What Your Provincial Health Plan Covers: Alberta

The Alberta Health Plan is commonly referred to as AHCIP in the province, which stands for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. It was one of the first provinces to offer public hospital care, coming in after Saskatchewan became the first in 1946 by following it in 1950.

Below is a breakdown of what they currently offer:

What’s Covered

• Full coverage for those procedures and appointments that are deemed medically necessary and implemented by a doctor.
• Partial coverage for some dental services 
• Partial coverage for chiropractors
• Partial coverage for podiatrists
• Partial coverage for Optometrists 

What’s Not Covered

• Cosmetic surgery, such as panniculectomy (tummy tuck), bariatric (lap-band) surgery, and breast reduction (mammoplasty), unless deemed medically necessary.
• Prescription drugs
• Ambulance services
• Routine eye exams for residents 19–64 years of age
• Eyeglasses and contact lenses
• Routine dental care and dentures
• Some immunizations. Contact Alberta Health Services about exceptions, or for information on immunizations, call Health Link Alberta:
  In Edmonton, 780-408-5465
  In Calgary, 403-943-5465
  In Alberta, toll-free 1-866-408-5465

• Services provided by a chiropractor, acupuncturist, licensed massage therapist, homeopath, naturopath, social worker, nutritionist and physicians’ assistant.
• Vasectomy reversal
• Clinical psychologist services
• Physiotherapy
• Anaesthetic charges for services not covered by the AHCIP. For dental service exceptions, please contact your dentist
• Third-party medical services, such as medicals for employment, insurance or sports.
• Hearing aids, medical and surgical appliances, prosthetics, supplies, mobility devices, etc. Alberta Aids to Daily Living may offer assistance. Call 780-427-0731 in Edmonton, or toll-free in Alberta, dial 310-0000, then 780-427-0731
• Medical advice with a patient by telephone, unless otherwise stated in the Schedule of Medical Benefits or Schedule of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Benefits.
• Experimental or research program procedures
• Medical-legal services
• Podiatry and optometry services obtained outside Alberta
• Dentistry services obtained outside Alberta, except for medically required oral surgery.

For more information on Alberta’s provincial health plan, please visit their website. If you’d like to purchase supplemental insurance for the services that are not covered, please contact us at 1-866-899-4849.