Ralph's big risk

Pretty much every other country on earth, except for North Korea and Cuba, allows for some mix of private and public delivery of health care services. Sadly, the only politician in Canada who seems to realize this - and has the courage to say it - is Ralph Klein:

More private health care would be a good thing for his province, Alberta Premier Ralph Klein says.

Klein yesterday pledged to "push the envelope" of the Canada Health Act, with Alberta prepared to increase private care as it looks at a medicare overhaul.

Speaking to reporters after a speech to the Canadian Club, the premier said people being able to spend their own money on health is "not evil." [How un-Canadian can you get? - ed.]
[...]
Klein said Alberta will look at "the best approaches we can find" in other countries such as Sweden, France, England, Australia, New Zealand and Switzerland, which have parallel public and private systems. It will also give local health authorities more freedom in coming forward with more innovative programs, including privatization.

The Calgary Health Region's use of a private clinic in the former Grace Hospital for hip and knee replacements when they can't be done at public facilities is an example, he said.

"Maybe the cost is the same or even a bit more, but ask one of the patients now walking without pain if that little bit of profit was such a bad thing."

The premier had few specifics on some of the more controversial aspects of changes discussed in Alberta under his tenure, such as deductibles people would have to pay before the public system covered costs and medical savings accounts tallying patients' expenses. Such things would only be implemented after a full consultation with Albertans, he said.

Klein specifically rejects the costly American model, but you know that isn't going to stop Shirley Douglas from squawking about the "Americanization" of Canadian health care. As with many issues in Canada, that may be enough to shut down debate altogether.

Lysiane Gagnon, no neo-conservative, had a great column on this subject the other day. How bad have things gotten, when the French are more open to private-sector health-care delivery than Canada?

Posted by damian at January 12, 2005 12:59 PM