New Brunswick economist Richard Saillant, director of the Donald J. Savoie Institute at University of Moncton, says the new health accord signed by the province is "not a good deal."

"It's quite ironic that the premier of the province that's oldest and fastest aging is the first one to break rank and take a major cut in funding for health care," Saillant told Information Morning Moncton.

New Brunswick is the first province to sign a health-funding deal with the federal government since talks between premiers and Ottawa broke down earlier this week.

It includes $230 million in additional funding for home care and mental health care over the next 10 years.

It's precisely at the moment where our needs are greatest that our premier is happiest with taking much less. - Richard Saillant

Gallant said it represents an estimated annual increase of 4.1 per cent — what he called "the middle ground" between the 3.5 per cent that the federal government had been offering and the provinces' counter-offer of 5.2 per cent.

But Saillant said he's looking at the numbers and he doesn't know where Gallant is getting the 4.1 per cent figure.

He argues New Brunswick will see much less than that because federal funding is distributed on a per capita basis and New Brunswick's population growth is "non-existent."

"I did the math yesterday and it amounts to about 2.6 per cent," Saillaint said.

"On top of that, the side-pod for mental health and home care ... is about 0.3 per cent so you total it up it means 2.9 per cent and in the past we were getting about 4.4 per cent, so we're getting a major cut."

New Brunswick has the most to lose

Saillant said New Brunswick has taken the offer that was already on the table at a time when the premier should have been pushing for more.

He points out that the first wave of baby boomers turned 70 this year.

Premier Brian Gallant doesn't deny he was working in tandem with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to get a health-funding deal for New Brunswick. (Instagram/Brian Gallant) "Fifteen years from now half the baby boomers will be 75 and above so we should be getting much more help from our partner in Ottawa and instead we get a one-third funding growth cut," Saillant said.

"It's precisely at the moment where our needs are greatest that our premier is happiest with taking much less."

Saillant said the federal government has chosen to spend tax dollars on infrastructure and other priorities, even though Canadians see health care as their top priority.

"The thing I feel the most sorry about is that ... there was barely any mention of the fact that Canada's regions are aging at vastly different speeds and that if we are to maintain a single, free, public health-care system in Canada, we will have to receive much more help in regions that are fastest aging — New Brunswick should have been articulating this," he said.

Saillant worries the country won't be able to maintain a free, universal health care system as we know it today.

"And that's the great tragedy that we're not talking about right now."