Alberta will have $13.8M deducted from health transfers because patients paid for services: feds
Global News
Ottawa says there's evidence of Albertans 'paying out of pocket to access diagnostic services such as ultrasounds, MRI and CT scans... that should be accessible at no cost.'
The federal government is deducting a total of $82 million in Canada Health Transfers from provinces, including Alberta, over “patient charges levied during 2020-2021, for medically necessary services that should be accessible to patients at no cost.”
A summary posted online by the government of Canada shows Alberta’s deductions will be $13.8 million.
Federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos sent letters to all provinces and territories, expressing concerns about a recent increase in reports of patient charges for medically necessary services, including telemedicine and some private services.
“There has been evidence of residents paying out of pocket to access diagnostic services such as ultrasounds, MRI and CT scans — services that should be accessible at no cost,” Duclos said in a statement.
“It is critical that access to medically necessary services, whether provided in-person or virtually, remains based on medical need and free of charge.”
When asked about this Friday, Alberta Health Minister Jason Copping said he hadn’t seen the letter, hasn’t been fully briefed and didn’t know the amount Alberta would lose.
He said there has been an “ongoing dispute” about how the transfer system works — what’s allowed and not allowed.
“There is, I understand, some dispute about how it’s being interpreted,” Copping said.
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