For Immediate Release January 27, 2006
Klein Going Wrong Way
Don’t Spend the $400 yet
The Alberta government’s “third way” plan to bring in more private insurance and a parallel for-profit health business would end up costing Alberta families a great deal, says the United Nurses of Alberta.
“Don’t spend that $400 – you’ll need it to start paying for Ralph’s “third way,” says UNA President Heather Smith.
“Forcing people to rely more and more on private insurance from big corporations will cost everyone, businesses and citizens,” she says. “As much as the Premier attempts to deny this is American-style health care, private insurance is just that,” she says.
The nurses point out that the United States has a lower life expectancy and lower measures of overall health with their private for-profit insurance system.
“The “third way” is not innovative, it’s not forward looking, it’s going back,” Heather Smith says. “Increasing the need for private insurance is jumping back nearly 50 years to the bad old days when some people could afford or get some health services and many others couldn’t. That was proven to be the wrong way.”
“The only business that would benefit would be the insurance business,” Heather Smith notes.
The government is already paying AON, the American insurance giant, $1.5 million to prepare the blueprint for the “third way” and private insurance.
All over the world, Registered nurses advocate for universal public health plans because they work best for most people. In the United States nurses are campaigning right now for a public single-payer health system, precisely because it provides the best care for the most patients.
“They look to Canada, and our higher measures of overall health, as a good model,” Heather Smith points out. “Mr. Klein’s plan just doesn’t make sense.”
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For further information:
Heather Smith, RN, President of United Nurses of Alberta 780 425-1025, 780 940-9974
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