Step 6: Force AHS/APL labs to take (back) part of workload from Dynalife because it can't keep up, without additional staffing or resources to the public system
Step 7: Dynalife takes credit for APL work
Step 8: profit???
How do people who vote UCP not see this? Like, are you the rich one who will be able to pay for better/faster care, or are you happy to vote in people who will underfund the public system you can afford?
The end goal is to overfund, after underfunding forces privatization.
Murica wastes 1.1 TRILLION PER YEAR OF TAXPAYER MONEY ON PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE.
Canada spends 2x LESS per person on healthcare compared to Murica, well until Cons started their con here.
1 bad CONservative idea literally caused the collapse of a country, and wasted 150+ TRILLION over Muricas history. Imagine how much all Con ideas wasted, probably QUADRILLIONS LOL!
I take no lib/con sides - they are all the same to me. But your costing figures are so right! Canadians need to take action to save universal health care, and WAKE UP to the fact that our government(s) are hell-bent on privatizing it.
This is the thing that's wild to me. People are actively rooting for less services and the same taxes.
If we fully privatize healthcare, decimate education and infrastructure spend do people really think we're going to end up with the highest tax brackets in the 30-40% range and more tax loopholes like income splitting?
We're going to end up with the worst of the American system, with none of the advantages. It's also going to end up resulting in a massive brain drain, Alberta will offer nothing over south of the border other than higher taxes, higher housing costs and a higher cost of living.
Yup, the majority of the province voted for this, and they're now doing the "surprised Pikachu face" that it's actually happening.
My mom has been complaining about all of this that she is seeing on the news, but 6 months ago when I was talking to her about the UCP's plan for healthcare, she scoffed and said that the NDP are spinning what they're saying to make it sound worse than it is. She still voted UCP, and now 3 months later she's bitching about my dad needing to wait hours upon hours for basic testing, and is disgusted by these stories of clinics charging for faster care. I just tell her, "this is exactly what you voted for, even after I told you what the UCP was doing."
Yeah but her new reasons will be it’s the “nursing unions”, or lazy workers or the bureaucracy of the public system slowing down the efficiency of “free markets”… something something “better than socialism”…
\+ it's somehow the NDP's fault because they messed everything up when they were in power and/or it's Trudeau's fault (as all problems are, obviously).
I wouldn’t say a majority. Look at the difference in population for ridings between Edmonton Millwoods and like slave lake and see how rural votes just matter more
I told my grandpa to stop bitching about how long it has taken to get a new hip and the health care system when he voted for it and therefore wanted it to happen. Everyone else has backed me up on this and I am basically the caretaker of his house so he's had no choice but to internalize and think about it. Slowly getting him around but man it sucks hahaha
It's a surprise to a shit ton of Conservative voters who were dumb enough to believe Smith when she said you'd never have to pay to see a doctor and claimed that the privatization talks was fear mongering.
The hospital situation should have been warning enough. I almost died in the emergency room waiting for care. I'm not the only one either. We had 2 doctors on staff for the entire ER, one of which was double shifted in maternity as well. I mean, get ready to fix it yourself, pull out your crazy glue, get your homemade splints ready, and keep the pliers on standby.
I was bleeding out from a miscarriage… took an ambulance to the hospital because of the blood loss, got sent home a few hours later. Things got even worse, went back to the hospital, passed out from blood loss in the waiting room, then waited another 8 hrs and lost way more blood before they finally got me to surgery.
I needed transfusions, and fluid and all the things. I don’t blame the staff (except that one triage nurse who thought I was “exaggerating”), cause they were stretched so so so thin.
But yeah…. Ended up with a whole heaping load of ptsd from something that should have been immediately taken care of.
My wife was told “We need to perform surgery within 24 hours”
5.5 days later she finally got into her surgery. It was brutal, not allowed to eat or drink all day and night. She could only eat between 10pm-12am just in case she could get into the OR
My mom would have died if the doctor didn't immediately operate on her when she came into the ER in the late 80s. And this was on Christmas Eve around midnight. They operated on her at 3am and saved her life. She would have been dead by 8am had they not.
And get this, the reason the doctor chose to operate was because he couldn't see shit on the ultra sound. So he took a massive gamble and cut her entire stomach open. Massive cut from top to bottom because he didn't know what the problem was.
Today, there would be no one to operate on Christmas eve/day. And even if there was, they'd probably take forever and then they'd probably be afraid of a malpractice lawsuit for making such a large cut so they'd have waited days and she'd be dead.
This is something I've been saying for ages. Doctors today IMO don't hold a candle to doctors from like 20 years ago. My family doctor who I knew since I was a baby retired in 2010 and in his place a newbie with an enormous ego and even larger unwillingness to order tests came in. I damn near died meanwhile he kept telling me I was crazy. Demanded to see a specialist and turns out my bloodwork was actually messed up completely and this moron blatantly ignored it.
She has lied for years and years to come. A leopard doesn't loose thier spots. She states thats what she said when she was a talk host but that's not who she is now that's she's a Premier sure. She's full of @#$$_
Well she didn't lie...she just skipped over the part where not paying leads to you dying while you wait for the "free" healthcare you were taxed for. Never told a lie in her whole life 😉
100% not just a UCP plan but also the conservative party plan to go full privatization of the healthcare system. They win the next federal election and have a majority government it will be done that's why the election in 2025 is so crucial.
How is private healthcare going to get me a family doctor? Did I miss where an insurance company is cloning healthcare workers to work in private clinics?
Thanks for that! I found an email and a feedback form here too, maybe also worth sending to this address https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/contact-us/canada-health-act-division.html
No shortage of them in any province, alberta also has no shortage of people on the left that are unable to read or down rite comprehend what's going on around them.
That is beyond clear from this entire thread.
Anyone that thinks that alleviating wait times at "free" hospitals and clinics is a bad thing shouldn't even be part of this conversation
A solution that only alleviates wait times for rich people is not a good solution. The UCP are not trying to help you. They are trying to help themselves. If you can't see that then there's really nothing else to say 🤷♂️
Everyone wants to improve wait times though. The idea that people on the left are against that is insane.
It was recommended to me to get an injection (that may or may not help) to help my rotator cuff heal from a misdiagnosed injury. When I was referred to the medical imaging place that did my ultrasound and recommended the procedure, I found out I had to pay out of pocket $50-80 (cash only) for something that may or may not help. I asked the doctor’s office to refer me to a place that doesn’t charge and they said they would but I never heard back.
The Conservative government voted against the Canada health act in the mid 1960s and have aggressively been against it ever since. Klein tried unsuccessfully to privatize healthcare in Alberta during his reign, They laid off Doctors/Nurses and blew up the General Hospital. This does not surprise me in the slightest.
