Health Cuts Supported by all Tory Members

Health-care reform's third man a rookie MLA from Edmonton

Panel co-chair Fred Horne defends decision to dispense with public hearings

By Sheila Pratt, Edmonton JournalOctober 10, 2009

While most Edmonton Tory MLAs prefer a low profile when it comes to health reform, Edmonton backbencher Fred Horne is about to join Health Minister Ron Liepert and Alberta Health Services CEO Stephen Duckett in the spotlight.

Horne, who represents Edmonton Rutherford, is co-chair of the 16-member advisory committee reviewing all major pieces of Alberta health law.

That includes the laws governing hospital services, public health insurance, nursing homes and contracting out to private clinics, to name a few.

The goal is to update the laws to make it possible to move more care out of hospitals and into places like doctors' offices, clinics, pharmacies and primary-care networks, says Horne.

That might also involve looking at whether health-care professionals should expand their duties (scope of practice), he says.

The committee has little more than six weeks to produce a report for Health Minister Ron Liepert that is expected to have far-reaching implications for the direction of health reform.

"It will be an important report that will look to the future," said Horne, adding that Liepert will be making the report public.

The committee may also look at how to provide incentives to encourage healthier living, reduce risky behaviours and build healthier communities, he says.

Thirty-five stakeholders have been invited to meet over four days with the committee behind closed doors to present their concerns on what legislation they'd like to see changed.

Each will have 30 minutes with the committee starting next Thursday and Friday in Edmonton.

The public is invited to fill out an online workbook on the committee's website, says Horne.

"Anyone is free to send in a written submission," he adds.

Horne defended the decision to meet with stakeholders behind closed doors.

"The committee wants a dialogue with stakeholders, so we're not holding public hearings," he says.

"We're looking for targeted information on key pieces of legislation."

Liberal MLA Hugh MacDonald said that's an unfortunate decision, as the public should be engaged in the process.

But MacDonald said he's not surprised there are no public hearings or town hall meetings.

"In the past when they had public hearings, it created an uproar and the public pushed back and they had to back down. They don't want that to happen this time. They're just steamrollering ahead."

Dave Eggen, of Friends of Medicare, said his organization is among those invited to make a presentation.

He would also have preferred an open process, but that's not about to happen, he said.

"Liepert said again this week the time for consultation is over.

"Every Edmontonian should ask their MLA why they supported health cuts in caucus, including the cuts to mental health beds at Alberta Hospital," Eggen says.

Wendy Armstrong, of the Consumers Association of Canada(Alberta), said her group is also pleased to be invited. But it is difficult to respond when the goal of the reform process is so vague, she adds.

"What happened to the days when the government put out a white paper of proposals for the public?"

She notes that Liepert asserted again last week that Alberta voters gave the government a mandate for health reform in the 2008 election. But the consumers association isn't convinced that's the case, especially for radical reform, given that health care was not mentioned in the 2008 election.

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