Alberta’s government has drafted legislation that would allow doctors to work at both private and public institutions simultaneously, per documents obtained by the Globe and Mail.
Why it matters: Under these changes, more physicians would be encouraged to dip their toes into the private sphere, knowing they have the public system to fall back on. This would effectively create Canada's first true two-tiered healthcare system.
- Alberta’s government previously announced that it would propose legislation that would allow people to privately buy diagnostic services like MRIs and blood work, but this is a significant step further down the road to privatization.
Why it’s happening: The argument Alberta has made in the past for expanding private care is that it would open up more access and capacity, particularly for patients in need of urgent attention. This would, they say, alleviate stress on the public system and free up wait times.
Yes, but: Critics argue the opposite will happen, with the private sector sapping resources, making the struggling public sector even worse for those who can’t pay private practice fees.
- Take Quebec, which has the country’s most built-out private healthcare sector and is now actively trying to make it harder for doctors to flee from the public system because of extraordinarily long wait times.
What’s next: The legislation could run afoul of the Canada Health Act, which has rules restricting docs from charging patients for insured services they already bill to the province. However, if it evades federal scrutiny, it could open the floodgates for two-tiered systems in provinces that have shown interest in increased private care, like Ontario and B.C.—QH