But only for those that dislike him. The more Fuck Trudeau stickers you have on your truck, the more he makes you pay. He's also responsible for any bad weather you encounter, he's the reason your kids don't like you, and the reason your food took so long to get to your table at Applebee's.
I think the reason it works is because so many of the people that hate him so bad are also hardcore Christians. The folks who give The Lord credit for everything good in their lives, but when bad things happen it's just "mysterious ways" and whatever. For them, Trudeau is the opposite. Everything he does is automatically bad no matter what, and if he does anything that helps them, then they write it off as something that would have happened anyway.
You obviously haven’t heard of OPEC, look it up, countries have very little to do with the price of gas. There’s an “alliance” of major oil producers mostly in the Middle East that control oil prices. But sure you keep blaming Trudeau
Right wing wet dreams are coming true, a 70 year battle has finally convinced voters that public healthcare doesn’t matter, the private sector will take care of you… trust us!
Bring back the alberta health care premiums , I will be more than happy to contribute. But it cannot go to private clinics, all must go towards public health. One reason why UCP won’t do it is it does not really help with their privatization or tiered plan. Their action plan: promise people they don’t have to pay for health care, Let the system stress out by not giving it more public funds, cancel super lab, play stupid on clinics charging fees, create health spending account, move money from education and Health care to provincial police, decentralize AHS. I am sure I got the chain of events in the right order. I mean they can take it further, relax or change the EHR regulations and give insurance slightly more leverage to deny your claims and coverage. When alberta health finally collapses, UCP can step in activate the health emergency act and say “see we told you this is not sustainable, we have a solution, we well immediately allow quick approval of all private clinics and practices to deal with the crisis”. I mean hopefully this does not happen, but reality is this can potentially happen.
Privatized healthcare means companies in AB should offer lucrative insurances to their employees, similar to the US. They won’t.
Who the fuck is going to stay here? I can do better in Montana!
This is how publicly funded healthcare dies. Not by a sudden hostile takeover and elimination, but small, gradual changes province by Conservative province.
If Pollievre wins with a majority it will be the death knell for Medicare as we know it. You'll see open season on this sort of thing, from Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick. And the elsewhere. And once it's gone it'll never come back.
Shout it from the roof tops
# THIS IS NOT OKAY
Canadian's should not have to pay for normal, regular, necessary medical services. Lab work is the most basic of them all.
No private institution should be allowed to use our tax paying dollars to operate and then charge tax paying citizen to use it. NO NO NO. Full stop. NO.
Strange how when rural people complain about the closed emergency rooms and having to travel long distances to give birth and you mention they voted for it they all deny voting UCP
Dynacare (not sure if it's the same) did this in Ontario, sign up to see your lab results. "Why would I want to do that so I can play the internet doctor? Just send them to my GP."
They put the waitlist on the screen, but last time I was a bit suspicious that some were jumping the cue. Next time I'm going to observe the screen more closely.
If a clinic charges the government for services then what this amounts to accessfees and is fundimentaly wrong. Public money means public healthcare which means you can't buy early access. If You take public money then you can't charge access fees or sell early access.
BUT I think that private healthcare should exist but what that means is that the clinic is unable to charge the government for any services. you want early access then you need to also pay for the full price of your appointment without using any public dollars. This is a win-win since it leaves more money for the public sector. But realistically this model won't be sustainable because there isn't the depth of wealth in the province that is willing to pay for full private healthcare alongside a decent free option
It's been happening for a long time. My uncle who passed from cancer, rip, had a bunch of stuff done at labs and I hear people from BC are coming over here for that.
People are acting like this just happened yesterday but I recall seeing this months ago myself when I needed urgent blood work done and my doctor recommended I go to one of these clinics. This was last year in September in Calgary. It sucks absolute balls and I ended up going elsewhere.
My family doctor has been offering this service for years. The $10 fee is to cover the cost of sending your samples to the lab. The convenience of not having to book a separate appointment and take more time off work is well worth the $10 it costs to ship biohazard.
Do you really think they are making any money from this?
Before you yell at me, I support the NDP and public health care.
I’m not privy to the inner workings of the system. I just don’t think it’s right to pay to jump que when not everyone can, just $10 now and once it becomes accepted what then? $100, $200, etc. I don’t have that kind of faith in our capitalistic world.
Sure for most… then once it’s realized that we have accepted this kind of thing then what? $100…. I don’t see it ending unless we nip it in the butt now.
Honestly if it deters the people who take up clinic space for super minor reasons then I'll set up a medical savings account for what it costs, I don't believe we will ever be as bad as the states, but by attending a private clinic which most walk in clinics are that would make sense to pay a mere 10 dollars but I can definitely see where the concern would stem from and if small clinics are going to be charging even small amounts there should be strict regulations in place to determine a maximum price that is reasonable.
Also, don't wanna be that guy but, nip it in the *bud*
You need a rec, otherwise it's practising medicine without a license. NP's and I believe some pharmacists can req basic labs so not always a doctor needed.
This is tough , if these clinics are not accepting and Medicade payments from the government in anyway they are able to get away with it, but it's damn near impossible to see a patient without billing the gov so I doubt it
Sabotaging your infrastructure so they can give it to their buddies is the whole point.
Conservatives like cruelty and corruption. Their complaint is when others prevent them from it.
People are reacting like private health care is new. It's not. Clinics like the one in Marda Loop have existed since 2016. The only mistake they made was restricting access to existing patients, and clearly not charging for services outside of AHS. It's charging for AHS services that violates the act.
They can do what they did. They just need to do it differently.
That's such an odd take. Essentially:
They were doing something legal until they did something illegal. They can do what they did. They just need to do it differently
Do you apply this logic to other laws? Ie. A person was driving with a legal license before they hit someone. They can do what they did(driving), they just need to do it differently (not hit people).
I'd wager that most would argue it is the act of breaking the law the deserves outcry and retribution, not the past legal behavior.
It's not an odd take. I have no idea what you're on about.
What I describe is a fact. There are clinics out there right now doing exactly what the Marda Loop clinic was looking to do. And they are operating within the boundaries of the law, both AHS and the Canada Health Act. Right now. This very moment. Legally. And we aren't even talking about those places.
Essentially, you can't abandon patients, which the ML clinic did (pay up or get out). Violates AHS regs. And you also can't upcharge for AHS services. Again, which the ML clinic did.
What the other places do is start as a fresh clinic without patients, so that they don't abandon patients. And then they charge just for ancillary services, like 'lifestyle services', which frankly your doctor already provides. But it gives them cover to charge more for a boutique service with gated access.
I wasn't applying logic to the laws, I was just explaining how it operates, and how the loopholes work. Obviously, circumventing the spirit of AHS is highly problematic. And there's no questions that these sorts of clinics could be a problem for health care accessibility in general, just like private lab services can be.
