Alberta's Third Way health-reform plan raises fears of move toward U.S. model
Jim Macdonald, Sunday, February 05, 2006
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/story.html?id=22484c85-491d-4dea-a403-a392893fed8c&p=2
Summary
The Third Way health reform plan in Alberta has not received much support from its citizen. Albertans protest against this plan because they fear to move toward an American-style health care. Premier Ralph Klein’s government guaranteed that the province would not violate the Canada Health Act. However, they are now preparing to replace it with a new Health Assurance Act. This act offers citizens the choice of receiving quicker treatment if they are willing to pay. Klein claims this as the Third Way model which falls somewhere between a public and private system. It is guaranteed that people will always have access to healthcare regardless of their ability to pay for public health care is still available. Alberta’s health reform will challenge the Canada Health Act and allow patients to receive better Medicare with money. This also allows doctors to practice in the private as well as the public health care systems. Armstrong, the voice for the Consumers Association of Canada claims that the reforms will open doors to quicker Medicare services for patients who are desperate and vulnerable. She also said that this allows those who are rich to get in the front of line, gaining the most benefits. The Liberal Opposition, Leader Kevin Taft suggested that public health care system may be weakened because of private healthcare, and this may leave patients dying or receiving insufficient care. Another has commented that the government is misleading people in believing that in order to get efficient access to care, we must pay for it.
Relationship and Reflection
In Canada, it is guarantee that everyone will have access to Medicare. With this being in effect, there are positive effects associated with it. If everyone is guarantee at least a certain level of care, disease is less likely to spread among people. People who are healthier are more likely to work productively. This in turn stimulates our economy, making the country a better and healthier place to be in. However, as we learned in Chapter 3, Canada has both a private and public health care system. With Alberta planning to make a shift towards private health care, it has posed many problems for citizens. Individuals are concerned about not being able to afford adequate health care because of low income. Although, government provides free public health care for citizens, the quality of the two systems differs significantly. Due to the fact that doctors are practising in both system, and most are in favour of private because of the high salary pay, it causes doctor shortages in public health care. This will cause long waiting lists in public health care, and thus it will affect the service and care given to patients. Also, the government has introduced price ceilings on health care, which created shortages of health care services. People who are in severe conditions and cannot bear to wait will want access to private health care. However, what happens to those who cannot afford private health care but are desperate for care? They will have to suffer the consequences of accessing public health care.
I believe that individuals should be permitted to spend money on the type of health care services they want. You may think that with private health care being available, it will lead to equality problems such as those who are rich will be better off, while those who are poor will suffer. However, those who are poor will receive health care as well, but just not as equally good. In this world, everything is about money and nothing is fair, so does that mean we have to restrict people’s right and choice in order to make everything fair? If so, then more problems will just evolve. It is believed that with competition, then the world will improve and private health care creates competition. This will push public health care system to improve and bring up their standards.
posted by wini_lao @ 8:28 PM
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