Alberta NDP calls on Premier Danielle Smith to come clean on pursuing health-care user fees

Alberta’s health minister says he’s not pursuing user-fee changes to the publicly-funded system, but the opposition NDP says Premier Danielle Smith needs to be clear about that.

Jason Copping says he is focused on recruiting more health workers and increasing operations as the new head of Alberta Health Services works to improve the system and reduce wait times and ambulance backlogs.

To that end, Copping says his department has reached an agreement with the Alberta Medical Association to remove the payment cap at 50 visits per day for family doctors to help doctors and provide more access to care.

He made the comments after the Opposition NDP said Smith must clarify whether she will continue sweeping health policy changes she proposed last year while in the private sector.

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At the time, Smith argued that health care would eventually become unaffordable unless $4 billion in user fees were found, perhaps through deductibles, premiums or having patients pay to see a family doctor through health spending accounts.

Smith promised to bring in health spending bills, but only for services not covered by the government, such as dental work, naturopathy or counseling.

Smith says her United Conservative government will pony up $300 for every Albertan, then offer tax incentives to encourage individuals and employers to keep adding to their accounts.