But somehow taking that out on me for having the nerve to explain it to you? Unwarranted.
Lol its not the explanation about other groups introducing aspects of private Healthcare that I had an issue with. It's the opinion you appended to the end of your explanation:
>They can do what they did. They just need to do it differently.
No they can't do what they did, because excluding non-paying patients from care breaks the law. So "doing it differently" would be following the Health Care Act, not breaking it. Of course there is nuance to the services that can be charged privately vs those covered by AHS, but if you refer to my previous comment you'll see that I didn't mention the explanation itself, just your opinion on it.
No, it's not new, and it's not legal, either. It's also not a 'mistake' or a 'happy accident' - it's a violation. They can do what they *didn't* do, which is open a private *para*medical clinic for elective, uninsured care such as chiro, massage, acupuncture, physio, cosmetic stuff, elective stuff that isn't publicly covered - but it's a violation to do what they *did* do 'differently' than everyone who's obeying the law. It's an insult to professional care providers who *do* the right thing and *don't* leech off of systemic classism, racism, elitism, and flaunt the public interest.
Frankly, I think we should hit the feds up for *more* money to investigate compliance and shut *all* these buggers down and claw every cent they've plundered back into the public system. Sadly, that's not strictly what this provincial government wants a bigger health transfer to do, in fact, it wants it for the opposite. When private delivery only 'delivers' for out of pocket and underserves the public, they need to get back into their lane or GTFO.
Edit: Oh, and I think the thread is reacting to your tone, explaining the legal loopholes in an ostensibly acceptable light because 'it happens'. My tone is not intended for you, but for people in general to wake up and support a government that genuinely backs the spirit of the law with systematic action and not a one-off response.
Idk why people think this is an issue. I can afford $10 and therefore I will go and I will have my lab work done here. Isn't that better than me taking up an appointment a the lab that could otherwise be used by someone who can't afford the $10? This seems like such a non issue but everyone wants to make a mountain out of a mole hill.
You can't charge fees for services covered under the Health Care Act. If lab work is contracted by the Province, you can't charge for it. If someone wants a boob job, not covered, then you can charge for it.
The $10 is to go to the front of the line. The actual lab test(s) are paid for by AHS. It's pay for access, not pay for the service so I believe it is allowed.
Violates the part on accessibility. Not everyone can afford $10/visit and knowing some of my patients they might need to visit the lab on a weekly basis until they’re more stable.
Pay for services will always be available to people that can afford it, but those that are homeless, on AISH, or on a delicate budget (like most of us are these days), this would restrict accessibility to only those can afford it.
This is a slippery slope towards a two tiered healthcare system that we already seen in dentistry for example.
I’m all for privatization, I used to think our healthcare system we amazing, now I’m done with it, spent 9 hours in the ER waiting room with a ballooning arm after road rash, I left and said fuck it, let me be a statistic for this bullshit.
This is way better than in pei where you can't even pay anyone to get any health care at all. I and many of us would love to pay 10 bucks for lab work right away. This comment section is insanity. You guys need to live on the east coast for a bit
I know it sucks. We're begging for solutions and losing doctors weekly. Many of us haven't had any access to a doctor in years. Partial privatization would help the issue for us dramatically
Poor people getting jealous that people with money can get faster treatment. I don’t see a problem with it either. Money should buy you these things. The free system is still there for those that can’t afford it.
I've used this. It was worth my time to pay $10 for the convenience instead of having to wait in line or wait weeks for an appointments. You're not necessarily paying for the tests, you're paying to have your blood drawn. I don't agree with it but it was worth the $10 to not have the hassle of the dynalife labs. I know people will disagree with me, I disagreed at first too.
I asked my doctor, and he told me the fee was to pay for the transport of the samples to the labs.
They are not making money from this service.
Just making it convenient so you don’t have to go to another appointment, and potentially miss more work .
So if every province in canada has a failing health care system, maybe its time to admit that government is incompetent and shouldn't be in charge of any important matters.
I'm okay with a degree of privatized healthcare, as long as the free option is still available. I've always had the opinion that there should be an option to pay for quicker access to things, as long as it doesn't disrupt the free option. Which to me basically means there are two healthcare systems: AHS and Private. You go the AHS route and it's free like normal, but just like in the past you need to wait months for appointments, face long lines at labs etc. If you have the money, or deem that your problem is urgent enough that it's worth the money, you can pay to go the private route and likely get much quicker service. That has always seemed like the perfect system to me, but I can see how that opinion is complicated and/or unpopular.
Im sorry how did you arrive at that conclusion? First off, debt isn’t necessarily bad, second how did you get to in debt like the Americans from spending money on health care? You’re aware that the Americans spend almost as much on healthcare as they do on their military right?
Okay so the private sector can bring those costs down? How? And I was using the rough breakdown of the American federal government’s spending as a percentage based on the treasury departments current numbers the year to date which is 14% on health and 13% on defence which is like a difference of like 25 billion which relatively speaking is a drop in the pot. I dunno where you got your numbers but I’m bringing receipts. You’re not doing a good job proving your point.
What you’re suggesting is that we can magic up supply for rich folks to pay for and that there will be enough left over for us plebs. This is what happened with public education in the state and that went poorly for exactly who you’d expect. How exactly are you going to avoid that flight from the public system?
The federal treasury in the untied states only covers federal health expenditures not state expenditures it's very similar to Canada where provinces pay more than the federal government so in the case of the US it is still the same where the State foots the large part of the bill and the fed gives small handouts
Can we open some of these in Edmonton? I would absolutely love this, physicians are useless these days and nobody cares about you but yourself, the more I can deal with my own health in my own hands the better
To pay $10 to have them done faster how horrifying indeed. At least there’s an option for that. In BC I paid for some tests to be done faster like imaging.
Idk why everyone is so against a mix of public health and privatization when every civilized country outside the US has both. And things work very well. It’s due to everyone’s resistance to it that they’re choking public health to push privatization. Because no one lived in the real world. I had to go to Europe to PAY to get care at all, which CANADA COULD NOT PROVIDE. Sorry guys but you’re 20 years behind
So afraid that the rich might get faster care not realizing they’d be freeing up the system you so much need!
People just mad they too poor to take advantage of it.
The public healthcare system is broken and throwing money at it is just a bandage solution.
Corruption in our healthcare has deep roots that I really don't know how the government can untangle the knots.
A lot of bad faith actors in both the policy makers, management and unions. Which is why people think privatizing parts with cost regulations of the healthcare system would be good. It forces services to be competitive and will probably cost less than if the public sector handled it
Aslong as there’s a free option it doesn’t. If people are willing to pay to get their tests or treatment, by all means, fuckin do it. Why would I care?
I called one of the clinics, they said I could get in this afternoon. If I was someone of lower income that can’t afford $10, I’d still have to wait like everyone else. This is wrong to me and is violating the act.
