Data reveals Alberta’s health care expense is below all Canadian provinces, national average

Edmonton – The Alberta Federation of Labour would like to set the record straight with a cost analysis of Canada’s health care administration spending.

Yesterday, Alberta Opposition Leader Jason Kenney said a United Conservative government would work to reduce bureaucratic bloat in health care and explore private delivery options.

“With the most expensive health system in Canada, I believe we can find some savings to do things more efficiently without affecting front-line services,” Kenney said. (Source: UCP Leader Jason Kenney wants to explore private health-care options)

Alberta’s “bureaucratic bloat” is, in fact, the lowest in the country. According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, a not-for-profit organization that provides essential information on Canada’s health systems and the health of Canadians, Alberta spends the lowest (as a percentage) on healthcare administrative expenses in Canada, at 3.3%–lower than our neighbors in B.C. (3.6%) and Saskatchewan (4.3%), and well below the Canadian average of 4.5%.

“It is important that we make our decisions based on the facts,” said Gil McGowan, President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. “We can deal with issues like wait times while still protecting our public health care system, something our current NDP government has proven they are working on.”

Media Contact:

Ramona Franson, Director of Communications

rfranson@afl.org