The Alberta government plans to introduce legislation this fall that will allow Albertans to privately purchase diagnostic screening and testing services in a bid to reduce wait times.
Premier Danielle Smith and Health Minister Adriana LaGrange announced the upcoming bill in an Oct. 22 social media video, saying the change will give Alberta residents faster access without a doctor referral to preventative tests like MRIs, CT scans, full-body scans, and blood work.
“Albertans deserve timely answers about their health,” Smith said in a press release announcing the legislation. “By expanding access to preventative and elective testing, we’re empowering people to take control of their care and reducing wait times across the system.”
LaGrange said increasing the number of private scans will provide expedited care and improved health results while lessening the burden on the public health-care system. To increase access to such testing, the province plans to attract new investments in diagnostic technology and facilities, she said.
“We want to see a flood of investment and health professionals into Alberta to strengthen our preventative health-care system for Albertans right across the province,” she said in the video.
Under Alberta’s Public Health Guarantee, every test recommended by a physician will remain fully covered and prioritized in all facilities, whether public or private, the province said. Out-of-pocket costs will be reimbursed for privately purchased testing that reveals a serious health condition.
The proposed change is being met with criticism by non-profit organization Friends of Medicare, which says the legislation, if passed, will make wait times worse while reducing capacity in the public health-care system.
“The government is doubling down on their failing privatization agenda for crucial care services like surgeries and addictions care, and plowing ahead with their dangerous interference in Albertans’ access to evidence-based care services,” Friends of Medicare executive director Chris Gallaway said in an Oct. 23 press release after the government’s throne speech which also outlined the plan.
“They continue to ignore the real issue that needs tackling in the health care system: the ongoing staffing crisis,” he added.
The Opposition NDP has voiced similar concerns, saying such legislation would divert resources from the public health-care system and result in extended wait times and diminished health outcomes for individuals requiring care.
Health-care wait times have long been an issue in Canada. A 2024 study from the Fraser Institute found that median wait times have jumped 222 percent since the think tank first began tracking them in 1993.
The data, gathered from 1,973 Canadian physicians spanning 12 specialties and 10 provinces found that Alberta had an overall wait time of 38.4 weeks for health-care services. The 38-week period was divided equally between the waiting time to consult a specialist after a general practitioner referral and the interval between the specialist consultation and the beginning of treatment.
A report from GoodCaring.ca found that the average wait time for an MRI in Alberta in 2023 ranged from 11 to 49 weeks, while wait times for a CT scan range from six to 46 weeks, depending on the facility.