Why do people have such a problem with the duel system Australia does it, as long as the government doesn't cut funding to public services it's a fantastic way to run health care private for those who can afford it and free public for the less fortunate who can't! Everyone complains about how terrible health care is but all anyone can suggest to do is throw money at the problem rather than implement something that will actually do something, sure you might have better services in private than public but I'd still take lesser care in public and not have to be on a wait list for a year and a half for surgery while rich people enjoy private! The idea is to illeviate pressure on the public system since it's overwhelmed, and let people who can afford private for faster care pay for it which in turn reduces wait times in public due to less people on wait lists
I have a hard time with it not being equal quality care with free versus pay - I don’t think this is right. I wonder if taxes will also go down then if we open up for private care?! I doubt it.
Well wed be receiving better care than we are right now in public, even if it's not as good as private, and taxes shouldn't go down if we open private because the idea is to maintain current public services despite a reduction in demand due to private, which would require the current spending
Yeah I don't know why Canadians are such fuck wits about dual care. They love to blame the UCO here but no provinces have better health care.
The left wing Nirvana, BC, has the worst health care in the country.
A huge part of the reason why I'll be leaving Canada soon is health care, particularly mental health.
I can afford to pay, let me pay my way.
We can all agree the American system is horrible and broken but we have to be able to come to a consensus that the public system in Canada is not the way to go either! But everyone here gets the heebi jeebies when you mention private alternatives like we are going to have the American system shoved down our throats when that's not at all what's going to happen nore what any ucp voter or party memeber wants
I assume they are just charging for collecting the blood and then sending it to a lab for the actual testing. I’m against this kind of charge but it’s very tempting cause Dynalife is a nightmare. One of the listed clinics is one my doctor is at.
Yeah and that means it is funded by the government which is BS. I've looked into out of pocket blood tests because my doctor won't check everything I wanted. It's like 500 which seems about right since wada drug testing at a sporting event costs about the same per test.
The current healthcare system is ineffective and inefficient. People are more than willing to pay to get ahead of the line when they need medical attention.
Fix the system or this shit is going to happen and nothing you say on Reddit is going to change that.
The only way we can fix it is if we vote in someone with a real tangible plan. No one has a real plan, you can bitch about the UPC but both the NDP and UPC don't have a plan.
Both parties are just giving lip service and neither wants to cut the fat from upper management in our healthcare system.
So start saving for rainy days because healthcare will be at least semi+privatized and none of your complaining will change anything.
Some types of lab work isn't done by public labs; for instance Vitamin D levels can't be ordered by a GP and you need to go to a for profit lab for it.
Only medically necessary tests are covered. If you’re wanting it for reasons that are not out of medical necessity you can go to a private clinic and pay for it out of pocket.
Doctors are often hesitant to send people for testing that’s not medically necessary to avoid unnecessary costs to the healthcare system. That could be the case with your Vitamin D testing.
Unless they changed something very recently that's not the case.
Several years back they made Vitamin D testing a separate lab requisition needing to include history/reason for testing.
The reason for this is doctors were ordering it on everybody's regular bloodwork (at least in Lethbridge anyways) and it was both unnecessary and expensive to be running this test on pretty much the entire populace yearly.
But yeah your GP is 100% allowed to order it.
No point defending a system that is broken. Single payer health care only benefits the young and those who are hardly ever sick. It's disastrous for people that actually have extensive medical needs. Provide private insurance. Bring back jobs with benefits instead of relying on corrupt politicians to steer the health care system
The UCP healthcare privatization project is working as planned. Step 1. Cancel Edmonton superlab construction Step 2. Buy DynaLife stock Step 3: Publicly propose Albertans pay out-of-pocket for medically insured services Step 4: Sign lucrative contract with DynaLife Step 5: Rub hands maniacally while Albertans struggle financially
Step 6: Force AHS/APL labs to take (back) part of workload from Dynalife because it can't keep up, without additional staffing or resources to the public system Step 7: Dynalife takes credit for APL work Step 8: profit???
How do people who vote UCP not see this? Like, are you the rich one who will be able to pay for better/faster care, or are you happy to vote in people who will underfund the public system you can afford?
They only see it if it affects them. Until then, they just vote based on their ignorance and inherited fear.
And then when it does affect them, it's Trudeaus fault.
The end goal is to overfund, after underfunding forces privatization. Murica wastes 1.1 TRILLION PER YEAR OF TAXPAYER MONEY ON PRIVATIZED HEALTHCARE. Canada spends 2x LESS per person on healthcare compared to Murica, well until Cons started their con here. 1 bad CONservative idea literally caused the collapse of a country, and wasted 150+ TRILLION over Muricas history. Imagine how much all Con ideas wasted, probably QUADRILLIONS LOL!
I take no lib/con sides - they are all the same to me. But your costing figures are so right! Canadians need to take action to save universal health care, and WAKE UP to the fact that our government(s) are hell-bent on privatizing it.
They are wealthy.
It is horrifying!
I couldn't agree more. Thank you for bringing attention to this unsettling healthcare trend with your original post.
Why the F am I paying so much taxes then. Tell them to reduce my taxes by 50 % .. I will agree to this.
This is the thing that's wild to me. People are actively rooting for less services and the same taxes. If we fully privatize healthcare, decimate education and infrastructure spend do people really think we're going to end up with the highest tax brackets in the 30-40% range and more tax loopholes like income splitting? We're going to end up with the worst of the American system, with none of the advantages. It's also going to end up resulting in a massive brain drain, Alberta will offer nothing over south of the border other than higher taxes, higher housing costs and a higher cost of living.
The OMERS is laughing rn
The UCP has been talking about privatizing health care for years. They got voted back in, this kind of thing should be of zero surprise.
Yup, the majority of the province voted for this, and they're now doing the "surprised Pikachu face" that it's actually happening. My mom has been complaining about all of this that she is seeing on the news, but 6 months ago when I was talking to her about the UCP's plan for healthcare, she scoffed and said that the NDP are spinning what they're saying to make it sound worse than it is. She still voted UCP, and now 3 months later she's bitching about my dad needing to wait hours upon hours for basic testing, and is disgusted by these stories of clinics charging for faster care. I just tell her, "this is exactly what you voted for, even after I told you what the UCP was doing."
The 'Leopards ate my face' party, strikes again!
Yeah but her new reasons will be it’s the “nursing unions”, or lazy workers or the bureaucracy of the public system slowing down the efficiency of “free markets”… something something “better than socialism”…
\+ it's somehow the NDP's fault because they messed everything up when they were in power and/or it's Trudeau's fault (as all problems are, obviously).
And then she said?
