Alberta’s health spending needs to be reined in or costs will outstrip the ability to pay for it, says a new report.
The study by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy suggests that at the current rate of spending, Albertans may see per-capita spending jump as high as 285 per cent by 2030, or about $14,000 per resident.
Co-author Livio Di Matteo said the province needs to look at options to curb the trend now. That could include hiking taxes, slashing other government services or privatizing more areas of the system.
“Health care in general is politically painful,” he said, noting Alberta’s reliance on resource revenue is a major issue.
“If Alberta continues to increase spending at the rate of the last decade, it’s going to become very expensive.”
