Alberta government ends plans to change insulin pump therapy program

At an announcement Thursday, Health Minister Jason Copping said the program will continue as it was designed and will add access to the next generation of insulin pumps “starting as soon as possible” this year. A new diabetes working group is also in the works to “identify any ways our current system can be improved” by the fall of 2023, he said.

In May, the government announced that the insulin pump therapy would be discontinued as of Aug. 1 and the 4,000 Albertans being covered for pumps to deliver life-saving insulin throughout the day would have to find a government-sponsored health benefit plan like Blue Cross unless they have insurance through their employer or a private plan. At the time Copping said the changes would save the government $9 million.

People with diabetes and their families immediately raised concerns that this could mean additional co-pays and make it more difficult to afford the equipment. Copping then backed off saying he would pause the changes until more consultation could be done.

On Thursday the minister said that consultation, which included a telephone town hall, helped him realize that the government was taking a “narrow view” of the situation.

“The desire to ensure that we have care for Albertans and ensure that it’s sustainable from a financial standpoint, that remains,” he said.

“But looking only at this one narrow program as opposed to the whole pathway, and not taking into consideration not just providing support but the savings associated with the support to keep people in hospital, we didn’t look at it from that point of view.”

NDP health critic David Shepherd said Thursday that it was “a great day for all Albertans who depend on the insulin pump therapy program” many of whom fought against the change.

“They were clear, insulin pumps are life-saving and life-changing for people with type one diabetes and with the rising cost of living there could not have been a worse time to cancel this program. Yet, that’s exactly what the UCP had planned to do,” Shepherd said.

Copping said the working group, made up of patients, their caregivers, diabetes organizations, health professionals and researchers, will look at the roles of primary care physicians and other clinicians in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes, identify current gaps in the system and ways the system can be improved.

Details on who will be a part of the working group are expected in September.

Any recommendations from the working group won’t be released until after the next election. Shepherd said an NDP government would look at how they could implement the recommendations. The NDP has already promised to keep the program.