The Government of Alberta made changes to their health insurance coverage for eye care in the province, with some procedures being delisted from coverage for seniors and children.
In a bulletin sent to optometrists on Jan. 2, the province outlined five changes to coverage that saw partial vision examination for seniors and children delisted for coverage, and reduced payments for other types of eye exams.
In a statement provided by the Ministry of Health, the government said that they were making the changes to bring coverage in line with other provinces.
“We are working to better align program costs with other provinces, and to make responsible decisions when it comes to funding the priorities of today, maintaining core services, paying off debt, and saving for the future,” the statement read.
“Changes to Alberta’s optometry coverage, effective February 1, 2025, will better align Alberta’s coverage with other Canadian jurisdictions and to improve efficiencies in the system.”
The ministry said that Alberta’s coverage is among the best in the country, and that the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan covers optometry services not covered elsewhere in the nation.
“Alberta is also the only jurisdiction in Canada that covers an annual partial routine eye exam for children and seniors, in addition to a complete eye exam every year,” the statement read.
“Under these changes, children and seniors will still be covered for one complete eye exam each year, and medically necessary eye care will continue to be available for Albertans of all ages.”
Saskatchewan currently covers full eye examinations for adults once every two years and annual full eye examinations for children. B.C. covers full eye examinations for children under 19, and seniors over 65, with medically required eye exams covered for adults every six to 24 months depending on condition.
The Government of Alberta said that the reduction in benefits is expected to save the province $8 million annually.
Full details of the reduction in service payments and coverage is available through the Alberta Open Data portal.
