BC Budget 2024 Submission
The BCHC was invited by the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services in the BC Legislature to make a presentation regarding the Budget 2024 Consultation. In our presentation and subsequent written submission, we highlighted the following three recommendations for the upcoming annual provincial budget.
The budget next year should:
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Increase transparency and accountability on how private long-term care operators use public funding and ensure all new capital investments into long-term care infrastructure is invested into publicly operated facilities.
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Improve access to publicly funded home support by eliminating the current regulated daily rate co-payments and by addressing the staffing crisis with higher wages and guaranteed hours of work.
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Enforce BC.’s rules on extra- and double-billing, strengthen reporting requirements, and increase the government’s audit and enforcement capacity.
Without incorporating these three recommendations, we believe a 2024 budget will leave British Columbians ill-prepared to address our health needs. For more details, you can view our full submission here and listen to the audio of our presentation to the Standing Committee here.