News
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New Barriers to Gender-Affirming Health Care are Discriminatory and Dangerous
EDMONTON — Yesterday, Premier Danielle Smith announced a widely condemned new policy that includes putting new restrictions on gender-affirming health care. The new policy infringes on the rights of young Albertans and their families to access the health care services they need, when they need them.
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Budget 2024 must prioritize home care funding
Friends of Medicare and our allies in the disability community are calling on the Alberta government to prioritize home care funding in the impending provincial Budget.
EDMONTON — Following Facility-Based Continuing Care (FBCC) review recommendations to shift the delivery of Alberta’s continuing care services to include a greater proportion of care in community, the UCP government has repeatedly made clear their intention to expand the province’s home care system. However, we have yet to see any meaningful investment to support this expansion.
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The Federal Government Needs to Stop Stalling on Pharmacare
EDMONTON — Yesterday, it was announced that the tabling of a National Pharmacare bill in the House of Commons will be delayed into the new year. This extends the timeline that was laid out in the Confidence and Supply Agreement between the NDP and the governing Liberals, which stipulated that legislation should be tabled and passed by the end of 2023.
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Expanded Federal Dental Coverage Great News for Albertans
EDMONTON — This morning, the federal government announced a major expansion of dental care coverage for Canadians to be rolled out over the coming months. Dental care is one of the priorities that was laid out in the Confidence and Supply Agreement between the NDP and the governing Liberals, which included a timeline that called for seniors, folks living with disabilities and those under 18 to be covered under a dental insurance program to be announced by the end of this year.
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Alberta needs a health care workforce plan, not threats of layoffs
EDMONTON — Earlier this week, the United Nurses of Alberta received deeply concerning letters from their employers warning about the potential for position reductions and contracting out in 2024. These letters were sent in the lead up as provincial bargaining is set to begin with nurses, and is similar to a tactic used in 2019 before that round of bargaining.
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Alberta should follow Manitoba’s lead and bring back a Seniors Advocate, improve Seniors’ Care
EDMONTON — Yesterday’s Speech from the Throne in Manitoba laid out the new government’s agenda. The speech includes commitments to: “increase the hours of direct care for each senior living in personal care homes. And create a Seniors Advocate — a strong, independent voice for seniors and their families,” as well as a commitment to increase home care support for seniors to remain in their homes.
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Government Decision to Vote Against Legislation Banning Health Care Access Fees Lets Down Albertans
EDMONTON — Yesterday afternoon, the UCP Government used their majority in the Legislature to vote against Bill 201: Alberta Health Care Insurance (Access Fees) Amendment Act. This legislation would have banned access fees and membership-only health care in Alberta, and required the Minister to enforce the Act.
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NAAW: UCP Government should finally embrace evidence-based supports
EDMONTON — November 19 - 25, 2023 marks National Addictions Awareness Week, meant to be an opportunity to learn and to highlight ways to address harms related to substance use. As we mark NAAW this year, Alberta continues to set records for deaths due to drug poisoning. This week must be a time to commit to doing better.
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World Diabetes Day: It’s time for Alberta to Expand Coverage to Include Continuous Glucose Monitors
Every year, November 14 is recognized as World Diabetes Day. This year’s theme is Access to Diabetes Care, a reminder that we have a long way to go to ensure those living with diabetes in Alberta have access to the care they need.
Albertans will remember last year, when the UCP government announced that they would be terminating the Insulin Pump Benefits Program, impacting up to 4,000 Albertans with diabetes. Following massive public outcry from Friends of Medicare, Pump 4 Life, and thousands of grassroots Albertans, the government finally conceded by announcing they were stopping their plans to end the Insulin Pump Benefits Program and instead, struck a working group to consult on diabetes care. No new announcements or improvements to coverage have come since that working group was formed.
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Albertans should be very worried about today’s drastic health care announcement
EDMONTON — Following yesterday’s leaked documents, Danielle Smith’s government followed through on announcing a massive restructuring of public health care in Alberta, as well as a new Alberta Health Services Board chaired by a former conservative cabinet minister, Lyle Oberg. None of this was part of the UCP’s platform in this year’s election.
After years of unprecedented pressures on our public health care system, health care workers and patients in this province are seeking certainty when it comes to something as important as our public health care system. They aren’t looking for changes of this scale being directed by politicians, rather than health care experts and community needs.