It appears that most District of Clearwater councilors think ending Medical Service Plan premiums for seniors in the province would be a good idea, but aren’t clear about how it would work in practice.
According to a letter from Fred Coates, president of the British Columbia Old Age Pensioners’ Organization, B.C. is the only province in Canada that continues to charge seniors MSP premiums. These premiums create undue hardship for seniors living on fixed incomes and striving to sustain healthy, independent living, Coates wrote.
The BC OAPO president asked that the municipality support a resolution calling for the elimination of MSP premiums at the upcoming annual general meeting of the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
“There isn’t enough information,” said councilor Candus Graffunder. “If you take away something, then something else has to go up.”
“If this is eliminated, where will the shortfall come from?” asked Brent Buck. “I also think there isn’t enough information.”
A motion to write a letter of support of the resolution was defeated. Instead, based on a suggestion from Christy Dobi, council decided to respond by saying it supports the proposal in concept but needs more information before it can give its full support - information that it hopes to get at the UBCM convention.
Mayor John Harwood was the only council member to speak strongly in favor of the resolution.
“I pay $384 per month for medical insurance,” he said. “It’s outrageous.”