what's the meaning of this sentence?
So, if the provinces want to run the health-care show, they should prove they can run it, starting with an interprovincial health list that would end duplication, save administrative costs, prevent one province from being played off against another, and bargain for better drug prices.

" prevent one province from being played off against another"?
Thank you!

Question

what's the meaning of this sentence?
So, if the provinces want to run the health-care show, they should prove they can run it, starting with an interprovincial health list that would end duplication, save administrative costs, prevent one province from being played off against another, and bargain for better drug prices.

" prevent one province from being played off against another"? 
Thank you!

Answer

“One province being played off another” means that the provinces are competing against each other for the same resources. It’s as if they are playing a game, one province wins and one looses and everyone in the loosing province gets worse healthcare.

Answer

“To play off someone against the other” means to create between them a conflict of interests, and then happily take advantage of it while they fight each other. In this case it looks like government have been fed up with their games and now is letting them know that it knows that they know, in a politically acceptable manner :)

Answer

If you keep asking the people answering questions in the comments, you can play them off against each other, to see who will answer more questions to be chosen as "best". That is, you can make them compete.