Higher health-care premiums and an increase in tobacco taxes will be
the first changes implemented in Alberta’s sweeping health reform.
The Alberta government has accepted all 44 recommendations made in a
report by the Premier’s Advisory Council on Health, but many of those
recommendations will take months or years to implement, said health
minister Gary Mar.
Health-care premiums will rise by 20 to 40 percent and taxes on a
package of cigarettes will rise by $1 to $3. Exact amounts will be
Read Also
Phosphate prices to remain high
Phosphate prices are expected to remain elevated, according to Mosaic’s president.
announced mid-March when the spring budget is released.
About one-third of Alberta’s budget is spent on health care each year.
Alberta premier Ralph Klein established the task force to find ways to
make health care more affordable.
One of the most controversial changes is the way doctors are to be
paid. The government wants half of the province’s 6,000 doctors to move
to an alternative payment plan by 2005. Instead of being paid the
traditional fee-for-service, doctors would move to a salaried position
and offices replaced with health centres where a team of health-care
professionals would work together.
Of the 44 recommendations from the council, headed by former federal
deputy prime minister Don Mazankowski, only a handful will be
implemented this year. Some of those include:
n* Change legislation to allow nurse practitioners to work
independently by July.
n* Integrate mental health services into regional health authorities.
n* Establish a committee to recommend which services should no longer
be covered by health care.
n* Establish an MLA committee to review low-income programs.
n* Launch a health promotion campaign.
n* Establish a committee to look at increasing collaboration between
regional health authorities to improve access to services.
Bob Cable, chief executive officer of the Aspen Regional Health
Authority in Westlock, said while many of the recommendations look
promising, it is still too early for most rural health authorities to
know how they will be affected.
The province is divided into 17 regional health authorities that are in
charge of delivering health care within those regions.
“It’s still too new and too preliminary,” said Cable of the health
recommendations.
The Aspen board met the day after the announcements to discuss the
changes, but the impact won’t be known until the provincial budget is
released and government policy written.
Rayann Ulvick, CEO of the Northwestern Regional Health Authority in
High Level, said they are also awaiting details of the report.
“I think we’re feeling quite positive about it generally,” said Ulvick.
Changes to the legislation to allow nurse practitioners to work
independently were welcome news to Ulvick. There are two nurse
practitioners already working in the province’s northern region and she
anticipated more would be hired to deliver health services.
Nurse practitioners, who generally work in remote areas where there are
few doctors, can diagnose illness and will soon be able to work
independently and write a prescription without a doctor’s approval.
Both Cable and Ulvick said they also welcome the integration of mental
health services into the regional health authorities. Presently the
services are delivered through a centralized mental health board.
