Comment: Don't let two-tier health care spread to B.C.

Alberta’s Bill 11 allows doctors to bill the publicly funded ­system for patient care while also charging patients ­privately for the same ­medically ­necessary services.

A commentary by the ­executive director of the B.C. Health ­Coalition. Initially published in the Times Colonist, July 3, 2026.

School’s out! Gardens are in bloom. Time for t-shirts and comfortable shoes.

Also on the calendar? ­Canada’s provincial and territorial premiers are gathering at the Council of the Federation.

Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz will host his counterparts July 21-23 to discuss key national issues such as internal trade and labour mobility, health care, community safety, immigration and economic development.

This year the premiers will face some competing parallel priorities — Quebec is preparing for a provincial election in October; Alberta is debating the merits of separation and has introduced two-tier health care with the passage of Bill 11.

The B.C. Health Coalition has long been active in public education and advocacy to advance primary health-care reform models such as community health clinics. We also led the charge against privatization as intervenors in the landmark Cambie Surgeries legal case.

Today, it is important to ensure that the model created by Alberta’s Bill 11 does not take root or spread to B.C.

Bill 11 allows Alberta ­doctors to bill the publicly funded ­system for patient care while also charging patients ­privately for the same ­medically ­necessary services. It was passed in December 2025 and is expected to be implemented in phases in 2026.

Alberta’s bill makes the ­provincial government the “payer of last resort” — the province will cover drug and supplemental benefits only if an individual does not have access to private insurance for the same or equivalent service.

By setting up a two-tier ­system where the wealthy have better access to care, Bill 11 directly contravenes the Canada Health Act.

It throws the door wide open to private insurance companies and is an unprecedented attack on the principles of public ­medicare that keep the profit motive out of Canadian health care and ensure access is based on need, not the ability to pay.

As premiers gather in Prince Edward Island to discuss ­co-operation on trade, economic, health and other issues, we need strong leadership from B.C. ­Premier David Eby and the other premiers to send a clear message that provinces and ­territories expect the ­federal government to uphold and ­protect the Canada Health Act.

It is also important to let MLAs in B.C. know that two-tier health care is the wrong way to go.

Over the past year, ­British Columbians have seen ­construction for the new St. Paul’s Hospital campus, a ­204-bed replacement for the Cowichan District Hospital and a new Acute Care Tower at Royal Columbian Hospital.

The B.C. government has delivered a new digital ­radiography X-ray machine and upgraded exam room at Port Hardy Hospital, free ­prescription contraception and diabetes medications, an expanded scope of practice for midwives and the first new ­medical school in Western ­Canada in nearly 60 years, at Simon Fraser University.

But we’ve also seen paused or cancelled contracts for seven long-term care facility projects across the province, including Delta, Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Kelowna and Fort St. John. We’ve seen scaling back of the B.C. Family Residence Program (which provides ­accommodation funding for families with ­seriously ill ­children ­travelling to Vancouver for medical care), hallway medicine and ER ­closures, and staff ­shortages in maternity and pediatric care in Kelowna and the Central Okanagan.

There is more to do to ensure all regions of the province, and all families and individuals, have access to care, hospitals and a family doctor.

Let’s let government ­officials know we support continued efforts to strengthen and improve B.C.’s health-care ­system. As for the gaps and ills that remain — the cure is public.

The B.C. Health Coalition is a non-partisan community of individuals and organizations that advocates for evidence-based improvements to B.C.’s public health care system, stimulates public education on health-care issues and drives change through campaigns across the province.