[edslunch]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

People can’t seem to get beyond partisan politics when talking about this stuff. Health care capacity shortfalls aren’t an Alberta problem. It’s a problem in Ontario, B.C., Manitoba, Quebec, and New Brunswick too. Under PC, Liberal, and NDP governments. It’s been a problem for decades, in every province, under very party. And it’s getting worse.

That means the problem is systemic. The government in power doesn’t make much of a difference, because reforming something as vast and complex as a public health care system is beyond the capability of any single government in a 4-year term. It would likely involve imposing measures that vested interests and voters will not like, and the benefits wouldn’t be evident for 6+ years. So there’s no political upside.

We could maybe look at what countries with better access and outcomes do, and try to learn from them. But that’s pretty much taboo in Canada. Let’s just keep blaming whichever party is in power at the moment. It hasn’t worked yet, but maybe if we blame a bit harder it will work eventually.

How do you implement these other country solutions given the constraints in your second paragraph?