Alberta government to increase prescription costs for seniors for first time in 31 years

Jesmeen Gill · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 15, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

For the archetypal clip successful much than 3 decades, the Alberta authorities is raising medicine costs for immoderate seniors and Albertans nether non-group coverage.

Beginning July 1, the maximum co-payment per medicine volition gradually summation by $10 implicit 10 months, from $25 to $35 astatine a complaint of $1 per month. The summation volition beryllium afloat implemented by April 1, 2026.

It's the archetypal clip the cost has accrued since 1994.

WATCH | Additional medicine costs much than insignificant for immoderate seniors:

The state says the hike is indispensable to support gait with rising costs, with the outgo of providing sum for seniors and those successful the non-group programme expanding by astir 7 per cent annually.  The bulk of Alberta seniors volition inactive wage little than seniors successful astir different provinces, the state said.

But for seniors similar Marilyn Wieler, 83, the added disbursal represents much than a insignificant adjustment.

"It's a hardship, people weren't prepared for this. And wherefore the seniors?" Said Wieler, a unpaid astatine the Mill Woods Seniors and Multicultural Centre.

"We're connected a constricted income. Nobody's giving america other money, and present they hit america with this.

"When you truly request it a batch of radical can't spend it. That's truly unjust."

Alberta's non-group sum provides medicine cause security to residents nether 65 who aren't covered by an leader oregon backstage plan. 

If the co-payments accrued astatine the aforesaid complaint of inflation, seniors would beryllium paying $48, according to the government.

"The outgo to supply this sum is rising importantly owed to factors specified arsenic expanding cause prices, colonisation growth, and an aging population. To support the semipermanent sustainability of these programs and support medications accessible, an summation to the maximum co-payment for seniors is necessary," said the bureau of the curate of Primary and Preventative Health Services successful a connection to CBC.

Change adds stress, advocates say

Currently, determination are astir 760,000 Albertans aged 65 and older that person elder cause coverage, though lone astir 5 per cent wage the maximum co-payment, the state said. Among the astir 75,000 Albertans with non-group coverage, astir 18 per cent deed the maximum.

Low-income seniors can apply for assistance done the province's special needs assistance for seniors program, the state said. 

Still, advocates and seniors accidental the alteration adds stress, particularly for those managing aggregate prescriptions.

"We cognize that means immoderate radical won't entree the medications they need. They'll extremity up sicker, they'll extremity up successful our infirmary strategy and it'll outgo america more. That's the communicative of drugs," said Chris Gallaway, the enforcement manager astatine Friends of Medicare.

"Affordability is simply a large interest for seniors and everyone, but particularly seniors connected a fixed income. And by doing thing similar this, we cognize it means radical won't beryllium capable to entree the drugs they need. And it means that Albertans volition beryllium paying much and much retired of pouch for healthcare that should beryllium covered," helium said.

Rosemary Anderson, different elder astatine the Millwoods Centre, said she worries astir the interaction connected low-income people.

"You take not to instrumentality your diabetic, you take not to instrumentality your humor unit due to the fact that you can't spend it"

"For affluent people, $10 is thing a month, but for a batch of radical it is."

The outgo of administering the seniors and non-group cause programs successful 2023-24 was astir $1.3 billion. That fig is projected to emergence by $194 cardinal to astir $1.494 cardinal by 2026-27.

The fig of seniors successful Alberta is expected to astir treble to 1.4 cardinal by 2051.

In a statement, Sarah Hoffman, the Opposition wellness critic, criticized the move.

"Because this summation is per prescription, much seniors volition beryllium forced into making a prime – medicine oregon food, oregon rent, oregon insurance, oregon utilities bills, each of which person accrued successful outgo owed to this incompetent and cruel UCP government," Hoffman said.

"In the extremity senior's wellness volition suffer, they volition request much attraction due to the fact that they can't spend medication, and the added strain connected the full health-care strategy volition interaction each Albertans."