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Advocates are urging the federal government to increase health care funding and impose more conditions on what the provinces can do with that money.
Friends of Medicare director Chris Galloway said from outside a meeting of provincial and territorial premiers that Ottawa shouldn’t give a blank cheque that could allow provinces like Alberta to dismantle the public system.
Galloway and more than 100 others gathered outside the premiers conference in Charlottetown on Wednesday to protest Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s plans to allow some physicians to offer privately paid surgical procedures, while also working in the public system.
The new model is to begin this fall and the government has been encouraging physicians to apply. If approved, the physicians will be permitted to charge patients for elective procedures like hip and knee replacements outside their publicly funded practice.
Smith’s government has said the status quo isn’t working as too many Albertans are sitting in the queue too long to get surgery.
It’s also said the change will attract doctors, increase capacity and cut down waits by allowing some patients to choose a paid option close to home.
But Galloway on Wednesday said Alberta’s incoming changes creates a two-tier system for surgery access “that’s not allowed under the Canada Health Act.”
“Alberta is trying to make it a system that’s lucrative for physicians to charge as much as they can to anyone they can, but still have the public system there to bill,” Galloway said.
Alberta continues to face a primary care crisis, with hundreds of thousands of people in need of a doctor. The provincial government is rolling out its dual practice model to allow some doctors to work in both the public and private system. While the plan doesn’t apply to family doctors, that’s not stopping a pair of Edmonton physicians from trying to meet the growing need for care. Their solution is a new membership-based medical clinic. CBC’s Alicia Asquith went to check out how it works, and how it fits into the province’s health-care system.
Kyle Warner, a spokesperson for Alberta’s hospital and surgical health services ministry, disputed Galloway’s claim.
Warner said in a statement the dual-practice model doesn’t violate federal law. He also said the government is committed to ensuring Albertans “never have to pay out of pocket for medically necessary care.”
“Expanding access through dual practice does not take away from that — it adds to it. This is not an either/or debate. It is about giving Albertans more choice.”
Smith’s government has also promised safeguards, including rules around how physicians divide their time between public and private practice and a minimum requirement for public surgery hours the physicians will need to meet.
The Alberta government has released more details on how it plans to roll out more private health-care options for patients seeking elective surgeries. At a news conference, officials said they believe this move will complement public health care. But as CBC’s Sam Brooks reports, not everyone is sold on the plan.
While other provinces have private options, Galloway said Alberta is intentionally trying to put the private system on even footing with the public program.
Galloway added it’s crucial for Prime Minister Mark Carney to get involved and protect universal public health care, as it’s one of the ways Canada sets itself apart from the U.S., and he’s worried about losing that distinction.
The protesters were rallying in front of a hotel in overcast Charlottetown where all 13 premiers were meeting to discuss health care and other issues of national interest. The premiers are set to meet with Carney on Thursday.
Canadian Health Coalition chair Jason MacLean says Carney should prioritize health care as a crucial part of nation building.
“The spending in health care hasn’t been keeping up with inflation year after year after year,” MacLean said.
“Therefore, provinces or premiers are coming to the decision, ‘well, maybe we can do better in the private sector.’ That’s not true.”
At a news conference later Wednesday the premiers said they had a robust discussion about health care in their meetings, and that they want Carney to come to the table Thursday with renewed funding commitments.
“We need a long-term commitment,” said Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz.
“There are federal agreements with all of the provinces which will expire in about … 18 months or less and many of our provinces are looking at a fiscal cliff in terms of funding our health care system.”
Nunavut Premier John Main said the territory is unique compared to the rest of the country, and noted the biggest problem it’s looking to solve is improving health care access closer to where people live.
“One of the biggest inputs to the health care system in Nunavut isn’t necessarily pharmaceuticals, it’s jet fuel,” Main said.
He said Nunavut spends “tens of millions” of dollars every year sending its residents to access specialized health care outside of the territory.
“We want to change that. We want to build care closer to home. And we need a strong partnership from the federal government that recognizes our increased spend.”
Carney was scheduled to attend a dinner with the premiers in P.E.I. on Wednesday evening ahead of formal roundtable talks on Thursday.
