Bill 11, which outlined a dual practice health-care model that enables eligible physicians to work concurrently in both the public and private systems, also contains other changes to the province's health care, including a new requirement to renew health cards or lose coverage. Primary and Preventive Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange speaks to media in Calgary in this file photo.--CP FILE PHOTO
zmason@medicinehatnews.com
The UCP government is proposing a set of changes to the Alberta health card under Bill 11, sweeping health-care legislation tabled Monday.
Amendments to the Health Insurance Premiums Act will add a new requirement for Alberta residents to regularly renew their health card in order to remain eligible to receive insured services from the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
The province says the changes are designed to reduce health card misuse. In a statement to the News on Tuesday, the Ministry of Primary and Preventive Health Services, headed by Adriana LaGrange, described misuse as occurring when people who are no longer residents of Alberta continue to access publicly-funded health services.
Health cards previously did not require any renewal procedure unless an individual moved, had children or changed their marital status.
“As of Q2 2025, the province’s population was roughly 5 million, while about 5.5 million individuals were actively insured under AHCIP, highlighting a gap that indicates potential misuse,” said the ministry.
The new legislation will require Albertans to renew their health card when they renew their driver’s licence or ID at a registry office.
The ministry says there will be no costs associated with the renewal of the AHCIP coverage itself, but if an Albertan chooses to link their health number to their driver’s licence, they will pay the standard renewal fee for the ID. Mobile health cards will be renewed at no cost.
However, the ministry confirmed that Albertans who fail to renew their health card on time will lose AHCIP coverage.
“Insured services may be declined until coverage is reinstated. Emergency services are still provided, but the patient may be billed if uninsured,” said the ministry.
It will be possible to backdate coverage if a health card is renewed late, allowing for reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Chris Gallaway, executive director of Friends of Medicare, says there is no data that shows health card misuse is a problem.
“We don’t hear from doctors offices or hospitals or elsewhere that misuse of health cards is an issue they’re experiencing,” he said in an interview with the News on Tuesday.
“We’re curious to know their justification. Why are they doing this? It just feels like one more barrier. If you add a piece of bureaucracy to it, that’s a barrier for some people.”
Gallaway says for people who are living precariously or are unhoused, keeping identifications up to date could be an obstacle to accessing care.
“We have a lot of questions. Why is the government doing this? How will it work? Why don’t they have answers for those things up front?”
Monday’s announcement contained no information about renewal processes or fees. The information in this article was obtained subsequently by the News.
Gallaway is also concerned about the changes to the prescription drug plan outlined in Bill 11.
The amendments to the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act will shift the government’s role from first payor to payor for last resort. Currently, the government is first payor for public programs such as Non-Group and Coverage for Seniors, with private and employer-sponsored plans covering the remaining portion.
Gallaway says premiums will increase as a result of this move, which will put more financial pressure on users of those private plans, especially seniors.