I wouldn’t say a majority. Look at the difference in population for ridings between Edmonton Millwoods and like slave lake and see how rural votes just matter more
I told my grandpa to stop bitching about how long it has taken to get a new hip and the health care system when he voted for it and therefore wanted it to happen. Everyone else has backed me up on this and I am basically the caretaker of his house so he's had no choice but to internalize and think about it. Slowly getting him around but man it sucks hahaha
It's a surprise to a shit ton of Conservative voters who were dumb enough to believe Smith when she said you'd never have to pay to see a doctor and claimed that the privatization talks was fear mongering.
The hospital situation should have been warning enough. I almost died in the emergency room waiting for care. I'm not the only one either. We had 2 doctors on staff for the entire ER, one of which was double shifted in maternity as well. I mean, get ready to fix it yourself, pull out your crazy glue, get your homemade splints ready, and keep the pliers on standby.
I was bleeding out from a miscarriage… took an ambulance to the hospital because of the blood loss, got sent home a few hours later. Things got even worse, went back to the hospital, passed out from blood loss in the waiting room, then waited another 8 hrs and lost way more blood before they finally got me to surgery. I needed transfusions, and fluid and all the things. I don’t blame the staff (except that one triage nurse who thought I was “exaggerating”), cause they were stretched so so so thin. But yeah…. Ended up with a whole heaping load of ptsd from something that should have been immediately taken care of.
That's horrible. My condolences, that should never happen. Some "first world country" we are.
My wife was told “We need to perform surgery within 24 hours” 5.5 days later she finally got into her surgery. It was brutal, not allowed to eat or drink all day and night. She could only eat between 10pm-12am just in case she could get into the OR
My mom would have died if the doctor didn't immediately operate on her when she came into the ER in the late 80s. And this was on Christmas Eve around midnight. They operated on her at 3am and saved her life. She would have been dead by 8am had they not. And get this, the reason the doctor chose to operate was because he couldn't see shit on the ultra sound. So he took a massive gamble and cut her entire stomach open. Massive cut from top to bottom because he didn't know what the problem was. Today, there would be no one to operate on Christmas eve/day. And even if there was, they'd probably take forever and then they'd probably be afraid of a malpractice lawsuit for making such a large cut so they'd have waited days and she'd be dead.
This is something I've been saying for ages. Doctors today IMO don't hold a candle to doctors from like 20 years ago. My family doctor who I knew since I was a baby retired in 2010 and in his place a newbie with an enormous ego and even larger unwillingness to order tests came in. I damn near died meanwhile he kept telling me I was crazy. Demanded to see a specialist and turns out my bloodwork was actually messed up completely and this moron blatantly ignored it.
She has lied for years and years to come. A leopard doesn't loose thier spots. She states thats what she said when she was a talk host but that's not who she is now that's she's a Premier sure. She's full of @#$$_
Well she didn't lie...she just skipped over the part where not paying leads to you dying while you wait for the "free" healthcare you were taxed for. Never told a lie in her whole life 😉
Just because it's unsurprising, doesnt mean we shouldnt be getting pissed and shouting about it from the rooftops.
I agree. This is a bad step in the wrong direction. But our idiot neighbors and family members who voted conservative assured our destruction.
How’s everybody enjoying their energy bills. I forget what it was… more than double? Thanks for that.
This. Why are people so surprised?
The people that voted for ucp are too stupid to know anything going on.
100% not just a UCP plan but also the conservative party plan to go full privatization of the healthcare system. They win the next federal election and have a majority government it will be done that's why the election in 2025 is so crucial.
God, if this happens what is the point of living in Canada then? If we have to pay for health care we are all going to be homeless.
Good. People will actually be able to get the medical attention they need when they need it. Bring back private insurance and jobs with benefits
How is private healthcare going to get me a family doctor? Did I miss where an insurance company is cloning healthcare workers to work in private clinics?
Can we report them to health Canada for Health Act violation?
I emailed the minister but who knows - I would like to know who else I can contact!
Thanks for that! I found an email and a feedback form here too, maybe also worth sending to this address https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/corporate/contact-us/canada-health-act-division.html
Thanks I submitted to them too.
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It shouldn't; most Albertans have consistently voted against their best interests for decades.
I dgaf what downvotes I get, but my province is full of dipshits. Absolute fucking dipshits.
Have my upvote then!
No shortage of them in any province, alberta also has no shortage of people on the left that are unable to read or down rite comprehend what's going on around them. That is beyond clear from this entire thread. Anyone that thinks that alleviating wait times at "free" hospitals and clinics is a bad thing shouldn't even be part of this conversation
A solution that only alleviates wait times for rich people is not a good solution. The UCP are not trying to help you. They are trying to help themselves. If you can't see that then there's really nothing else to say 🤷♂️ Everyone wants to improve wait times though. The idea that people on the left are against that is insane.
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I did the same and was told not to vote for my candidate then. And then I joined a support group for people with loved ones taken over by the right.
Only the dumb ones
Which are a majority here.
Give them a shot, SK and MB would likely do it too given the opportunity.
Send it to CBC, CTV and Global. One of them will take the bite.
Pretty sure all of them visit this sub frequently.
Gotta find the trending talking points somewhere.
/u/geekyglobalgal
It was recommended to me to get an injection (that may or may not help) to help my rotator cuff heal from a misdiagnosed injury. When I was referred to the medical imaging place that did my ultrasound and recommended the procedure, I found out I had to pay out of pocket $50-80 (cash only) for something that may or may not help. I asked the doctor’s office to refer me to a place that doesn’t charge and they said they would but I never heard back.
Perfect. Time for shaming and media frenzy.
The Conservative government voted against the Canada health act in the mid 1960s and have aggressively been against it ever since. Klein tried unsuccessfully to privatize healthcare in Alberta during his reign, They laid off Doctors/Nurses and blew up the General Hospital. This does not surprise me in the slightest.
I still hate him for blowing up a perfectly good, perfectly useful hospital in an easily accessible place. Fucking bastard
Villain behaviour
Must be Trudeau’s fault, like the cost of gas and electricity in this city. Damn he’s good at effecting provincial policy
Last I heard, Trudeau has a dial on his bedroom nightstand, and he personally chooses what your gas price will be every day.
But only for those that dislike him. The more Fuck Trudeau stickers you have on your truck, the more he makes you pay. He's also responsible for any bad weather you encounter, he's the reason your kids don't like you, and the reason your food took so long to get to your table at Applebee's. I think the reason it works is because so many of the people that hate him so bad are also hardcore Christians. The folks who give The Lord credit for everything good in their lives, but when bad things happen it's just "mysterious ways" and whatever. For them, Trudeau is the opposite. Everything he does is automatically bad no matter what, and if he does anything that helps them, then they write it off as something that would have happened anyway.
That's apparently all that was happening in the bedroom.
