What is for-profit health care?
For-profit health care means private, for-profit companies are taking on roles that used to be handled by the public system. It’s not just about paying out-of-pocket – it’s about using public money to fund private businesses, which ends up costing taxpayers more and research shows does little to improve access, wait times, or quality of care.
When did for-profit health care start in Alberta?
Since the adoption of public health insurance in Canada the 1960s, Alberta’s health care system was founded on the principles of accessibility and universality, meaning care should be based on need, not ability to pay. However, in recent years, the provincial government has increasingly supported private for-profit health services, claiming it will ease pressure on the public system.
We’ve seen a rise in private for-profit clinics, delivering services like surgeries and diagnostics, funded by public dollars – a trend that is accelerating under the current government, raising concerns about the future of public health care in Alberta.
How does for-profit health care impact Alberta’s health care system?
The key issue is that public funds are being used to support private for-profit companies instead of strengthening our public system.
These private companies have been successful at negotiating contracts that charge the government and ultimately taxpayers more to deliver the same service the public system used to. This means less money to invest in and strengthen our public system to expand access or improve the quality of health care services.
For-profit health care also results in health care professionals leaving the public system to work for private providers. With fewer staff and resources, public hospitals and clinics face longer wait times, making it harder for most Albertans to get the care they need.
How does for-profit health care impact you?
For-profit health care doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to start paying out of pocket for health care services; however, it does mean the government and ultimately taxpayers will start paying more for the system to deliver the same services. At the end of the day for-profit health care costs all of us more money.
Recent data shows that surgeries, such as a hip replacement, delivered by a private surgical company in Alberta cost taxpayers twice as much as the same procedure would cost in a public hospital.
There are also legitimate questions and concerns about accountability and care standards when a health service is delivered by a private company without the same oversight that exists in the public system.
In rural Alberta, for-profit care is reducing access by forcing patients to travel long distances for services that used to be provided locally through public clinics. For-profit care can also create a greater reliance on private insurance, pushing health care out of reach for many and creating a two-tiered system where quality care and access depends on one’s ability to pay. The more we allow privatized care to grow, the further we stray from the principle that health care should be available based on need, not financial capacity.
What can you do?
This is a fight for the future of health care in Alberta, a health care system that puts people before profits.
You can help by staying informed, sharing our message, and advocating for a health care system that serves us all fairly. Together, we can build a healthier, stronger Alberta – because it really could be better here.
Sign up for updates, get involved in our initiatives, and let your voice be heard. Let’s work together to protect and improve the health care system we all rely on.
Additional Resources
Another Report Validates Concerns About Failing Surgical Privatization
Invest in Medicare: Stop privatization
Why does private health care lengthen public wait times?
Canada needs an off-ramp from privatization highway: public health care advocates