Who Are We?
What We've Written
Links
- Interesting Reading
- Martha and her Monthly
- Alberta -- The Details
- Freddie's Diary
- Bill Barley
- Vive le Canada
- Blogs Canada
- Alberta Blogs
- Seniors
- Healthcare
- Education
- Insurance
- Provincial Parties
- The Premier's Page
- The Liberal Opposition
- The Alberta New Democrats
- Alberta Social Credit Party
- Alberta Alliance
- Alberta Greens
- Find and E-mail Your MLA
- Consumer Information
Archives
- July 2003
- August 2003
- September 2003
- October 2003
- November 2003
- December 2003
- January 2004
- February 2004
- March 2004
- April 2004
- May 2004
- June 2004
- July 2004
- August 2004
- September 2004
- October 2004
- November 2004
- December 2004
- January 2005
- February 2005
- March 2005
- April 2005
- May 2005
- June 2005
- July 2005
- August 2005
- September 2005
- October 2005
- November 2005
- December 2005
- January 2006
- February 2006
- March 2006
- April 2006
- January 2007
Check out previous postings
By Topic - Click Here
By Date - See Below
What's Your Political Stripe
- Are you more like George Bush or Nelson Mandella? Pope Jean Paul II or the Dalai Lama? Take a 5 minute test and find out where you fit. Email me your results if you want along with which Alberta Party you support today; PC, Liberal or NDP. I'll compile the results and post them here; anonymously of course.
- Take the test at:The Political Compass.
Send us mail
- Let us know if you have any comments to contribute. If you find any interesting sites we would be glad to add them to the list. We'll post your comments with or without your name if we think they are appropriate. If you want your name used, please say so in your e-mail or it won't be used. We will never post your e-mail address. Hope to hear from you and hope you enjoy Ralph's World.
Ralph Klein has gone and it is time to retire Ralph's World. Thanks to all of you who have supported this venture by contributing material and through your comments. It has been fun.
Should we get another blog underway? Let me know your thoughts by e-mailing me at johnnyslow@gmail.com.
John Slow
January 1, 2007
Thursday, March 25, 2004
SALT Press Release - Budget 2004
The Edmonton based Seniors Action and Liaison Team(SALT) deplores the repeated efforts by the Alberta Government to claim health care is not sustainable, according to Noel Somerville, Chair of the SALT Communications Committee.
“SALT is profoundly disappointed by what is and is not contained in the 2004 Alberta Budget,” Somerville said, adding that “the Alberta government still adheres to the false premise that health care spending is not sustainable despite huge, un-budgeted, recurring surpluses and the fact that Alberta’s spending on health care has actually decreased over the past 10 years from 5.3% of GDP in 1993/94 to 4.9% of GDP in 2003/04, and from 30% of government revenue in 1993/94 to 27% of revenue in 2003/04.”
Somerville illustrated his point by reference to tables from Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Government of Alberta. Click below to see tables.
Health Care Spending as a Percentage of Provincial GDP
Government Funding as a Proportion of Total Governement Budget
Kevan Rhead, Acting Chair of SALT, pointed out “This false premise was repeated as recently as a week a go with the government’s release of their 20 year strategic plan where they state on Page 10 “Over the past 10 years, per-capita health costs have outpaced inflation and economic growth.” The attached GDP table proves the exact opposite. Health costs have in fact lagged behind inflation and economic growth.”
Further, the SALT representatives deplored the Government’s continuing use of the pretext of un-sustainability to argue for curtailment of services and for greater private sector involvement in the form of private for-profit surgical facilities, public, private partnerships to build hospitals and other public facilities, and private for-profit insurance companies.
Rhead said, “Eliminating the tax-exempt status of the not-for-profit Alberta Blue Cross will benefit no one except the private for-profit insurance industry.”
“Apparently, the government has learned nothing,” Somerville observed, “from our experience with auto insurance in Alberta that is significantly more expensive than the publicly administered auto insurance plans in the other three western provinces.” He said, “It is incredible that the government wants to abdicate its responsibility to administer an effective health care system and turn it over to the private, for-profit insurance industry. It is prepared to be “un-Canadian” to the point of importing an American style, bureaucratic, multi-payer, private for-profit, insurance-driven health care system into Alberta, even if it means giving up $1.3 billion in annual federal transfer payments.”
