EDMONTON – The Alberta government and the Mazankowski commission are grossly exaggerating the scope of Alberta’s so-called "health crisis" in an effort to win public support for controversial reforms, says a report released last month by the Friends of Medicare (FOM).

"They are clearly trying to whip up fear about the future of public health care," said FOM chairperson Christine Burdett. "They want to convince Albertans that Medicare is unsustainable and that radical measures, such as de-listing, privatization and increased fees for patients are the only options. But the truth is that the sky is NOT falling."

In their report, FOM de-bunks the government’s argument that healthcare will soon consume half of the provincial budget. The report also demonstrates that spending has been relatively flat over the past decade and that Albertans are each paying only $6.50 per day for health care – hardly a huge or unsustainable sum.

"Based on our analysis, it’s clear that the situation in health care is not nearly as bad as the government implies," says Burdett. "Costs are not out of control and our health care system is not on the verge of collapse. So all the radical measures that are being proposed are simply not justified."

The Friends of Medicare report goes on to say that the changes proposed by the Mazankowski commission are nothing more than an effort to transfer health costs from the public system onto the shoulders of individuals and businesses.

"The Council and the government aren’t really talking about making health care cheaper or more efficient," says Burdett. "What they’re talking about is transferring the costs and punishing people who have the misfortune of getting sick."

The FOM report concludes by saying that reform is needed in the Canadian health system – but de-listing, user fees and privatization are the wrong way to go about it.

"All the evidence tells us that the real solutions to our problems in health care lie within the public system," says Burdett.

(The Friends of Medicare response to the Mazankowski report can be found on the web at: www.keepmedicarepublic.ca)