Over the summer, a Calgary clinic informed patients they would be moving to a costly membership system to access their primary care. Health Canada declared the move a violation of the Canada Health Act, and Albertans were outraged. But while the clinic ultimately backed down on the proposal following the outcry, we have seen no action to protect patients from future attempts to charge us money to access our health care.
People in Alberta are increasingly worried about their health care access. But while Premier Smith ran on a much-touted ‘Public Health Guarantee’, and repeatedly promised that no Albertan would ever have to pay to visit a family doctor, she’s done nothing to prevent it from happening. Instead we've also seen her support ideas that would require Albertans to pay for health care out of pocket, including to access a family doctor or surgery deductibles, and has proposed other concerning policies like health spending accounts.
In November, we saw the UCP government vote against legislation that would have finally banned access fees and members-only medicine in Alberta. Since then, yet another Calgary clinic has made headlines for charging patients nearly $3,000 a year for memberships to access their primary care services. It's clear: now more than ever, we need you to take action!