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Alberta

Alberta announces one-time funding for family doctors to help manage patients

Published

8 months ago

4 minute read

Stabilizing Alberta’s primary health care system

Alberta’s government is delivering on a commitment to provide funding to help family doctors with their administrative costs so they can devote more time to seeing patients.

Primary care is the foundation of Alberta’s health care system, and family physicians are fundamental to Albertans getting the care they need when and where they need it. That’s why Alberta’s government is pulling out all the stops to stabilize, strengthen and improve Alberta’s primary health care system.

The additional one-time funding has been provided to the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) as part of a December 2023 commitment of $200 million over two years to stabilize primary health care. The AMA will distribute the funding to eligible family physicians and rural generalists.

“We heard what primary care physicians told us about the challenges they are facing, and we’ve taken action to address those challenges. Alberta’s government is pleased to provide this one-time funding to support family physicians and rural generalists until a new physician comprehensive care model is introduced.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Health

Approximately 3,000 family doctors are eligible to receive transition funding of $24,000 to $40,000. The amount a family physician and rural generalist will receive depends on the number of patients they have.

The funding is a one-time payment aimed at helping family doctors and rural generalists until a new compensation model is in place. It will be used for administrative and equipment costs related to the number of patients they manage. 

“We are grateful that this funding will help family and rural generalist physicians remain in comprehensive, life-long care as we move to the next phase of collaboration with the minister and her team. For this stabilization investment to reap benefits for Albertans, we must rapidly implement the new payment model that will allow comprehensive care to flourish across the province.”

Dr. Paul Parks, president, Alberta Medical Association

This funding is enabled through the new Canada-Alberta Health Funding Agreement with the federal government. The agreement represents a total of about $1.1 billion in additional health care funding over three years for shared priorities.

Quick facts

  • Stabilization funding is a transitional measure identified through work under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the minister of health and the Alberta Medical Association that was signed in fall 2023.
  • In December, $200 million over two years was announced to help stabilize primary care. This includes the $92 million announced April 4 and $8 million for the residency incentive program.
  • Other recently announced supports for primary health care include:
    • Providing ongoing base compensation for primary care physicians that is expected to be more than $2.3 billion in 2024-25.
    • Committing to create a primary-care organization within the refocused provincial health care system to co-ordinate primary health care services and provide transparent provincial oversight, with the goal of ensuring every Albertan will have a family physician or primary care provider.
    • Investing $40 million over two years to support Primary Care Networks.
    • Investing $12 million for the Community Information Integration and Central Patient Attachment Registry, enabling doctors and their teams to share patient information from their electronic medical record to Alberta Netcare.
    • Committing to implement recommendations from the Modernizing Alberta’s Primary Health Care System initiative through a phased approach.
    • Creating a primary health care division within Alberta Health.
Related Topics:

This is a news release from the Government of Alberta.

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Alberta mother accuses health agency of trying to vaccinate son against her wishes

Published on November 22, 2024

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From LifeSiteNews

By Clare Marie Merkowsky

 

Alberta Health Services has been accused of attempting to vaccinate a child in school against his parent’s wishes.  

On November 6, Alberta Health Services staffers visited Edmonton Hardisty School where they reportedly attempted to vaccinate a grade 6 student despite his parents signing a form stating that they did not wish for him to receive the vaccines.  

 

“It is clear they do not prioritize parental rights, and in not doing so, they traumatize students,” the boy’s mother Kerri Findling told the Counter Signal. 

During the school visit, AHS planned to vaccinate sixth graders with the HPV and hepatitis B vaccines. Notably, both HPV and hepatitis B are vaccines given to prevent diseases normally transmitted sexually.  

Among the chief concerns about the HPV vaccine has been the high number of adverse reactions reported after taking it, including a case where a 16 year-old Australian girl was made infertile due to the vaccine.  

Additionally, in 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration received reports of 28 deaths associated with the HPV vaccine. Among the 6,723 adverse reactions reported that year, 142 were deemed life-threatening and 1,061 were considered serious.   

