Health Reform and Wait Times Policy in Alberta under the Klein Government

Abstract

Precipitated by significant expenditure reductions in health care, wait times for surgical and diagnostic procedures in Alberta increased significantly during the 1990s. In turn, this made access to health services a major political concern. Within this context, the interplay of ideas, interests and institution led political decision makers to opt for the development of an Internet-based, voluntary wait times registry. Bureaucrats played a crucial role in assisting politicians to understand that the policy issue required a more nuanced response than simply throwing money at the problem.