Alberta changed the order of payment for drug and supplemental health benefits for actively employed seniors on October 1, 2026. The provincial Coverage for Seniors program remains in place, but an employer sponsored or other private plan now pays first for an actively employed person age 65 or older. The government plan is the safety net rather than the first payer. That sounds like a technical coordination change, but it reaches into the way employers design and administer benefits. Many workplaces have long treated age 65 as a natural handoff point between an employer plan and public seniors coverage. That assumption now needs a closer look in Alberta. The province expressly says employer sponsored drug and supplemental benefit plans must maintain drug coverage for actively employed employees who are 65 and older. The change does not mean those employees lose provincial coverage. Alberta says no eligible senior loses government sponsored coverage.
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