Canadian Political Party Attacks Healthcare Collectors in Alberta

Working families lose, collection agencies win with the Conservative government's health care premiums scheme, said Alberta's NDP Opposition Health Critic Ray Martin today.

"Health care premiums are a regressive and unfair tax that hurts low-income Albertans more than anybody," said Martin. "The numbers don't lie: when 44 per cent of the costs of administering health care premiums go to collection agencies, people are obviously having a hard time paying it."

The document released by the NDP Opposition shows the government paid collection agencies $16,670,493 between 2003 and 2006 to collect health care premiums from Albertans. Payments to collection agencies accounted for 44% of the total costs of the billing and collection of health care premiums.

"Health premiums have created an ‘Alberta Advantage' for collection agencies. Unfortunately, there's a big disadvantage for the working poor who can't afford the extra costs. Surely, we can give working Albertans a break and get rid of this unfair and regressive tax," concluded Martin.