Health care premiums are a horrible method of taxation. They are regressive in that they charge the same amount (not percentage) to rich families as to middle-class ones. They were a political tool to avoid simply raising income taxes. Ralph Klein had all sorts of facades to hide true taxation, including massive user fee increases e.g. vehicle registration fees. He also stopped building anything, including roads, hospitals, seniors lodges, etc. Some of that infrastructure deficit had to be made up in the last few years, especially with an overheated economy drawing mostly young people with children to the province. In fact, a large part of the deficit addressed in the article has gone to capital spending on schools alone, just to build to keep up with the youngest population in the country. Ralph Klein was a great politician and a lousy steward for Alberta's future.