“Furthermore,” Rhead added, “we see little sign in the 2004 Alberta Budget that government is prepared to shoulder its responsibilities and make meaningful progress to address the problems related to:
Finally, SALT notes with extreme disappointment the government’s failure to eliminate health care premiums for all Albertans. “Health care premiums are in fact a regressive tax,” Somerville stated. “Their elimination would be a significant benefit both to employers and to individuals, such as seniors, who have to pay these premiums out of their fixed incomes.”
The Seniors Action and Liaison Team (SALT) is a self-financed group of Edmonton seniors concerned with social justice issues in Alberta and Canada.
For further information contact:
Noel Somerville. Chair, SALT Communications
Committee. Phone: (780) 452-1846, or
Kevan Rhead, Acting Chair of SALT. Phone: (780) 435-1121
“SALT is profoundly disappointed by what is and is not contained in the 2004 Alberta Budget,” Somerville said, adding that “the Alberta government still adheres to the false premise that health care spending is not sustainable despite huge, un-budgeted, recurring surpluses and the fact that Alberta’s spending on health care has actually decreased over the past 10 years from 5.3% of GDP in 1993/94 to 4.9% of GDP in 2003/04, and from 30% of government revenue in 1993/94 to 27% of revenue in 2003/04.”
Somerville illustrated his point by reference to tables from Canadian Institute for Health Information and the Government of Alberta. Click below to see tables.
Health Care Spending as a Percentage of Provincial GDP
Government Funding as a Proportion of Total Governement Budget
Kevan Rhead, Acting Chair of SALT, pointed out “This false premise was repeated as recently as a week a go with the government’s release of their 20 year strategic plan where they state on Page 10 “Over the past 10 years, per-capita health costs have outpaced inflation and economic growth.” The attached GDP table proves the exact opposite. Health costs have in fact lagged behind inflation and economic growth.”
Further, the SALT representatives deplored the Government’s continuing use of the pretext of un-sustainability to argue for curtailment of services and for greater private sector involvement in the form of private for-profit surgical facilities, public, private partnerships to build hospitals and other public facilities, and private for-profit insurance companies.
Rhead said, “Eliminating the tax-exempt status of the not-for-profit Alberta Blue Cross will benefit no one except the private for-profit insurance industry.”
“Apparently, the government has learned nothing,” Somerville observed, “from our experience with auto insurance in Alberta that is significantly more expensive than the publicly administered auto insurance plans in the other three western provinces.” He said, “It is incredible that the government wants to abdicate its responsibility to administer an effective health care system and turn it over to the private, for-profit insurance industry. It is prepared to be “un-Canadian” to the point of importing an American style, bureaucratic, multi-payer, private for-profit, insurance-driven health care system into Alberta, even if it means giving up $1.3 billion in annual federal transfer payments.”
“Furthermore,” Rhead added, “we see little sign in the 2004 Alberta Budget that government is prepared to shoulder its responsibilities and make meaningful progress to address the problems related to:
- The under-funding of elementary and secondary education
- Post-secondary tuition fees that have risen 21% since 1999 and are 11.5% higher than the Canadian average
- The inadequacy of Alberta’s social programs in general and, in particular, the government’s unwillingness to effectively address the problems of child poverty and homelessness”.
Finally, SALT notes with extreme disappointment the government’s failure to eliminate health care premiums for all Albertans. “Health care premiums are in fact a regressive tax,” Somerville stated. “Their elimination would be a significant benefit both to employers and to individuals, such as seniors, who have to pay these premiums out of their fixed incomes.”
The Seniors Action and Liaison Team (SALT) is a self-financed group of Edmonton seniors concerned with social justice issues in Alberta and Canada.
For further information contact:
Noel Somerville. Chair, SALT Communications
Committee. Phone: (780) 452-1846, or
Kevan Rhead, Acting Chair of SALT. Phone: (780) 435-1121
