Alberta’s move to allow a parallel private surgery system alongside the public health system has raised concerns among opposition and advocacy groups, who say it violates federal health-funding rules.
Premier Danielle Smith announced the proposal on Nov. 19, saying that letting surgeons perform privately funded surgeries during their off-hours will shorten public wait times without added costs to taxpayers. The opposition NDP and a number of advocacy groups say the plan violates the Canada Health Act, and is a major step toward privatization.
While the Canada Health Act, which dictates the terms under which provinces can get federal funds for health care, does have broad restrictions, healthcare policy scholar Nadeem Esmail says Smith’s proposed model can comply with federal law as long as it ensures that privately funded services remain fully private without any public money involved….