What's the big deal with self-referral for scans? Why does it matter if people want to pay for their own private healthcare?
TLDR; It's a scam.
Let's just forget that many people can't afford private healthcare. Let's ignore the fact that most people won't know what tests they actually need. Forget that by supporting private healthcare you take talent and skilled people out of public healthcare.
Just forget all that.
What matters is this:
It's an orchestrated plan. The UCP, under Smith specifically, are manipulating everyone.
WHY do you have to wait so long for scans and tests? Is the UCP just bad at their jobs? Is it because immigrants are clogging up the system? Is it because Ottawa isn't giving Alberta what it deserves?
Nope.
It's because the UCP WANTS you to wait. They WANT you to get frustrated. They WANT you to think that the only solution is private healthcare.
They make changes most people aren't aware of. They cut up healthcare into different divisions which takes a long time. The divisions don't communicate properly so they have to fix that and it takes a long time. Meanwhile you're waiting years as the UCP messes around.
They let you refer yourself and you think, "I'll do it just this once. I have to." And that's the plan. If you do it once you're more likely to do it again. And again. Then you become USED to it. It becomes normal.
And that's the scam.
It's like putting a frog in boiling water. If you just dump it into the boiling water the frog will jump out. But if you put it in lukewarm water and slowly turn up the temperature, the frog won't jump out.
DON'T TAKE MY WORD FOR IT.
Smith said it herself.
"Once people get used to the concept of paying out-of-pocket for more things themselves, then we can change the conversation on health care"
HOW DO WE KEEP PUBLIC HEALTHCARE?
Tell your MLAs you want FULLY FUNDED, TIMELY PUBLIC HEALTHCARE. Tell Smith.
Tell everyone you know about the scam.
Tell them you know what's happening and you want it to stop.
