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Policy 11 is the clearest definition of two-tier healthcare I have seen in a Cdn major party platform (and I& #39;ve reviewed over 1000). It& #39;s the only one I know to use the term "Private Tier" explicitly.
This is not the same as a "mixed" or "hybrid" systems. (Thread) #ableg https://twitter.com/Citizen004/status/1317849872725241856">https://twitter.com/Citizen00...
This is not the same as a "mixed" or "hybrid" systems. (Thread) #ableg https://twitter.com/Citizen004/status/1317849872725241856">https://twitter.com/Citizen00...
All universal healthcare systems allow some private provision of services, including Canada. This means Canadians with employer-provided insurance and deeper pockets get better care. This is unequal, but not the "tiered" system promoted in Policy 11.
Most mainstream parties frame this hybrid system as a necessary evil, emphasizing the importance of preserving the public component.
Policy 11 promotes the virtues of the private component, and calls for a new/expanded "Private Tier".
This is not the status quo.
Policy 11 promotes the virtues of the private component, and calls for a new/expanded "Private Tier".
This is not the status quo.
Policy framing matters, and it distinguishes the UCP approach. So let& #39;s look at the "Rationale" behind Policy 11.
First, but "Healthcare is the greatest budgetary expense." This "fiscal crisis" narrative is distinct from parties pushing a "pandemic" frame.
First, but "Healthcare is the greatest budgetary expense." This "fiscal crisis" narrative is distinct from parties pushing a "pandemic" frame.
The 2nd & 3rd paragraphs imply that the creation/expansion of a "Private Tier" will provide doctors with the "billing fees" they& #39;re seeking, thus keeping more docs in Alberta. This aligns with the "fiscal crisis" frame, and promotes market-based solutions to health HR.
The 4th paragraph emphasizes patient "choice" - a term that those on the right use to disparage government over-reach, and those on the left malign as being antithetical to the "public good". Again, we find little consensus over this element of the UCP& #39;s rationale.
The 5th paragraph marks the UCP& #39;s full embrace of what was once a third rail in Alberta politics. While previous governments had promoted or tolerated privatization, they didn& #39;t call it "Private Tier" by name.
The final paragraph brings together these "fiscal crisis," "market solution," and "choice" narratives - uniting them with a nod to economic recovery. Again, this is not a view universally shared by all parties.
Some dismiss Policy 11 as being a one-off - a party resolution that will never make it into the party platform, let alone government policy. Leaving aside Premier Kenney& #39;s admission that his government is accomplishing more of its agenda than they promised in the platform...
...it is important to note how closely Policy 11 aligns with the UCP& #39;s founding Policy Declaration (2018). In the "Statement of Principles," we find the party& #39;s ideological guideposts and political compass.
Open advocacy of two-tier healthcare - with its emphasis on "choice," "fiscal crisis," "market forces" - aligns well with these Principles.
To sum up, Policy 11 does not reaffirm the status quo. It would move Alberta beyond a hybrid system to embracing a "Private Tier."
And it is not something "out of the blue." Premier Kenney& #39;s public Health Car Guarantee aside, two-tier healthcare flows logically from UCP principles. https://twitter.com/jkenney/status/1099764451564113920?s=1">https://twitter.com/jkenney/s...
