In a bold new maneuver to reduce “health-card misuse,” the UCP government unveiled Bill 11 on Monday, sweeping health-care legislation that will require Albertans to regularly renew their health cards, presumably to prove they still exist and haven’t run off to B.C. for cheaper rent.
Under amendments to the Health Insurance Premiums Act, residents will now have to periodically re-certify their eligibility for the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. The Ministry of Primary and Preventive Health Services, led by Adriana LaGrange, assured the public that this is not a cash grab, surveillance scheme, or elaborate loyalty program, just a tidy way to keep non-residents from sneaking back for free stitches and flu shots.
Previously, Albertans only updated their cards if they moved, married, or reproduced, activities that have declined since the price of everything went up. Now, citizens can look forward to a shiny new ritual: proving they still live in Alberta and haven’t emotionally checked out.
