Dental Fee Guide Welcomed But More Action Needed

Friends of Medicare are welcoming today's announcement of a reduced fee guide for dental services in Alberta, and urging the Ministry of Health to add dental coverage to Alberta's health care insurance plan. The guide recommends reductions of 8.5% in 60 common procedures.

SENDING FERTILITY PATIENTS TO PRIVATE CARE IS THE WRONG DIRECTION

Friends of Medicare are calling for a reversal of the AHS decision to terminate services at the Edmonton Regional Fertility and Women's Endocrine Clinic at Edmonton's Lois Hole Hospital.

News broke November 2 via twitter that the clinic will no longer offer services such as Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), as well as donor eggs and sperm programs. Patients will now be referred to private clinics in Edmonton or Calgary for those services.

Friends of Medicare are applauding Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman for introducing Bill 22 the Resident and Family Councils Act.

New National Report Outlines the Huge Cost of the Failed Health Accord

As Health Ministers from across Canada meet in Edmonton this week, Canada's Health Coalitions released a report showing the recent bilateral health schemes pushed through by the Trudeau government have come at a huge cost.  The report "Health Accord Breakdown: Costs and Consequences of the Failed 2016/17 Negotiations" calculates that the failure of the Health Accord will mean a health care funding shortfall of $31 billion for the provinces with no concrete targets to improve public health care for Canadians and no plan to bridge the fiscal gap. Calling the rhetoric around health transformation and target funds for home and mental health care "more PR than substance", the coalitions also tallied the non-monetary costs of the lost Health Accord: the grave problems of under capacity in public hospitals, long-term and community care; long-waits; growing inequities and problems with access to care that will continue without any national plan to address them.

Prescription Drug Coverage Needed to Fight Poverty for Alberta’s Working Class

At today’s annual Labour Day barbecue for the unemployed and underemployed organized by the Edmonton & District Labour Council, the EDLC, End Poverty Edmonton & Friends of Medicare are calling for action on universal prescription drug coverage to help fight poverty in Alberta.

Unequal access to hormone replacement therapy causing wait times

Friends of Medicare are calling on the Government of Alberta to mark Calgary Pride week by removing barriers to health care for trans patients, and end the practice of unequal access to hormone replacement therapy.

New Dental Fee Guide Fails to Tackle Affordability Issues

After waiting for 20 years for a public Dental Fee Guide, Albertans will only see a 3% reduction of the fees currently being charged by dentists in this province. "For years Albertans have been paying almost double of what the rest of Canadians pay for dental services. A mere 3% reduction being proposed will do nothing to address the issue of affordability which currently prevents Albertans from accessing dental care," says Sandra Azocar, Executive Director with Friends of Medicare.

Friends of Medicare are pleased to see Alberta Health Minister Sarah Hoffman announce universal coverage for the abortion pill mifegymiso today.

"Today's announcement will be especially important to women in rural communities who would normally have to travel to Edmonton or Calgary for abortion," said Executive Director Sandra Azocar. "Our health system should be based on the principle of equitable access to services regardless of your postal code, and covering mifegymiso for all Albertans follows that principle."

Canadian Health Advocates to Premiers: Stand up for Public Health Care

Health care advocates from across the country gathered in Edmonton today at a rally outside the Hotel Macdonald to call on Canada’s Premiers to fight for patients and call for fair federal funding for health care.