Danielle Smith’s expensive, American-style health care scheme coming to Alberta this fall

Edmonton, AB--(BUSINESS WIRE)--This week’s announcement that the UCP government is pushing forward with a two-tier private healthcare model spells more bad news for Albertans needing care and for our entire public healthcare system.

Despite a legal opinion substantiating that Bill 11 breaches the Canada Health Act, this government is determined to push forward with their privatization agenda to enrich their friends and healthcare insurance companies at the expense of Albertans.

“The announced regulations provide totally inadequate safeguards to ensure that the public system will not be starved by medical practitioners opting to work in a private for-profit capacity,” said Raj Uppal, CUPE Alberta President. “Minister Adriana LaGrange has already confirmed there is no set minimum number of hours that physicians will have to work in the public system while also taking part in for-profit practice. Doctors will also have the ability to tell patients what their potential wait time is in the public system or that they can skip the wait time by paying out of pocket for a private surgery. That’s just not right.”

Alberta is already failing on its wait time metrics in a significant number of medically necessary and life-saving surgeries. This reckless decision will mean those people are left waiting even longer while private surgeries are being performed in our public hospitals.

“There is no evidence this decision will increase capacity or shorten wait times,” Uppal continued, “this simply allows rich Albertans to jump the queue while the rest of us are left struggling without the care we need. In fact, the use of public hospitals for these private surgeries will undeniably reduce the capacity for the public system and put our public dollars towards private profits.”

“We call on Danielle Smith and the UCP government to immediately reverse this decision, repeal Bill 11, and support the will of Albertans.”

“They must fully fund the staff and resources needed to reopen our currently closed operating rooms, support the incredible health care professionals who are ready to do the work, and reduce wait times by using the capacity we already have. Albertans deserve timely care delivered in a strong, fully-funded public health care system.”

:clc/cope 491