Health Minister Jane Philpott is hitting back at premiers who are concerned about the Liberal pledge to stick with the former Harper government's health-care spending formula, saying Thursday that more money for cash-strapped provinces isn't the only solution. "Three per cent is a reasonable escalator for next year," Philpott said of the planned hike to health transfer payments. "Three per cent is actually significantly higher than the growth in health spending across the country, which averages anywhere from zero to two per cent," Philpott said. Health-care spending has been constrained in recent years as most provinces have opted to rein in budget deficits left over from the last recession. "We know that there's much that can be done in health care that doesn't require spending more money," she said.

Source: CBC News September 29, 2016 21:47 UTC