News

  • Election 2019 Health Care Priorities Survey

      

    In preparation for the Alberta election in 2019, Friends of Medicare is seeking feedback from the community about their experiences with our health care system. From now until the end of this year, we will be releasing a series of short surveys to help us determine what values and concrete health care policies Albertans want to see reflected in the platforms coming from each political party vying to lead Alberta after 2019. Your participation will help ensure that a commitment to public health care is front and centre for the 2019 election cycle, and will enable us to continue to work towards accessible, timely, and quality health care for all Albertans.

    Keep your eye on this page in the upcoming months -- it will be updated with the latest survey links as they are released.

  • Friends of Medicare Commends HESA Report on Pharmacare

    Friends of Medicare Commends HESA Report on Pharmacare

    Friends of Medicare joins our partners from the Canadian Health Coalition in applauding the the Parliamentary Committee on Health (HESA) on its report on a national public drug plan, "Pharmacare Now: Prescription Medicine Coverage for all Canadians."

  • Friends of Medicare Applauds Alberta Government for Protecting Women's Access to Health Care Services

    MEDIA RELEASE
    APRIL 5, 2018

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    FRIENDS OF MEDICARE APPLAUDS ALBERTA GOVERNMENT FOR PROTECTING WOMEN'S ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE SERVICES

    Friends of Medicare is extremely pleased to see the introduction of Bill 9: The Protecting Choice for Women Accessing Health Care Act, which will ensure that women in Alberta can freely exercise their right to safely access health care services.
  • Restrained Spending in Budget 2018 Sets Unwelcome Precedent

    MEDIA RELEASE
    MARCH 22, 2018

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    RESTRAINED SPENDING IN BUDGET 2018 SETS UNWELCOME PRECEDENT

    In the past three budgets, this government has managed to maintain the line of health care spending, staying slightly above population and inflation growth. Budget 2018 represents a concerning trend of spending restraints by only increasing health care spending by 3%, not even meeting population and inflation growth of 3.5%.
  • Friends of Medicare and the Canadian Health Coalition Oppose Morneau's Plan to Limit Access to Drugs

    MEDIA RELEASE
    FEB 28, 2018
    OTTAWA

    Friends of Medicare and the Canadian Health Coalition Oppose Morneau's Plan to Limit Access to Drugs

    The Canadian Health Coalition (CHC), representing health care advocates across Canada, and Friends of Medicare (FOM), its Alberta affiliate, have called the finance minister's backing away from a universal public drug plan a betrayal of the expressed desire of Canadians for what has been called the "unfinished business" of Medicare.

  • Nine out of 10 Canadians Want to See the Federal Government Enforce the Canada Health Act

    MEDIA RELEASE
    FEB 26, 2018
    OTTAWA

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    Nine out of 10 Canadians Want to See the Federal Government Enforce the Canada Health Act

    As the Alberta affiliate of the Canadian Health Coalition, Friends of Medicare is in the nation's capital this week to focus on provincial and national issues related to privatization and the proliferation of private clinics across the country. A new poll conducted by EKOS Polling and commissioned by the Canadian Health Coalition shows 9 out of 10 Canadians want the federal government to intervene when unlawful billing takes place.

  • UCP Health Policies Would Move Alberta Backwards to the 1990s

    MEDIA RELEASE
    JAN 11, 2018

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    UCP Health Policies Would Move Alberta Backwards to the 1990s

    Modern Health Care Solutions are Needed

    Friends of Medicare are calling for a rejection of proposed UCP policies reported by the Calgary Herald yesterday that would see health care services privatized and budgets slashed.

  • Greater Role for Public Sector in Hinton Continuing Care Applauded

    Greater Role for Public Sector in Hinton Continuing Care Applauded

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    Friends of Medicare and Public Interest Alberta welcome a change in direction for continuing care today, with the announcement from Alberta's Ministry of Health that they will now be operating the Mountain View Centre supportive living services in Hinton. The facility is currently operated by the private not-for-profit Good Samaritan Society.

  • Government Must Act to Save and Cover Hospital Fertility Services

    MEDIA RELEASE
    NOV. 30, 2017
    EDMONTON

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    Government Must Act to Save and Cover Hospital Fertility Services

    Friends of Medicare joined patients impacted by the planned closure of uninsured fertility services at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women and supporters at the Alberta Legislature today to call on the Ministry of Health to reverse the planned closure and begin covering in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) treatment.

  • Government Needs to Take Clear Action to End Blurred Lines for Private Clinics

    MEDIA RELEASE
    NOV 28, 2017
    EDMONTON
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    Government Needs to Take Clear Action to End Blurred Lines for Private Clinics

    Friends of Medicare are calling for Alberta's Ministry of Health to take clear action to protect patients and the public from profit driven private clinics in light of the release of the Parkland Institute's report Blurred Lines: Private Membership Clinics and Public Health Care today.