Alberta’s UCP government has announced that it will introduce legislation this fall to allow Albertans to privately purchase diagnostic screen and testing services such as MRIs, CT scans and blood work.
In a news release announcing the changes, the government claims the changes will improve access and help deliver faster, more effective care, increase capacity, shorten wait times and reduce pressure on Alberta’s public health system.
Under the current system, the government claims “long diagnostic imaging wait times and growing waitlists for preventative screening are delaying timely care for Albertans.”
The government also claims that under the UCP’s Public Health Guarantee, all physician-recommended tests will continue to be fully covered and prioritized in all facilities, public or private, across the province and if a privately-purchased test reveals a significant or critical condition, the out-of-pocket cost will be reimbursed to the patient.
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Critics point to the Alberta government’s failed contract with Dynalife to provide blood and other lab tests as an example of the perils of private health care.
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However, critics accuse the government of introducing “American-style health care,” which will require Albertans to pay out of pocket for such services.
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Friends of Medicare says the change will worsen wait times and reduce capacity in the public health care system.
It points to the province’s failed attempt to privatize community lab testing for basic diagnostic services such as blood testing, as an example of what could go wrong.
In 2022, the UCP government contacted out the services to private provider Dynalife, but less than a year later, following a flood of complaints about long wait times and delays in getting results, the province was forced to step in and have publicly-owned Alberta Precision Laboratories take over the services again at a cost to taxpayers of at least $31 million.
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The Alberta NDP’s health critic, Sarah Hoffman, is accusing the UCP of creating a “two-tier system based on those who can pay.”
Hoffman says, in a news release, that the changes will pull resources away from the public health care system, create longer wait times for those who need care and poorer health outcomes.
“Danielle Smith promised to fix the health care system in 90 days. Two years later, far too many Albertans don’t have access to the care they need, and they are tired of waiting for surgeries, scans and tests,” said Hoffman.
The UCP government says it will be “conducting engagement with stakeholders on the proposed changes,” and further details will be shared in the coming months.
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