The B.C. government should work more closely with business to bring health care costs under control, a new study by the Vancouver Board of Trade recommends.
The Joint Pursuit of Value report, released Wednesday by the board of trade’s health, wellness and well-being task force, has been two years in the making.
“The focus of this paper allows us to bring a perspective to the health care debate that is frequently missing,” said board chairman Jason McLean.
The B.C. government’s health budget “continues to grow at the expense of education and social services,” the board of trade said in a news release.
“The business community believes it can make a valid contribution to the much-needed financial sustainability of the system, especially in areas such as information management [and] information technology,” the news release states.
The report’s recommendations cover several areas, including the need for innovation, a discussion on end-of-life care, a review of capital infrastructure, and the implementation of low-cost business models.
The report has eight recommendations, which include:
- tax incentives or other measures that would encourage employers to implement workplace health promotion and disease prevention;
- policies to tap business community’s expertise in technological innovation and low-cost business models;
- a public dialogue on end-of-life care; and
- a review of capital infrastructure needs in the public health-care system, with the consideration of expanded use of public-private partnerships to help build the needed infrastructure.
Nelson Bennett
Twitter: nbennett_biv