Public support in Alberta proves that health care reform is possible

Contact:

Barry Cooper, Senior Fellow
The Fraser Institute
Tel. (403) 216-7175 or (403) 220-5764
Email: barryc@fraserinstitute.ca

Release date: 12 September 2001

CALGARY, AB—Changes to Alberta's health care system have been achieved without severe political repercussions and actually improved Albertans' perception of the overall system, says a new study, Moving Beyond the Status Quo: Alberta's "Working" Prescription for Health Care Reform, released today by The Fraser Institute.

The analysis uses data from a series of public opinion surveys—the Alberta Advantage Surveys conducted in 1995, 1996, 1999, and 2000—to trace the impact of the policies of the Klein government during a period of restructuring in health care.

"The volatility of public perceptions on health care reform and the perceived threat of adverse political repercussions has led many politicians to avoid discussing how to change the system, let alone actually trying to do so," says Barry Cooper, a Senior Fellow at The Fraser Institute and co-author of the study.

The problem with the status quo

Many experts contend that the status quo cannot be maintained over the long-term for several different reasons: costs are up, the appetite for more public funding seems insatiable, and increased public funding does not address the real problems.

"Our public opinion evidence indicates that in Alberta there is plenty of room for well-considered and economically rational changes," notes Cooper. "Most Canadians agree that the health care system should be both affordable and sustainable."

Prevailing attitudes toward change

It seems inevitable that eventually the economic rationality of a market-based system will prevail. Data from the Alberta Advantage surveys indicate that Albertans (and perhaps Canadians) are more willing to experiment along those lines than previously has been admitted by opponents of change or hoped for by advocates.

"The objective of health care reform is to maintain sensible social programs, to reduce the perverse incentives that invariably accompany government intervention, and to leave more hard-earned dollars in taxpayers' pockets," says Cooper.

Among the key findings of the Alberta Advantage surveys:

It is possible for governments to make initially unpopular reforms to health care, but subsequently improve perceptions toward the system and not suffer politically as a result.

Many citizens associate the current problems in health care with factors other than the allegedly inadequate public funds. There is evidence to show that Albertans priorities regarding public spending have begun to shift and that many citizens are satisfied with current levels of government health care spending.

There are politically workable ways of moving beyond the status quo that do not incur resistance thrown up by concerns and anxieties relating to the symbolism of "two-tiered, American-style" health care. Some of these alternatives, such as a focus on disease prevention, are clearly amenable to market-based initiatives, and are at least as popular as a state-controlled and state-directed monopoly.

"Voters see health care as unlike other social programs," concludes Cooper. "What the Alberta experience shows is that by controlling and minimizing the stresses on the existing health system through prudent fiscal measures and by maintaining an acceptable level of accessibility, it is possible for a government to bring changes to the system while still remaining politically viable."

Established in 1974, The Fraser Institute is an independent public policy organization based in Vancouver, with offices in Calgary and Toronto.

For further information or for a copy of Moving Beyond the Status Quo: Alberta's "Working" Prescription for Health Care Reform contact:

Suzanne Walters, Director of Communications, The Fraser Institute, (604) 714-4582,
Email: suzannew@fraserinstitute.ca.