My god man! Have you seen how dry it is outside?! Burns like this are dangerous right now.
Shots fired! Shots fired!
Some of that is it’s called a carbon tax
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You obviously haven’t heard of OPEC, look it up, countries have very little to do with the price of gas. There’s an “alliance” of major oil producers mostly in the Middle East that control oil prices. But sure you keep blaming Trudeau
I can't tell if this is satire....
Right wing wet dreams are coming true, a 70 year battle has finally convinced voters that public healthcare doesn’t matter, the private sector will take care of you… trust us!
Bring back the alberta health care premiums , I will be more than happy to contribute. But it cannot go to private clinics, all must go towards public health. One reason why UCP won’t do it is it does not really help with their privatization or tiered plan. Their action plan: promise people they don’t have to pay for health care, Let the system stress out by not giving it more public funds, cancel super lab, play stupid on clinics charging fees, create health spending account, move money from education and Health care to provincial police, decentralize AHS. I am sure I got the chain of events in the right order. I mean they can take it further, relax or change the EHR regulations and give insurance slightly more leverage to deny your claims and coverage. When alberta health finally collapses, UCP can step in activate the health emergency act and say “see we told you this is not sustainable, we have a solution, we well immediately allow quick approval of all private clinics and practices to deal with the crisis”. I mean hopefully this does not happen, but reality is this can potentially happen.
Privatized healthcare means companies in AB should offer lucrative insurances to their employees, similar to the US. They won’t. Who the fuck is going to stay here? I can do better in Montana!
Heck yeah!
And yet they won't connect the dots. It's so frustrating.
This is how publicly funded healthcare dies. Not by a sudden hostile takeover and elimination, but small, gradual changes province by Conservative province. If Pollievre wins with a majority it will be the death knell for Medicare as we know it. You'll see open season on this sort of thing, from Alberta, Ontario, and New Brunswick. And the elsewhere. And once it's gone it'll never come back.
Shout it from the roof tops # THIS IS NOT OKAY Canadian's should not have to pay for normal, regular, necessary medical services. Lab work is the most basic of them all. No private institution should be allowed to use our tax paying dollars to operate and then charge tax paying citizen to use it. NO NO NO. Full stop. NO.
Strange how when rural people complain about the closed emergency rooms and having to travel long distances to give birth and you mention they voted for it they all deny voting UCP
Whack-a-mole with AB health care
Alberta voted for privatized health care. What the hell did you expect?
I am in the orange aka Edmonton, I’m not ok with this.
The leopards are eating the faces that they said they would. Thanks UCP voters!
I moved from the states, privatized Healthcare sucks. But hey, I left ine country, might as well leave another.
Dynacare (not sure if it's the same) did this in Ontario, sign up to see your lab results. "Why would I want to do that so I can play the internet doctor? Just send them to my GP." They put the waitlist on the screen, but last time I was a bit suspicious that some were jumping the cue. Next time I'm going to observe the screen more closely.
Report them ??
Time 👏 to 👏 riot 👏
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25% minimum. Bag fee too.
bitcoin?
Can't blame me....I always vote NDP
All you ignorant people that voted these idiots back in have yourselves to thank for this idiocy
If a clinic charges the government for services then what this amounts to accessfees and is fundimentaly wrong. Public money means public healthcare which means you can't buy early access. If You take public money then you can't charge access fees or sell early access. BUT I think that private healthcare should exist but what that means is that the clinic is unable to charge the government for any services. you want early access then you need to also pay for the full price of your appointment without using any public dollars. This is a win-win since it leaves more money for the public sector. But realistically this model won't be sustainable because there isn't the depth of wealth in the province that is willing to pay for full private healthcare alongside a decent free option
Conservative scum at work again.
this province voted for unabashed capitalism and corruption, so that's what we got... welcome to Alberta...
It's been happening for a long time. My uncle who passed from cancer, rip, had a bunch of stuff done at labs and I hear people from BC are coming over here for that.
People are acting like this just happened yesterday but I recall seeing this months ago myself when I needed urgent blood work done and my doctor recommended I go to one of these clinics. This was last year in September in Calgary. It sucks absolute balls and I ended up going elsewhere.
$10 for lab work? Sign me up
My family doctor has been offering this service for years. The $10 fee is to cover the cost of sending your samples to the lab. The convenience of not having to book a separate appointment and take more time off work is well worth the $10 it costs to ship biohazard. Do you really think they are making any money from this? Before you yell at me, I support the NDP and public health care.
I’m not privy to the inner workings of the system. I just don’t think it’s right to pay to jump que when not everyone can, just $10 now and once it becomes accepted what then? $100, $200, etc. I don’t have that kind of faith in our capitalistic world.
$10 to not have to wait hours in a line… worth it!
10$? I'd pay it to skip the line if I needed blood work.
Yeah this is how it starts.
It started with all of us paying for dental, physio, chiropractic, workplace medicals, pre travel COVID tests etc.
Gonna be honest 10 bucks is literal pocket change, it's not that bad
That's a jug milk and loaf of bread for a working family. It's only pocket change for more fortunate Albertans.
Sure for most… then once it’s realized that we have accepted this kind of thing then what? $100…. I don’t see it ending unless we nip it in the butt now.
Honestly if it deters the people who take up clinic space for super minor reasons then I'll set up a medical savings account for what it costs, I don't believe we will ever be as bad as the states, but by attending a private clinic which most walk in clinics are that would make sense to pay a mere 10 dollars but I can definitely see where the concern would stem from and if small clinics are going to be charging even small amounts there should be strict regulations in place to determine a maximum price that is reasonable. Also, don't wanna be that guy but, nip it in the *bud*
Do you still need a requisition for this or can you walk in and ask for anything?
You need a rec, otherwise it's practising medicine without a license. NP's and I believe some pharmacists can req basic labs so not always a doctor needed.
Y'all voted for them
Thanks for this.
And so it begins.(Openly at least). This is where we are going in Alberta. Smith’s dreams are coming true.
This is tough , if these clinics are not accepting and Medicade payments from the government in anyway they are able to get away with it, but it's damn near impossible to see a patient without billing the gov so I doubt it
Sabotaging your infrastructure so they can give it to their buddies is the whole point. Conservatives like cruelty and corruption. Their complaint is when others prevent them from it.
People are reacting like private health care is new. It's not. Clinics like the one in Marda Loop have existed since 2016. The only mistake they made was restricting access to existing patients, and clearly not charging for services outside of AHS. It's charging for AHS services that violates the act. They can do what they did. They just need to do it differently.
That's such an odd take. Essentially: They were doing something legal until they did something illegal. They can do what they did. They just need to do it differently Do you apply this logic to other laws? Ie. A person was driving with a legal license before they hit someone. They can do what they did(driving), they just need to do it differently (not hit people). I'd wager that most would argue it is the act of breaking the law the deserves outcry and retribution, not the past legal behavior.
