Imagine you book a fun getaway only to find out all your neighbours from your hometown had the same idea! Well this was a reality for passengers aboard a Caribbean cruise after they discovered 500 of them are all from Newfoundland. After the initial shock wore off travellers began to celebrate with their new found friends - talk about a small world!

Onto this week’s stories! (4 minute read) We’ve got:

1. Resources to understand the new capital gains inclusion rate discussion

2. Tales from the front lines

3. Breaking news on cancer screening guidelines, 420 use, and sports betting

4. A quick Postcall primer on disability insurance

5. The Postcall Crossword

It’s time for some gains 📈 

Since the federal government unveiled their budget, there’s been a ton of discussion about how the increase capital gains inclusion rates will affect us in medicine. Postcall covered the breaking news earlier this week, but if you’re looking to catch up on the discussion online, there’s a few resources we recommend

• Dr. Mark Soth has a great primer on capital gains in general, and how to think about the true impact of the tax changes for physicians specifically.

• Ben Felix from PWL Capital/Rational Reminder has a video on capital gains in context of the 2024 budget, as well as a simple tool to calculate whether or not you should realize those gains before the June 25th cutoff (personal capital gains, non-corporation).

• Dr. Paul Healey did a great job representing physicians when interviewed by the CBC (highlight for us was the calm but firm correction of the interviewers’ mistakes).

But the real question is below - how are you feeling about the changes? Vote to see how other Postcallers feel.

Frontline Tales ⛺️

Have a riveting tale of your own? Send us your best story from the OR, ED, or clinic (anonymized, obviously).

Speed Reads 🚤

1:🍃Today is 420, and whether you celebrate it or not, there are different ways to enjoy its benefits. Cannabis oils and creams may help reduce inflammation, soothe anxiety, and relieve chronic pain. But efficacy as a treatment is still being investigated, and usage must be balanced against negative outcomes.

2: 🏀 Pro sports’ day of reckoning with online gambling is here - Jontay Porter of the Raptors was handed a lifetime ban for disclosing confidential information to sports bettors and wagering on games. But here’s what’s sad - he risked it all (career earnings over $2.8M so far, and poised to get a $2.1M contract next season) only for net winnings of $22K.

3:🥼The Alberta government’s deal for family doctors has sparked controversy as it doesn’t account for doctors with a panel of under 500 patients. It has been estimated that the new deal could require hundreds of millions in annual funding for doctors. Health officials say it’s important to offer incentives for family doctors to help increase their patient count instead of excluding them from the deal.

4:🚗 Canada’s federal budget included a tax break that would hopefully entice automakers to build EV factories in Canada. The incentive offers a 10 percent tax credit on the capital cost of buildings used for EV manufacturing. The government believes the credit will cost $1 billion by 2035.

5:📋 Some of us are calling out Canadian cancer screening guidelines for being out of date and not detecting cancer early enough. The Coalition for Responsible Healthcare Guidelines say Canada’s task force for screening breast, prostate, lung, and cervical cancer are based on older research and specialists in those areas don’t agree with the old guidelines.

6:📺 Netflix is under fire for not disclosing that they used AI images in their newest documentary What Jennifer Did. The doc follows Jennifer Pan, a Markham woman convicted for orchestrating the murder of her mother and attempted murder of her father. Viewers noticed the background of certain images used seemed “misshapen and morphed.” Users on X are outraged following the reveal:

A Simple Guide to Disability Insurance 🩼 

Imagine hustling through medical school and residency only for an accident to blindside your earning power. That’s where disability insurance comes in, and we’re here to answer all your questions.

When should doctors think about getting disability insurance?

Early in your career, your ability to work is your most important financial asset. Disability insurance shields you from drowning in student debt or unexpected emergencies. If you’re young and healthy, you can also lock in lower premiums.

When should a doctor drop their disability insurance policy?

By the middle to late stages of your career, you might feel financially stable enough to dial back your disability insurance. If you’ve reached a point where your savings and investments can keep you going without salary, disability insurance might not be necessary anymore. Especially as disability insurance gets pricier and offers less coverage when you age (and then most policies end at 67). As retirement nears, continuing with disability insurance might not make financial sense (but of course, discuss with your financial advisor).

What riders (add-ons) does Postcall recommend?

• Own-occupation insurance: Prevents you from getting pushed from your profession into a less desirable career that accommodates the disability.

• Future increase rider: Lets you increase coverage (until a certain age) without another medical exam.

• Cost of living adjustment (COLA): Boosts your yearly benefit to match inflation.

What other riders should I consider?

• Partial disability benefit: Kicks in if you're not fully disabled but experience some income loss

• Student loan rider: Allocates funds to keep your med school payments flowing

•  Non-cancelable/guaranteed premiums: Guarantees coverage and maintains the same premiums as long as you keep making payments on time.

What are good insurance premium rates?

Long-term disability insurance ranges 1% to 3% of your annual income. Coverage options, like riders, can increase costs to ~5%.

Check out Policy Genius’s occupation breakdown chart.

Ok, who do you recommend getting the insurance from?

1. Canada Life

2. RBC

3. Manulife

4. OMA (if you’re in Ontario)

Lastly, we should say - we’re not insurance experts, and this is mean to be a short entertaining dip into the world of insurance. For a deeper review, we recommend reading through this primer from MDM, listening to this episode from beyond MD (Toronto radiologist Dr. Yatin Chadha), and/or talking to your financial advisor.

Laugh of the Day

🕹️ Game ⛳️

This 420 is a great day to get high....scores in this week's crossword!

First question: What is another way of saying “tongue tied?”

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