Alberta Vows Patients Will Never ‘Have to Pay’ for Health Care as Report Says Province Planning Public-Private Parallel System

The government of Alberta says it remains committed to ensuring that residents do not have to pay out-of-pocket for medical care, as a recent news report suggested the province is planning legislation that would allow doctors to provide services in both the public and private health-care systems.

“We remain committed to upholding Alberta’s Public Health Care Guarantee, ensuring that under no circumstances will any Albertan ever have to pay out-of-pocket to see their family doctor or to get the medical treatment they need,” Maddison McKee, a spokesperson for Alberta’s Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange, told The Epoch Times in a statement.

McKee added that the government won’t “comment on drafts of proposed legislation before it is tabled.”

The minister’s office made the statement in response to a request for comment on a Nov. 18 Globe and Mail article that said the province has prepared draft amendments to the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act that would allow doctors to work simultaneously in the public and private sectors. Such a move would make Alberta the first province to adopt this kind of hybrid model.

The report says that under the confidential draft amendments, dated Nov. 5 and not publicly available but which were seen by the Globe, a doctor working in both systems, described as a “flexibly participating physician,” would be able to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to provide a service through the private or public model.

LaGrange told reporters on Nov. 19 that new health care-related legislation is coming but said she couldn’t discuss details yet, adding that she is “always looking for opportunities to make sure that Albertans have increased access” to medical care.

Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the reported measure would be a step toward health-care privatization.

“What does that mean? It means a doctor who has limited time to see patients will now choose whether she wants to see a patient who can pay more on the private side or a patient for whom she’ll be paid less on the public side,” Nenshi said in a Nov. 18 press conference, referring to the report.

Nenshi also raised the issue in the Alberta legislature on Nov. 18, asking Premier Danielle Smith to call an election to campaign on the measure.

“In the 2023 election, the premier said, ‘I believe no one should ever pay out of pocket to see a family doctor.’ Now she’s radically changed her mind with no consultation,” Nenshi said.

“I’m not scared of Albertans. I’m going to go to Albertans and see what they think of this. So will the premier commit today to dissolve this legislature and call an election on this issue?”

Smith rejected Nenshi’s request, saying her government is going to create a favourable environment for doctors and specialists to work in the province.

“In 2019, there were 5,376 family practitioners, there’s now 6,216. There were 5,572 specialists, there’s now 6,539. We have nurse practitioners that are establishing their own practices. We’ve got expanded scope of practice for pharmacists, expanded scope of practice for our advanced paramedics,” Smith said.

“We’re going to make sure that everyone is able to practice the full level of their ability.”

Health reform has been a key part of Smith’s agenda, with a system overhaul underway since 2023. The changes are aimed at improving access to care and decentralizing decision-making to the front lines, the government says.

One of the recent changes adopted by the province is an “activity-based” funding model for surgeries, where hospitals would get funding for actual surgeries performed, rather than receiving payments upfront for projected service targets. The government says the new model is needed for better accountability, adding that under the previous model, hospitals often missed their targets or held off on surgical procedures to use their global funding in other ways. The NDP criticized the measure, saying it’s about “creating more privatization.”

The province has also implemented changes to allow Albertans to pay for diagnostic screening and testing services to reduce wait times.