CHIROPRACTIC DELISTED IN ALBERTA With the proclamation of the Health Gov- ernance Transition Act, Alberta is announc- ing a number of changes to its health-care system. Among them is the delisting of chiropractic. Albertans will now be paying out-of-pocket for chiropractic services, as the current subsidization of $14 per visit will soon be discontinued. In response to the Alberta government’s de- cision to discontinue funding, Dr. Clark Mills, president of the Alberta College and Associa- tion of Chiropractors (ACAC) said, “We are confi dent Albertans will continue to value chiropractic treatment.” Although the ACAC notes that chiropractic treatment remains more than capable of re- lieving pressures on the increasingly strained medical system, Alberta’s 2009 budget indi- cates otherwise. While allotting $12.9 billion to health and wellness spending – an increase of almost eight per cent from last year’s health spending – the province has eliminated assistance for chiropractic services, effective summer 2009. In 2008, Alberta’s Health and Wellness Minister, Ron Leipert, issued an open letter to Albertans wherein he described the move to a new health governance model. In this model, Alberta Health Services, an initiative within the province’s plan for improving the health- care system, represents the amalgamation of Alberta’s previous regional health authorities along with a number of health-care boards. Led by its president and chief executive officer, Dr. Stephen Duckett, the new board for Alberta Health Services was intended to govern all health services in the province, working in partnership with Alberta Health and Wellness, with a proposed mission to ensure that all Albertans have equal access to health services across the province. However, for chiropractic, this new gover- nance structure did not translate into funding. Although previously funded by Alberta Health Care, of the $7.7 billion allotted by the prov- ince’s 2009 budget to Alberta Health Services for the delivery of health care across the prov- ince, no allowance was made for chiropractic among the services to receive funding. (The remainder of the budget went to infrastruc- ture support for capital projects.) An organized and concentrated effort to stave off this decision was coordinated by the ACAC. Over sixty meetings with Alberta MLAs were held to discuss the value of chi- ropractic services to Albertans and to provide current research studies on the cost and clini- cal effi cacy of chiropractic in a health system. As well, it is estimated that tens of thousands of letters from Albertans were sent to the Minister of Health protesting the proposed cuts to funding. www.canadianchiropractor.ca CANADIAN CHIROPRACTOR | MAY 2009 • 29 Relieving back pain, all over the world. Says Mills, “In facing a global recession, the government had to make some difficult choices – we understand the decision to del- ist chiropractic was solely budget driven. Our patients and our profession have appreciated the nominal funding for chiropractic services provided to date. The chiropractic profession looks forward to continuing a strong relation- ship with the government to help serve the health-care needs of Albertans.” The ACAC regulates the chiropractic pro- fession in Alberta under the Health Profes- sions Act. There are currently more than 900 licensed chiropractors in Alberta providing care to almost one million patients per year. In Alberta, chiropractic services are reported to have received the highest rating for access, and the second highest rating for patient sat- isfaction in the 2006 Health Quality Council of Alberta survey. Despite having been eliminated from the scope of provincial funding, Dr. Mills maintains, “Chiropractic remains an integral player in sup- porting Albertans’ health and wellness needs.” news
Chiropractic + Naturopathic Doctor May 2009: Page 29
