By Lorian Hardcastle Alberta, dental care, Dental health, dental procedures, dentist, fee guide, insurance, oral exam, out-of-pocket, price competition, Universal health care
Last year, a provincial government report found that dental procedures cost up to 44 per cent more in Alberta than in neighbouring provinces. Does this inflated cost have an impact on dental health? You bet. A staggering 62 per cent of Albertans reported limiting dental visits due to cost concerns. That’s most Albertans skipping basic […]
The Prentice healthcare levy is not a cure for the Alberta health system
By Herb Emery Alberta, Alberta healthcare, Canada’s healthcare system, Canadian healthcare system, cost of drugs, drug cost, Drug coverage, health care spending, Healthcare spending, Pharmaceutical, provincial drug plan
The Prentice government announced that it will restore the use of healthcare taxes so that Albertans can directly contribute to the healthcare system. On the surface, levying up to $1000 per person earning over $50,000 per year to contribute approximately $0.5 billion over two years towards an $18 billion medical treatment system sounds reasonable.
By Nick Mohtadi Alberta, Alberta health minister, Alberta’s private MRI clinics, back pain, Choosing Wisely Canada, efficiency, Health care costs, Health care costs and spending, medial tests, MRI wait list, Stephen Mandel, unecessary tests, wait times
Value for money appears to be finally getting the attention it merits as Alberta’s new health minister, Stephen Mandel, takes the reins of the portfolio that is close to consuming 50% of the province’s operating budget.
By Stephen Duckett accès aux soins, Alberta, Canada, fournisseurs privés, hôpital, Obamacare, privatisation, Public-privé, santé, services médicaux, soins de santé
En Alberta, une décision apparemment anodine, celle de remplacer des services de laboratoire dispensés par une multinationale états-unienne par des services offerts par une société australienne, a provoqué de véhéments tollés. Peut-on privatiser les services en santé?
By Stephen Duckett Alberta, Canada, Health system, healthcare, lab contracts, Obamacare, private funding of helathcare, privatisation, public-private
A decision by the Alberta Health Services last month seemed innocuous enough — to swap the tender for laboratory services from a United States-based transnational corporation to an Australian one — but it provoked a furore of discontent.
By Don Dick and Linda Woodhouse Alberta, medical care, orthiopaedic, performance, time reduction target, Wait time, Wait time Alliance, Waiting for care
Canadians might have been inclined to take a sedative for an anxiety attack after reading about the Wait Time Alliance’s (WTA) 2014 report card on waits for medical care in Canada. The WTA gives Canada a failing grade on the structural changes it says are needed to have the timely access to care seen in other countries.