Alberta Health cuts off funding for seniors’ driver medicals
By GILLIAN SLADE on April 1, 2020.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com
Effective today doctors will no longer to be paid by Alberta Health to do a senior’s driver medical exam.
When Albertans reach the age of 75 they are required to have a driver’s medical when they renew their driver’s license.
Dr. Nicoelle Wanner says until today physicians were allowed to bill Alberta Health for doing these medical exams. Alberta Health will no longer cover this expense.
“If Alberta Health doesn’t pay, this government is forcing physicians to either provide this service for free or charge the patient,” said Wanner.
She suggests some physicians will charge the patient and others may try to absorb the cost themselves, in whole or in part.
Wanner says physicians depend on what they bill Alberta Health to pay for everything needed to keep their office open. This includes staff, printer paper, stethoscopes and tongue depressors, and these expenses aren’t going away.
“I am acutely aware that it is never easy to charge a patient, especially so when you are deeply aware of what they can and cannot afford,” said Wanner. “Seniors are already on a fixed income and assuming they are able to do so safely, driving keeps them independent and active.”
In February, Minister of Health Tyler Shandro announced that Alberta was terminating its agreement with doctors and imposing a new fee structure to commence April 1. The new fee structure was to prevent an additional $2 billion being added to the physicians’ budget over the next three years.
The fee charged for these drivers medial exams will depend on the individual physician’s office. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta provides a guide for appropriate fees physicians may charge for services not covered by Alberta Health, said Wanner.
Dr. Christine Molnar, president of the Alberta Medical Association, says the feelings of physicians regarding the changes effective today, have been communicated to Shandro.
Molnar met personally with Shandro on Friday but this week he has stated he is committed to proceeding with the new framework.
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