Health Canada won't fight Alberta's plan to charge for COVID vaccines

OTTAWA — Health Canada isn’t quarrelling with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s announcement that most Albertans will soon have to pay out of pocket for COVID-19 shots. Nicholas Janveau, a spokesperson for the federal agency, said Tuesday that the decision is entirely the premier’s to make. “Provinces and territories are responsible for the delivery and administration of their respective vaccination programs including determining which vaccines are publicly funded, eligibility criteria, and other relevant considerations,” wrote Janveau in an email to the National Post. Smith announced Friday that, starting this fall , most of Alberta’s 4.8 million residents will need to pay out of pocket for COVID vaccines, if they choose to get them. She said on her weekly call-in radio show that the change was a necessary cost-saving measure, after the Liberal government announced in January that federal funding for vaccines would end this year. “Now that we have to develop our own new program for payment … we want to avoid wastage (and) make sure that people get it as a priority who are most at risk, and then make (vaccines) available to whoever else wants (them),” said Smith. Smith noted that more than a million doses were left unused and discarded during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, costing taxpayers $135 million. “The sad part was we threw away over a million doses, because people just don’t want to get the (COVID) vaccine in the same rates as others,” said Smith. “I think it’s because (the COVID vaccine) doesn’t work particularly well,” said Smith, when asked what she made of the shortfall. A government press release said that provincially-funded vaccines will still be given free of charge to dependent seniors, the immunocompromised and those on social assistance. All other Albertans, including those over the age of 65, will be required to pay the full cost of the vaccine. The release doesn’t say how much this will be but references a Center for Disease Control costing estimates of $110 per vaccine dose. Even with the changes, Alberta is budgeting $49 million for COVID vaccines for the 2025-26 respiratory season, versus $19 million for flu shots and $2 million for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) shots. Toronto-area physician Shawn Whatley, formerly the head of the Ontario Medical Association and a fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, said that the permissibility of out-of-pocket costs under the Canada Health Act is largely a question of whether the services involved are deemed “medically necessary.” “If it’s listed as a medically necessary service then yes, there are CHA implications with (federal health transfer) clawbacks,” said Whatley. Whatley noted that you have to be 65 or older to get many vaccines covered in Ontario. He added that he wouldn’t be surprised if other provinces eventually followed Alberta’s lead on charging for COVID vaccines, if Smith manages to limit the political blowback. “In general, anytime one province finds a way to spend less without losing office, it tends to set a precedent,” said Whatley. Marisa Azad, an infectious disease specialist at the Ottawa Hospital, says she’s concerned by Smith’s off-the-cuff comments on the effectiveness of COVID vaccines. “Although everyone is entitled to their opinions, certain issues should be decided upon by professionals — there’s a mountain of scientific data supportive of the continued use of COVID-19 vaccines and their efficacy and safety,” said Azad. The Public Health Agency of Canada currently recommends COVID vaccinations for all adults aged 65 and older, as well as immunocompromised individuals, pregnant women, health care workers, Indigenous and Métis communities and other racial minorities. The Alberta Medical Association said in a statement Tuesday that people in most of these categories will need to pay out of pocket for vaccines under the incoming rules. “Creating unclear policy and barriers to vaccination for high-need groups is counter-productive to public health measures,” read the statement. National Post rmohamed@postmedia.com Get more deep-dive National Post political coverage and analysis in your inbox with the Political Hack newsletter, where Ottawa bureau chief Stuart Thomson and political analyst Tasha Kheiriddin get at what’s really going on behind the scenes on Parliament Hill every Wednesday and Friday, exclusively for subscribers. Sign up here. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.