The levy for pensioners and their dependents, for example will be paid by the provincial government, which will make their contribution to the fund. I think we will get it. The people have been asking for some form of health insurance for years and I am sure they will gladly co-operate. But it is possible there may be a small minority that will not. This was the reason for the penalty.
Provision is made for payroll deduction of the levy.
This was to make it convenient for persons for whom a lump payment for family might be difficult. Hospitals would be paid according to the services they were able to render, the premier continued, based on a grading by a point system. There would be an incentive for hospitals to install better equipment, he believed. Those owned by municipalities or charitable organizations would remain under that ownership. There would be a combination of local ownership and administration with provincial financing and supervision, an ideal situation, he said.