Children whose parents had written “refused” on their forms were supposed to return to the classroom when the rest of the class was called into the vaccination area.  

However, in this case, Findling alleged that AHS staffers told her son to proceed to the vaccination area, despite seeing that she had written “refused” on his form. 

When the boy asked if he could return to the classroom, as he was certain his parents did not intend for him to receive the shots, the staff reportedly said “no.” However, he chose to return to the classroom anyway.    

Following his parents’ arrival at the school, AHS claimed the incident was a misunderstanding due to a “new hire,” attesting that the mistake would have been caught before their son was vaccinated.   

“If a student leaves the vaccination center without receiving the vaccine, it should be up to the parents to get the vaccine at a different time, if they so desire, not the school to enforce vaccination on behalf of AHS,” Findling declared.  

Findling’s story comes just a few months after Alberta Premier Danielle Smith promised a new Bill of Rights affirming “God-given” parental authority over children. 

A draft version of a forthcoming Alberta Bill of Rights provided to LifeSiteNews includes a provision beefing up parental rights, declaring the “freedom of parents to make informed decisions concerning the health, education, welfare and upbringing of their children.” 

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Alberta

Alberta’s fiscal update projects budget surplus, but fiscal fortunes could quickly turn

Published on November 21, 2024

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From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill

According to the recent mid-year update tabled Thursday, the Smith government projects a $4.6 billion surplus in 2024/25, up from the $2.9 billion surplus projected just a few months ago. Despite the good news, Premier Smith must reduce spending to avoid budget deficits.

The fiscal update projects resource revenue of $20.3 billion in 2024/25. Today’s relatively high—but very volatile—resource revenue (including oil and gas royalties) is helping finance today’s spending and maintain a balanced budget. But it will not last forever.

For perspective, in just the last decade the Alberta government’s annual resource revenue has been as low as $2.8 billion (2015/16) and as high as $25.2 billion (2022/23).

And while the resource revenue rollercoaster is currently in Alberta’s favor, Finance Minister Nate Horner acknowledges that “risks are on the rise” as oil prices have dropped considerably and forecasters are projecting downward pressure on prices—all of which impacts resource revenue.

In fact, the government’s own estimates show a $1 change in oil prices results in an estimated $630 million revenue swing. So while the Smith government plans to maintain a surplus in 2024/25, a small change in oil prices could quickly plunge Alberta back into deficit. Premier Smith has warned that her government may fall into a budget deficit this fiscal year.

This should come as no surprise. Alberta’s been on the resource revenue rollercoaster for decades. Successive governments have increased spending during the good times of high resource revenue, but failed to rein in spending when resource revenues fell.

Previous research has shown that, in Alberta, a $1 increase in resource revenue is associated with an estimated 56-cent increase in program spending the following fiscal year (on a per-person, inflation-adjusted basis). However, a decline in resource revenue is not similarly associated with a reduction in program spending. This pattern has led to historically high levels of government spending—and budget deficits—even in more recent years.

Consider this: If this fiscal year the Smith government received an average level of resource revenue (based on levels over the last 10 years), it would receive approximately $13,000 per Albertan. Yet the government plans to spend nearly $15,000 per Albertan this fiscal year (after adjusting for inflation). That’s a huge gap of roughly $2,000—and it means the government is continuing to take big risks with the provincial budget.

Of course, if the government falls back into deficit there are implications for everyday Albertans.

When the government runs a deficit, it accumulates debt, which Albertans must pay to service. In 2024/25, the government’s debt interest payments will cost each Albertan nearly $650. That’s largely because, despite running surpluses over the last few years, Albertans are still paying for debt accumulated during the most recent string of deficits from 2008/09 to 2020/21 (excluding 2014/15), which only ended when the government enjoyed an unexpected windfall in resource revenue in 2021/22.

According to Thursday’s mid-year fiscal update, Alberta’s finances continue to be at risk. To avoid deficits, the Smith government should meaningfully reduce spending so that it’s aligned with more reliable, stable levels of revenue.

Author:

Tegan Hill
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