Bill 11 updates many Alberta health laws. It creates a new hospital insurance plan, changes how doctors can work inside and outside the public plan, tightens billing rules, and modernizes health information and public health powers.
The bill keeps core public coverage in place. It also adds clear rules for any services offered outside the public plan, and increases penalties for illegal extra billing.
Key changes
Creates an Insured Hospital Services Plan inside the Alberta Health Care Insurance Act and moves hospital coverage rules out of the old Hospitals Act.
Defines three types of doctors and dentists: participating (public only), flexibly participating (can offer public and private services), and non‑participating (private only). Keeps the ban on extra billing for insured services.
Requires full, written patient consent and clear price notices before any non‑Plan (private) service. Lets the Minister set limits to protect access to insured care.
Increases fines and adds administrative penalties. Allows public naming of providers who break the rules.
Modernizes the Alberta Electronic Health Record (Alberta EHR), adds stronger privacy standards and logging, and gives patients more access to who viewed their records.
Makes public drug plans payer of last resort and bans cutting employer drug benefits only because of a worker’s age.
Introduces a registration renewal system with expiring health cards; coverage can be cancelled for not renewing (with a process to reinstate).
Creates public health investigators with power to check compliance and issue administrative penalties.
Your insured doctor and hospital care remains covered. You cannot be charged extra for insured services.
If a doctor offers a non‑Plan service, they must tell you their status, what the service is, the full price, that it is not covered, and that you can get an insured option. You must agree in writing before paying.
Hospitals can charge for non‑insured items and for “enhanced” goods or services you request (for example, upgraded amenities). If your doctor says the enhanced item is medically needed, no fee applies.
You may need to renew your provincial health registration and keep your health card current. If you miss renewal, your coverage can be cancelled until reinstated.
You can ask who accessed your information in the Alberta EHR. There will be electronic logs kept for years.
If you have a public drug plan and another plan (work or federal), the other plan pays first.
Physicians and dentists
You must choose to be participating, flexibly participating, or non‑participating. Only participating and flexibly participating doctors/dentists can bill the public plan.
Offering non‑Plan services requires advance disclosure, written consent, and separate records. The Minister can ask for records and set limits to protect access to insured services.
Extra billing for insured services remains illegal, with higher fines and new administrative penalties. Repeat or serious issues can lead to status changes or recovery of payments.
Employers and private insurers
You cannot reduce or end employer drug benefits only because of a worker’s age. The Minister can order reinstatement and reimbursement.
Public drug plans pay last when another plan can pay.
Hospitals and facility operators
Hospital funding, authorized patient charges, and fees for non‑entitled persons move under the new Insured Hospital Services Plan. Sector ministers can set fees and cost‑sharing.
“Enhanced” goods and services can carry patient fees when requested and not medically necessary.
More reporting duties apply; grants can be suspended for non‑compliance.
Researchers and public bodies
Clearer rules for research using health data, including accepting out‑of‑province ethics approvals that meet Alberta’s standards.
New privacy management program requirements, stronger logging, and standards for automated systems.
Public health
New public health investigators can inspect public places, collect samples, and issue administrative penalties for non‑compliance.
Estimated annual cost: No publicly available information.
The bill enables new administrative work (compliance reviews, logging, public disclosures, appeals) and creates administrative penalties and fines. No clear public estimate of net costs or revenues.
Protects public health care by keeping the ban on extra billing for insured services and by allowing limits on private offerings that could drain public access.
Gives patients clearer information and choice before paying for any non‑Plan service; stops surprise bills.
Modernizes hospital coverage rules and lets hospitals offer optional “enhanced” items transparently, with no fee when medically necessary.
Strengthens enforcement with higher penalties, public disclosure of violations, and faster administrative tools.
Improves privacy and accountability in the Alberta EHR, including detailed access logs and higher standards.
Stops age‑based cuts to employer drug benefits and ensures public plans pay last, reducing duplicate spending.
Allowing “flexibly participating” doctors may blur lines between public and private care and could lead to queue‑jumping or two‑tier access if not tightly controlled.
Patients may face more out‑of‑pocket costs for non‑Plan and “enhanced” services, and some may feel pressure to pay for faster or nicer options.
New ministerial order powers over physicians and public naming of violators may feel heavy‑handed and discourage innovation.
Registration renewals with expiring health cards risk accidental loss of coverage for people who miss deadlines or face barriers.
Added paperwork, logging, and record requests could increase administrative burden on clinicians and facilities.
Expanded public health investigation powers and administrative penalties may raise civil liberties and due‑process concerns if not used carefully.