New bill paves way for private medical tests

Posted on April 23, 2026 by Sunny South News

By Zoe Mason
Southern Alberta Newspapers

The Government of Alberta tabled new legislation on April 13 that will allow Albertans to access private medical testing without a physician referral.

If passed, Bill 29 will allow Albertans to pay out of pocket for diagnostic screenings.

It is the third Health Statutes Amendment Act introduced by the government in less than a year.

“Taken together, these changes reflect a health system that is evolving, one that is focused on patients responsive to their needs and built to deliver better outcomes,” said Minister of Primary and Preventative Health Services Adriana LaGrange at a press conference.

The changes are scheduled to come into effect later this year.

LaGrange demurred when asked which tests would be eligible and what safeguards would be implemented to protect capacity in the public system.

An October video featuring LaGrange and Premier Danielle Smith announced that the forthcoming reforms would allow Albertans to pay out of pocket for any diagnostic testing, including MRIs, CT scans and blood work.

LaGrange would not confirm whether the coming regulations will reflect that scope, but she did tell reporters the plan has not changed since the video’s release.

LaGrange says the public system will be protected and physician-ordered testing will maintain precedent.

“The required tests, if they’re required and if they’re referred by physicians, they will always have priority,” she said.

LaGrange says the new demand will create a market for additional capacity. She claims labs that contract these out-of-pocket screenings will bring in additional equipment and technologists.

In October, LaGrange and Smith also indicated Albertans who pay out of pocket for a test that reveals a serious condition will be eligible for reimbursement. LaGrange did not provide detail about the scenarios in which that might happen, but she said any condition discovered would have to be “very severe” to trigger reimbursement.

Specifics about eligibility, reimbursement and implementation will be determined later by regulation.

Friends of Medicare says the policy will further enable two-tier health care.

“Every time this government announces another new privatization scheme, they claim it will save money, increase capacity and shorten wait times,” said executive director Chris Gallaway. “But Albertans have seen over and over that these schemes never actually pan out as promised, and in reality, reduce public capacity, worsen wait times for patients and ultimately cost us more.

“There’s absolutely nothing to suggest this time will be any different.”

Other changes outlined in the bill will allow licensed pharmacies to keep a limited supply of medications used for addiction treatment and enable providers to offer immediate treatment in urgent situations.

Select ‘schedule one’ drugs will be affected by the legislation. Drugs deemed as having a high risk of diversion, like hydromorphone, will not qualify.

LaGrange says the amendments will expedite access to care that supports recovery in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. She says Bill 29 includes the final steps to complete the province’s years-long health system refocusing.

Materials circulated by the ministry ahead of the bill’s introduction described the remaining changes as “helping ensure more consistent oversight” and “reducing fragmentation across the system and improving clarity about where services and responsibilities sit.”

Health professionals have repeatedly criticized the health-care refocusing for disrupting the chain of command and cross-system planning.

It is unclear which remaining public health functions will be impacted by the proposed amendments.

Bill 29 extends the transitional framework to the end of 2026.