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Shawn Whatley: Alberta right to challenge sacred rules of medicare

Alberta has forced a debate: do we care most about patient care or medicare?

Alberta patients no longer have to wait for MRI, CT scans, ultrasounds, and X-rays, if they are willing to pay for the tests themselves. Patients also no longer need a referral to access scanning.

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Canadian Doctors for Medicare, Friends of Medicare, and the Alberta Medical Association warn that Alberta’s changes undermine medicare, that self-pay and self-referral will increase costs, worsen wait times and expose patients to unnecessary risks.

Shawn Whatley: Alberta right to challenge sacred rules of medicare Back to video

In reality, critics seem to care most about protecting the medicare system, not improving patient care itself. They make hypothetical arguments and reference isolated cases of poorly designed health care.

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Alberta has forced a debate: do we care most about patient care or medicare?

Certainly, no one copies Canadian health care anymore. We have the last government monopoly........

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