Sunday, November 26, 2023

i don't like this in principle, but the underlying reality is that canadians have a tendency to see doctors for issues that are very minor and could be dealt with by a nurse (or a smart friend) and the truth is that this is badly clogging up the system. we also tend to go to emergency for non-emergency situations very frequently.

the existing alberta government is not in the right ideological place to set up a more efficient system, and is consequently defaulting to the inefficiencies of market capitalism in how it approaches a product that demonstrates clear and overwhelming market failure. it is predictable that the result will demonstrate the consequences of engaging with market failure. however, i actually think that a centralized bureaucracy that directs patients to nurses instead of to doctors when the issue is appropriately sent to a nurse rather than a doctor (and vice versa) would be an excellent way to manage resources. this would be better done through expanded centralized hospital care and not through independent private clinics, but there is a kernel of a good idea that addresses a real root cause that seriously needs to be addressed in this confusion.

canada is experiencing a market failure in it's delivery of healthcare because it has experimented with mixed economic models in delivery. in order to more efficiently manage resources, it needs to stop experimenting with free market delivery and reverse course by aggressively centralizing the distribution of services.
this is not an advisable tactic. the issue is legislative, and what the individual wants exists in ontario, by legislation. i picked "female" on my card, but i could have picked x. there is also an option for x on driver's licenses, but i don't have one of those.