EDMONTON -- The UCP government is changing the rules for the Seniors Drug Benefit Program, removing coverage for 46,000 Albertans.
The province is ending coverage for non-seniors, who were previously receiving coverage as dependents of seniors included in the plan.
A spokesperson with Alberta Health said in a statement to CTV News Edmonton that the change brings Alberta in line with other provinces, which do not cover non-seniors through a seniors program.
The change goes into effect March 1, 2020 and is expected to save $34.5 million.
The NDP Opposition called on the government to reverse the decision Tuesday.
Heather Waldie participated in the NDP announcement. She is undergoing cancer treatment and will lose the prescription drug coverage she currently has through her husband's plan.
"You are targeting a demographic that is a lower income population, that may not have a pension, that has related drug costs due to age, this is unfair and this affects all of us," Waldie said. "Restore the funding."
According to the government, non-seniors can get coverage through the Alberta Blue Cross Non-Group Program. This coverage does not exclude applicants with pre-existing conditions.