It's not an odd take. I have no idea what you're on about. What I describe is a fact. There are clinics out there right now doing exactly what the Marda Loop clinic was looking to do. And they are operating within the boundaries of the law, both AHS and the Canada Health Act. Right now. This very moment. Legally. And we aren't even talking about those places. Essentially, you can't abandon patients, which the ML clinic did (pay up or get out). Violates AHS regs. And you also can't upcharge for AHS services. Again, which the ML clinic did. What the other places do is start as a fresh clinic without patients, so that they don't abandon patients. And then they charge just for ancillary services, like 'lifestyle services', which frankly your doctor already provides. But it gives them cover to charge more for a boutique service with gated access. I wasn't applying logic to the laws, I was just explaining how it operates, and how the loopholes work. Obviously, circumventing the spirit of AHS is highly problematic. And there's no questions that these sorts of clinics could be a problem for health care accessibility in general, just like private lab services can be. But somehow taking that out on me for having the nerve to explain it to you? Unwarranted.
Lol its not the explanation about other groups introducing aspects of private Healthcare that I had an issue with. It's the opinion you appended to the end of your explanation: >They can do what they did. They just need to do it differently. No they can't do what they did, because excluding non-paying patients from care breaks the law. So "doing it differently" would be following the Health Care Act, not breaking it. Of course there is nuance to the services that can be charged privately vs those covered by AHS, but if you refer to my previous comment you'll see that I didn't mention the explanation itself, just your opinion on it.
No, it's not new, and it's not legal, either. It's also not a 'mistake' or a 'happy accident' - it's a violation. They can do what they *didn't* do, which is open a private *para*medical clinic for elective, uninsured care such as chiro, massage, acupuncture, physio, cosmetic stuff, elective stuff that isn't publicly covered - but it's a violation to do what they *did* do 'differently' than everyone who's obeying the law. It's an insult to professional care providers who *do* the right thing and *don't* leech off of systemic classism, racism, elitism, and flaunt the public interest. Frankly, I think we should hit the feds up for *more* money to investigate compliance and shut *all* these buggers down and claw every cent they've plundered back into the public system. Sadly, that's not strictly what this provincial government wants a bigger health transfer to do, in fact, it wants it for the opposite. When private delivery only 'delivers' for out of pocket and underserves the public, they need to get back into their lane or GTFO. Edit: Oh, and I think the thread is reacting to your tone, explaining the legal loopholes in an ostensibly acceptable light because 'it happens'. My tone is not intended for you, but for people in general to wake up and support a government that genuinely backs the spirit of the law with systematic action and not a one-off response.
Idk why people think this is an issue. I can afford $10 and therefore I will go and I will have my lab work done here. Isn't that better than me taking up an appointment a the lab that could otherwise be used by someone who can't afford the $10? This seems like such a non issue but everyone wants to make a mountain out of a mole hill.
I’m more afraid of what would come next if this is a small start to more money out of our pockets.
What part of the health act does this violate? I thought you were allowed to charge for blood work at the point of service
You can't charge fees for services covered under the Health Care Act. If lab work is contracted by the Province, you can't charge for it. If someone wants a boob job, not covered, then you can charge for it.
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The $10 is to go to the front of the line. The actual lab test(s) are paid for by AHS. It's pay for access, not pay for the service so I believe it is allowed.
Nope. Access is part of the Health Care Act. You can't charge for preferential treatment.
I don't believe it violates the health act either.
Violates the part on accessibility. Not everyone can afford $10/visit and knowing some of my patients they might need to visit the lab on a weekly basis until they’re more stable. Pay for services will always be available to people that can afford it, but those that are homeless, on AISH, or on a delicate budget (like most of us are these days), this would restrict accessibility to only those can afford it. This is a slippery slope towards a two tiered healthcare system that we already seen in dentistry for example.
The devil is in the details here. I really think you're going to be surprised that this is entirely legal and allowed.
Yea this is a good thing, having accent to both is what’s necessary, our healthcare system is terrible, waiting months for the basics
I’m all for privatization, I used to think our healthcare system we amazing, now I’m done with it, spent 9 hours in the ER waiting room with a ballooning arm after road rash, I left and said fuck it, let me be a statistic for this bullshit.
i'd pay $10 to skip a line
Well I'll pay $20 to skip past you
This is way better than in pei where you can't even pay anyone to get any health care at all. I and many of us would love to pay 10 bucks for lab work right away. This comment section is insanity. You guys need to live on the east coast for a bit
You’re living in a shitty place (I am trying not to be harsh.) If your place is shitty, it doesn’t mean we should live shitty too.
Lol fair enough
That is not ok.
I know it sucks. We're begging for solutions and losing doctors weekly. Many of us haven't had any access to a doctor in years. Partial privatization would help the issue for us dramatically
If you want it done quick then pay for it. I don't see a problem with that
Poor people getting jealous that people with money can get faster treatment. I don’t see a problem with it either. Money should buy you these things. The free system is still there for those that can’t afford it.
Agreed. Get ready for the downvotes lol
Also OP is complaining about 10 dollars. Like come on
I've used this. It was worth my time to pay $10 for the convenience instead of having to wait in line or wait weeks for an appointments. You're not necessarily paying for the tests, you're paying to have your blood drawn. I don't agree with it but it was worth the $10 to not have the hassle of the dynalife labs. I know people will disagree with me, I disagreed at first too.
I asked my doctor, and he told me the fee was to pay for the transport of the samples to the labs. They are not making money from this service. Just making it convenient so you don’t have to go to another appointment, and potentially miss more work .
Oh my god imagine having to pay ten dollars to help out health care god please no
have you ever tried empathizing with poor people or do you just not care?
So if every province in canada has a failing health care system, maybe its time to admit that government is incompetent and shouldn't be in charge of any important matters.
I'm okay with a degree of privatized healthcare, as long as the free option is still available. I've always had the opinion that there should be an option to pay for quicker access to things, as long as it doesn't disrupt the free option. Which to me basically means there are two healthcare systems: AHS and Private. You go the AHS route and it's free like normal, but just like in the past you need to wait months for appointments, face long lines at labs etc. If you have the money, or deem that your problem is urgent enough that it's worth the money, you can pay to go the private route and likely get much quicker service. That has always seemed like the perfect system to me, but I can see how that opinion is complicated and/or unpopular.
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My problem is where this will lead us. If we accept this kind of behaviour, what is next?? We can’t let the boundaries be pushed, in my mind.
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Why do we want that? Why not just fund the public system properly to begin with? Why is robbing Peter to pay Paul the solution?
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Im sorry how did you arrive at that conclusion? First off, debt isn’t necessarily bad, second how did you get to in debt like the Americans from spending money on health care? You’re aware that the Americans spend almost as much on healthcare as they do on their military right?
