HEALTH-CARE REFORM IN ALBERTA

Over the past forty years, the Canadian health-care system has undergo ne many changes and realized many achievements. Universal coverage, or ganizational simplicity, high status of health together with a high le vel of public satisfaction indicate success of the system. And yet, th e health-care system began to show signs of strain. Changing consumer expectations, mounting health-care expenditures and a continued emphas is on the institutional sector contributed to the down-side of the suc cess. In response to this, the Alberta government initiated fundamenta l reform of this complex system. This paper chronicles Alberta's appro ach in reforming and restructuring the health-care system. It reviews a number of developmental and policy initiatives that set the stage fo r a health-care reform mind-set in the province. It reviews Alberta's approach to health-care reform from its initial stages to the developm ent of the first Three-Year Business Plan for Health through to the fo rmat on of a regionalized health-care system. The paper concludes by o ffering some preliminary observations of this reform process.