Is Liberal health care funding falling even lower?

A few months ago, the Auditor General reviewed the Liberal health care funding plan for the next two years and reported that those increases would average 3.6% annually. This is much less than previous years (about half) and the Auditor was openly skeptical that the government could implement this without significant health care cuts, even with a wage freeze. Hospitals for example "may have little alternative but to cut services." Strong words for an auditor.

But now, inexplicably, buried in the costings of the Liberal program, the Liberals have determined that they won't even meet this. They will only increase health care funding by 3.6% next year, 2012-13. The year after that the increase will fall to 2.86%, a loss of .74%. This will mean the loss of $360 million dollars in health care funding annually, starting in 2012-13.

The average annual increase will be 3.2% rather than 3.6%. The Liberal four year increase would also be about 3.2% annually, based on figures in the Liberal's costing document.

The new funding levels will only take them to the level promised by the Progressive Conservatives -- $53.7 billion by 2015-16.

Dagnabbit.

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