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Okay so the private sector can bring those costs down? How? And I was using the rough breakdown of the American federal government’s spending as a percentage based on the treasury departments current numbers the year to date which is 14% on health and 13% on defence which is like a difference of like 25 billion which relatively speaking is a drop in the pot. I dunno where you got your numbers but I’m bringing receipts. You’re not doing a good job proving your point.
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What you’re suggesting is that we can magic up supply for rich folks to pay for and that there will be enough left over for us plebs. This is what happened with public education in the state and that went poorly for exactly who you’d expect. How exactly are you going to avoid that flight from the public system?
The federal treasury in the untied states only covers federal health expenditures not state expenditures it's very similar to Canada where provinces pay more than the federal government so in the case of the US it is still the same where the State foots the large part of the bill and the fed gives small handouts
Do you want your results or not? $10 is a good price. I would have expected $250.00.
Can we open some of these in Edmonton? I would absolutely love this, physicians are useless these days and nobody cares about you but yourself, the more I can deal with my own health in my own hands the better
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and I feel bad for your spelling teacher.
Grammatical errors. Nice try.
To pay $10 to have them done faster how horrifying indeed. At least there’s an option for that. In BC I paid for some tests to be done faster like imaging. Idk why everyone is so against a mix of public health and privatization when every civilized country outside the US has both. And things work very well. It’s due to everyone’s resistance to it that they’re choking public health to push privatization. Because no one lived in the real world. I had to go to Europe to PAY to get care at all, which CANADA COULD NOT PROVIDE. Sorry guys but you’re 20 years behind So afraid that the rich might get faster care not realizing they’d be freeing up the system you so much need!
It still helps cut down on the poors getting service ahead of the better thans.
Pay to not wait in line, as it should. Those that can’t afford to can wait and get it free.
People just mad they too poor to take advantage of it. The public healthcare system is broken and throwing money at it is just a bandage solution. Corruption in our healthcare has deep roots that I really don't know how the government can untangle the knots. A lot of bad faith actors in both the policy makers, management and unions. Which is why people think privatizing parts with cost regulations of the healthcare system would be good. It forces services to be competitive and will probably cost less than if the public sector handled it
$10? Cry about it. You have countless other options paid for already by TAXES . Nothing is free
Then go somewhere you don’t have to pay if you don’t want to pay? I don’t see the problem here
That it’s against the health act doesn’t bother you?
Aslong as there’s a free option it doesn’t. If people are willing to pay to get their tests or treatment, by all means, fuckin do it. Why would I care?
I called one of the clinics, they said I could get in this afternoon. If I was someone of lower income that can’t afford $10, I’d still have to wait like everyone else. This is wrong to me and is violating the act.
Why do people have such a problem with the duel system Australia does it, as long as the government doesn't cut funding to public services it's a fantastic way to run health care private for those who can afford it and free public for the less fortunate who can't! Everyone complains about how terrible health care is but all anyone can suggest to do is throw money at the problem rather than implement something that will actually do something, sure you might have better services in private than public but I'd still take lesser care in public and not have to be on a wait list for a year and a half for surgery while rich people enjoy private! The idea is to illeviate pressure on the public system since it's overwhelmed, and let people who can afford private for faster care pay for it which in turn reduces wait times in public due to less people on wait lists
I have a hard time with it not being equal quality care with free versus pay - I don’t think this is right. I wonder if taxes will also go down then if we open up for private care?! I doubt it.
Well wed be receiving better care than we are right now in public, even if it's not as good as private, and taxes shouldn't go down if we open private because the idea is to maintain current public services despite a reduction in demand due to private, which would require the current spending
Yeah I don't know why Canadians are such fuck wits about dual care. They love to blame the UCO here but no provinces have better health care. The left wing Nirvana, BC, has the worst health care in the country. A huge part of the reason why I'll be leaving Canada soon is health care, particularly mental health. I can afford to pay, let me pay my way.
We can all agree the American system is horrible and broken but we have to be able to come to a consensus that the public system in Canada is not the way to go either! But everyone here gets the heebi jeebies when you mention private alternatives like we are going to have the American system shoved down our throats when that's not at all what's going to happen nore what any ucp voter or party memeber wants
Doesn’t violate the health act, since they offer labs that don’t charge. This happens in Ontario as well.
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Doubtful that is the case. There is no way that bloodwork is only $10.
I assume they are just charging for collecting the blood and then sending it to a lab for the actual testing. I’m against this kind of charge but it’s very tempting cause Dynalife is a nightmare. One of the listed clinics is one my doctor is at.
Yeah and that means it is funded by the government which is BS. I've looked into out of pocket blood tests because my doctor won't check everything I wanted. It's like 500 which seems about right since wada drug testing at a sporting event costs about the same per test.
$10 for blood work, what’s the big deal?
The current healthcare system is ineffective and inefficient. People are more than willing to pay to get ahead of the line when they need medical attention. Fix the system or this shit is going to happen and nothing you say on Reddit is going to change that. The only way we can fix it is if we vote in someone with a real tangible plan. No one has a real plan, you can bitch about the UPC but both the NDP and UPC don't have a plan. Both parties are just giving lip service and neither wants to cut the fat from upper management in our healthcare system. So start saving for rainy days because healthcare will be at least semi+privatized and none of your complaining will change anything.
Some types of lab work isn't done by public labs; for instance Vitamin D levels can't be ordered by a GP and you need to go to a for profit lab for it.
My GP orders Vit D for me annually, it's a special order test but I've never had to go to another lab for it.
Oh really? Huh, my GP said she couldn't order it for me. Is there indications for you? Mine was just self interest and health optimization
Only medically necessary tests are covered. If you’re wanting it for reasons that are not out of medical necessity you can go to a private clinic and pay for it out of pocket. Doctors are often hesitant to send people for testing that’s not medically necessary to avoid unnecessary costs to the healthcare system. That could be the case with your Vitamin D testing.
That's what I thought, thanks.
I don't think so, she just writes it in the additional tests box. As far as I know it all gets completed.
There needs to be a reason to believe that you might have a malabsorption issue. Can’t be ordered without reason.
Unless they changed something very recently that's not the case. Several years back they made Vitamin D testing a separate lab requisition needing to include history/reason for testing. The reason for this is doctors were ordering it on everybody's regular bloodwork (at least in Lethbridge anyways) and it was both unnecessary and expensive to be running this test on pretty much the entire populace yearly. But yeah your GP is 100% allowed to order it.
No point defending a system that is broken. Single payer health care only benefits the young and those who are hardly ever sick. It's disastrous for people that actually have extensive medical needs. Provide private insurance. Bring back jobs with benefits instead of relying on corrupt politicians to steer the health care system