-ops are worth a second look

More than 150 years ago, Quebec farmers were among the first in North America to figure out that co-operatives were one of the best ways to meet the needs of the rapidly growing dairy industry. They may very well have given Alphonse Desjardins the idea: 50 years later, in 1900, he developed co-operative banking when he opened his first caisse populaire. Mutual insurance companies were created to provide inexpensive protection against the ravages of fire, hail and early frost. This tried-and-true business model spread west to the prairies where farmers organized marketing and supplypurchasing co-ops for grain, fruit, livestock and tobacco. In more industrial areas, credit unions and co-op stores sprang up to provide goods and services at the lowest possible prices.

So, it’s surprising to me that so few people understand how a healthcare coop works to their benefit. And it’s even more surprising that policy-makers have lingering suspicions about so userfriendly a way to organize access to needed services.

Here’s what a co-op is – a group of like-minded people getting together to provide a needed public service. They provide the “seed money” to get the business started. They also comply with the government’s rules about what they can and cannot do by joining the Federation of Cooperatives which is overseen by the provincial government. Once the co-op is formed, others are invited not just to join to have access to the services that are being provided, but also to have ownership in the new organization. Buying shares in the co-op gives members a voice in the co-op’s operation; paying a monthly fee provides a stream of income for the co-op to purchase supplies, hire nurses and other health professionals to provide the services.

But wait, say some skeptics – why pay for healthcare when healthcare is free in Canada?

But wait, say some others – being a member tells me this is a private facility – so it must be expensive.

Let’s look at both these reasons people give for not joining a co-op.

First, healthcare is not free in Canada (or anywhere else in the world.) Somebody is paying the $242 billion-plus that goes to support our national healthcare system every year. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says that the “average” Canadian paid $6,604 last year for their healthcare. That may or may not be the number you would come up with for yourself, but the fact is that our national system is in itself a kind of cooperative – we all agree that there are certain essentials that we will contribute to through the tax system – we share the expenses with our taxes to have access to “free” healthcare, national security, etc. (And if we think it’s too expensive, we become actively vocal and vote in elections.)

As to the myth of an expensive facility, healthcare co-ops are not-for-profit businesses whose goal is to cover costs. Most charge about $10 a month, which covers the services you might get in a hospital which you pay for indirectly by paying your taxes. As for being private, not so. We respect the Canada Health Act which allows anyone who walks in the door to see a family doctor who is paid by RAMQ (as all our doctors are). That makes us a public facility.

Let’s face it – our healthcare system is not in the best of health itself: hospital emergency rooms are operating above capacity and wait times are unconscionably long. CLSCS in this region are not taking new patients. Most urban group practices are not taking new patients either. And if you have a family doctor in one of these practices, it may take you two years to get an appointment. Politicians and public policy experts are working hard to fix these shortcomings, but so are cooperative health clinics. We know we get superlative treatment when we become critically ill and must rush to hospital. We at the Massawippi Valley Health Centre believe that the timelier treatment people receive in a smaller health co-op before they are critically ill helps the overwhelmed health system in general and the overcrowded emergency rooms in particular.

Our clinic now has five doctors. Our general practitioners are available by appointment. Our orthopedic surgeon is here once a month for consultation. Our medical biochemist specializes in diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and thyroid conditions. Our general surgeon is here every two weeks to perform minor surgeries. She is also available for general surgical consults, as well as endoscopy consults.

We have four nurses available Monday through Friday – they do blood pressure checks, dressing changes, ear irrigation, administration of vaccines (vaccine provided by the member), tracking of baby growth rate and general health counselling. Our nurses hold a laboratory testing clinic every Wednesday morning by appointment for members

DEAR EDITOR,

Tonly.

We have four additional health professionals, a podiatrist, a physiotherapist, a psychotherapist and art therapist, and a dietitian and nutritionist. Their services are not covered by the RAMQ but members benefit from preferential rates.

As our population ages more rapidly than any of us are prepared for, the Canadian Healthcare system quietly heralds the initiative of a group of citizens to step up and look after their own community. Time to give health co-ops another look? We think so.

Dian Cohen is Secretary Treasurer of the Massawippi Valley Health Centre www.csvm.ca he Record's editorial of Wednesday, June 13 by Hugh Stephens of the University of Calgary is quite typical of the ridiculous rhetoric spouted by so many apologists for unfettered, rapacious capitalism. The lofty view from his well-padded academic ivory tower certainly does not take into account all the pertinent facts on the ground; perhaps some time spent in the real world - say, at the business end of a cow - would help clear his vision. I sincerely hope The Record will make an effort to garner the truth of the matter from an expert in the field... and I mean that literally. I am quite confident that an interview with any one of a number of local dairy farmers will reveal complexities that Mr Stephens has chosen to ignore in the service of his particular dogma. Things are never as simple as ideologues like Mr Stephens pretend. I find it particularly ironic that some one sucking at the trough of a publicly funded university can condemn an industry that takes nothing from the public purse: no tax-payer funded subsidies, no price supports, no too-big-to-fail bail outs ...... not a penny. Which I hasten to add, is most decidedly not the the case south of the border where many dairy farmers are hanging on to their farms only by dint of government hand-outs. It is perfectly understandable that trump recognizes this as an unsustainable state of affairs; the solution however is not to export those problems to Canada. Instead, many American dairy farmers wish they could import our supply managed solution south of the border. Yes, trade is very important .... but it is not a holy altar upon which Canadians should sacrifice our food sovereignty. Thankfully - so far, at least - our federal governments have recognized this. Again, I encourage The Record to present a more balanced view point by delving into the ramifications of this issue with some REAL experts: please talk to some dairy farmers!

MARY-ELLEN KIRBY A DAIRYMAN'S DAUGHTER