2026-06-18 from policyalternatives.ca

The Alberta government announced the list of surgical procedures that will be included in its plan to build an U.S.-style two-tier system. 

These include procedures already performed in for-profit surgical facilities (called chartered surgical facilities), including orthopedic procedures, hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, some ear, nose, and throat procedures, gynecological surgeries, dermatology, plastic surgery, and other general surgeries such as hernia repair.

Notably, many of these procedures require nurses and anesthesiologists, who are already in short supply in public hospitals. Severe workforce shortages in the public hospital system will worsen as for-profit facilities siphon more public resources. The empirical research evidence shows that a private-pay tier draws resources away from the public sector, increasing public wait times. This is already evident by the ballooning cancer surgery wait times in the province. 

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