Alberta: A Health System Profile provides the first detailed description of Alberta’s health care system and the underpinning political and social forces that have shaped it. Drawing on significant wealth from government revenues generated through the energy sector, Alberta has been able to develop an extensive public health and health care infrastructure.

Alberta has used its financial resources to attract health professionals by offering the highest levels of financial compensation in Canada. However, although it spends more per capita than other Canadian jurisdictions, Alberta’s health care system costs and health outcomes are mediocre compared to those of many other Canadian jurisdictions. This unexpected outcome is the consequence of the unique interplay of economic and political forces within Alberta’s political economy.

Through an examination of Alberta’s political and economic history, and using research on the structures and services provided, Alberta: A Health System Profile provides a detailed description of the programs and services that constitute Alberta’s health care system.

John Church is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta.

Neale Smith is a research coordinator at the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology & Evaluation at the University of British Columbia.