Liberal cuts to hospitals forcing elderly patients to pay out-of-pocket: NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

Today, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath released the following statement:

“Our parents and grandparents are paying the price for Liberal cuts to our hospitals. When our seniors need care, they should be able to trust that our public hospitals and long-term care homes will meet their needs. But Liberal cuts are forcing overcrowded hospitals to find loopholes and making seniors pay for care out of their own pockets.

“It is deeply disturbing to learn that hospitals in Hamilton are moving elderly patients into private retirement homes where they are forced to pay up to $110 every day out of their own pockets. For six years, the government has known this is unacceptable but they’ve turned a blind eye and allowed it to happen anyway. It’s another sign that Liberal cuts have left Hamilton without enough beds in our hospitals or long-term care homes to meet the needs of patients. Now, seniors and their families are left holding the tab and worried they won’t get the care they need.

 “The Premier promised to protect health care, but she’s broken that promise and let down families here in Hamilton. New Democrats will continue to hold the Premier to her word and demand that the government stop cutting beds and patient care in hospitals across our province.”