Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange issued a joint statement after reports surfaced that a clinic in Calgary announced that it would begin charging membership fees for patients to see their family doctors.

While Smith and LaGrange noted in their statement that there are physicians and clinics in Alberta that have operated for decades within the parameters of the law to provide services not covered by the provincial health care insurance plan, they underlined the news of the Calgary clinic charging fees for services that are insured is 'extremely concerning.'

“Alberta’s government would be extremely concerned if this clinic was charging and offering accelerated access to a family physician at the expense of other patients needing to wait longer. We have directed Alberta Health to investigate this clinic to ensure legislation compliance. We will take appropriate action if any non-compliance with relevant legislation is found."

Smith and LaGrange added that they expect physicians in Alberta to follow the law, including the Canada Health Act and the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act (AHCIA).

"Albertans do not pay out of pocket for insured health services such as seeing a family doctor or visiting a hospital – that will not change.”

The Alberta NDP however is now calling on the province to investigate whether more clinics in the province may be offering a similar membership model.

“Albertans are being coerced into paying to access public healthcare despite it being a direct violation of the Canada Health Act, the principles of Medicare, and despite repeated promises from Danielle Smith during the election campaign that Albertans would never have to pay to see a family doctor,” said David Shepherd, Alberta NDP Critic for Health.

The NDP pointed to a study that was conducted in the Journal of Healthcare Policy, the NDP said that it was found that 14 clinics in Alberta were charging some membership fee, with a median cost of $3,150 annual cost.

“We need the government to step up and fulfill their promise that no Albertan will pay to see a doctor and get the public healthcare they deserve," Shepherd added.

Friends of Medicare, the non-profit organization that advocates for the Canadian universal public health system, has also weighed in on the controversy. In a statement, the organization said that such fees are part of a wider trend towards two-tier health care in Alberta.

"...Where those who can afford to are increasingly able to pay to skip the queue. This kind of stealthy privatization siphons much-needed physicians, staff and resources out of the public system, leaving everyone else waiting even longer for the care they need. For-profit interests are seeing our public healthcare system struggling. They are seeking out ways they can cash in, whether that be on lucrative publicly-funded government contracts or by charging patients for healthcare services already covered under Medicare."

The clinic in question, The Marda Loop Medical Clinic, states on its website that, they are, 'members of the Calgary West Central Primary Care Network which means that our patients have access to enhanced collaborative, community-based primary care.' The website makes no mention of membership fees than in the FAQ portion.

"There are several services that are not covered by the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, which you may find listed on the Alberta government website. Marda Loop Medical Clinic follows the Alberta Medical Association guidelines for pricing of uninsured services and those costs may be found posted at the clinic."

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