Edmonton Journal

Health-care funding gets a one-per-cent increase

- ANNA JUNKER ajunker@postmedia.com

Delayed facilities, a senior’s drug benefit program and doctor pay were the targets of a provincial budget that aimed to bend the cost curve on health spending, even while giving the system a slight bump in funding.

Health care is the province’s largest expense, making up 43 per cent of total operating costs. With Budget 2019, the province is increasing the health-care budget by $200 million, bringing overall operating spending to $20.6 billion per year.

“We’re delivering on our promise to maintain health funding, in fact we’re increasing it by one per cent,” Health Minister Tyler Shandro said in a statement.

“We’re going to get our costs under control and reinvest all savings in increasing services. We firmly believe there’s enough money in this health system to accommodat­e population growth and reduce wait times.”

Of the increase, $100 million will be allocated to a mental health and addictions strategy, $40 million for an opioid response and $20 million for palliative care. The province is also providing $6 million for a new sexual assault hotline and $4 million for the Health Quality Council of Alberta.

More internal changes are expected, as the province looks at more cost-effective ways to provide services, including through private-public partnershi­ps.

With these changes, the government expects to save $140 million.

ALBERTA SENIORS BENEFIT DRUG PROGRAM

The Alberta Seniors Benefit Drug Program provides coverage for non-senior dependents, such as partners and dependents under 65. By March 2020, that coverage for dependents will end. Income testing for seniors’ drugs will also be explored.

NDP health critic David Shepherd called the changes short-sighted and said up to 46,000 people could lose drug coverage.

“When seniors are not able to afford their medication­s, that’s going to create other costs throughout the health-care system, that’s going to put them in emergency rooms, that’s going to put them in hospitals and once seniors arrive in hospital, they often don’t get back out and that’s going to create more cost in our continuing-care system,” Shepherd said.

For Joel French, executive director of Public Interest Alberta, the change to income testing for seniors’ drug benefits comes as a surprise. Both the previous Progressiv­e Conservati­ve and NDP government­s faced fierce opposition when they floated the idea.

“We organized a bunch of seniors’ groups back when the PCS were in power to protest they were going to do that and the PC government backed off once seniors spoke up and we’re ready to do that again if we need to,” French said.

FACILITY DELAYS, HOLDS

Under the capital plan, $2.9 billion is allocated for health-care facilities across the province. However, some constructi­on projects will be delayed. The long-needed south Edmonton hospital has been delayed four years to 2030, which the government said better matches demand.

The proposed Child and Adolescent Mental Health building at the

Royal Alexandra Hospital has been deferred indefinite­ly.

Shepherd said the delays and deferrals are a concern and has been a pattern of conservati­ve government­s.

The province also plans to bring back the Alberta Supportive Living Initiative, a grant program that would see the government partnering with private business to build continuing care facilities.

NOTABLE HIGHLIGHTS

The province wants to negotiate doctor pay with the Alberta Medical Associatio­n to limit cost growth

Legislatio­n and regulation­s may be coming to give the health minister the power to tell doctors where in the province they can practise

Scope of care for licensed practical nurses will be expanded to their “full capacity”

The tax on a carton of 200 cigarettes will increase by $5 to $55 per carton, as of 12:01 a.m. Friday

The province plans to implement a tax on vaping products

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Canada