What’s the Best Health Insurance in Alberta?

Health insurance in Alberta 101

What’s covered by the government: In Alberta, medically necessary physician and hospital services are covered under the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP). For most seniors’ drugs and a few ancillary items, coverage is provided through Coverage for Seniors (Alberta Blue Cross). Dental and optical assistance are separate, income-based programs.

What’s not: Unless you qualify for income-based assistance (or you have group benefits through your employer), you and your family are probably going to need private health insurance to plug the gaps in your drug, dental and vision coverage. Not to mention the cost of paramedical services, mental health professionals, and medical equipment.

What’s the best health insurance in Alberta?

We’ve identified the best health insurance in Alberta by evaluating 65 products from 9 insurers in 3 categories:

• Customer service averages the scores given in real customer reviews on Google, the Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot, and Insureye.
• Financial stability reports the grade given by reputable credit rating agencies A.M. Best, Morningstar DBRS, and S&P Global.
• Value for money measures how much coverage you can claim in return for every dollar paid in co-payments, premiums, and deductibles.

The result is a definitive ranking of the best health insurance plans for self-employed workers, seniors and everybody else in Alberta from Calgary to Edmonton.

* Prices reflect the approximate costs for residents in the relevant age group in Alberta. They were last updated October 20th, 2025.

1. Guaranteed Issue Classic from PolicyMe

Why it’s the best: PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Classic plan combines competitive coverage and pricing with the best customer service in the industry, no medical questions required! Apply online in 20 minutes or less, and you can start making claims as soon as one business day later.

Classic is a guaranteed acceptance plan that gives moderate to high-income families in Alberta access to drug, dental, vision and other medical coverage. Major, orthodontic, and accidental dental insurance is particularly important (and expensive) for children, and isn’t covered by the AHCIP. You’ll also be relieved to know you’re covered for the entirety of air and ground ambulance transportation.

Premiums start around $132/month for applicants ages 21-44 in Alberta.

Pros:

Cons:

2. Freedom to Choose Select Elite from Canada Life

Why we chose it: If you don’t mind paying a little more (and answering a few medical questions), the Freedom to Choose Select Elite plan from Canada Life is an excellent premium health insurance plan. Its best features are its high annual maximums for prescription drugs, major dental services, and visits to paramedical professionals, all of which are missing from the AHCIP.

Premiums start around $209/month for applicants ages 18-44 in Alberta.

Pros:

Cons:

3. ComboPlus Enhanced Plan from Manulife

Why we chose it: The ComboPlus Enhanced Plan by Manulife can be a cost-effective option if you have high prescription drug costs. Plus, its dental coverage increases year after year, covering 60% of oral surgeries, periodontics, and endodontics in Year 1 (and then 80% in Year 3+); and 60% of major and orthodontic services in Year 2+.

Premiums start around $179/month for applicants ages 18-44 in Alberta.

Pros:

Cons:

Looking for something more budget-friendly?

PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Economic plan is one of the cheapest health insurance plans in Alberta to offer drug, dental, and vision coverage with no medical questions asked.

What’s the best health insurance for seniors in Alberta?

Only eligible seniors (65+) receive prescription drug coverage via Coverage for Seniors. Dental and optical coverage depend on income and program eligibility. Paramedical and mental-health coverage are not included under standard provincial senior benefits—that means most seniors in Alberta have some health insurance gaps to fill. 

For a cost-effective option, we recommend GMS’s ExtendaPlan. It contains no dental care or prescription drug coverage, but offers a $350 combined annual limit for paramedical health care services, up to $650 for visits to mental health professionals plus allowances for hearing aids, health supplies, orthotics, mobility aids, and preferred hospital accommodations.

Premiums start around $35/month for individuals 65+ and $65/month for a couple. For $28-$62 more per month, you can upgrade to the OmniPlan and enjoy enhanced paramedic, mental health, and wheelchair/motorized scooter coverage.

Methodology

There are many points to consider when choosing a health plan and provider, which we boiled down to three essentials:

Because the Canadian insurance industry is so highly regulated, we take each company's Financial Stability score as a given. Our rankings are based on each company's Customer Service score plus the Value for Money score of its highest-rated plan in the relevant category.

How much does health insurance in Alberta cost?

According to Statistics Canada, Albertan households spent an average of $3,377 on out-of-pocket medical expenses in 2023, including private medical insurance premiums. Nationwide, the average Canadian household spent $3,087 in the same year. 

With a private health insurance plan from PolicyMe, the same household could save an estimated $1,807 per year on drugs, dental, vision, paramedical visits, and medical equipment with our top pick, the Guaranteed Issue Classic Plan. 

As for what you’ll pay, here’s a comparison of monthly health insurance quotes for the top 3 health insurance policies in Alberta:

* Prices reflect the approximate costs for residents in the relevant age group in Alberta. They were last updated October 20th, 2025.

What does the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan cover?

By law, the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) must cover necessary medical care in Canada. As long as you have a valid provincial health card, you’re covered for 100% of:

Although they aren’t covered under the AHCIP, ambulance services are heavily subsidized in Alberta. For medically necessary trips, Alberta residents are typically billed a standard ground ambulance user fee (commonly $385); air ambulance is billed at full cost. Actual charges can vary by circumstance (e.g., assessed-but-not-transported). 

Outside of the country, you may be covered for some emergency and non-emergency physician and hospital services, but only up to the amount the AHCIP would normally pay if you’d received them in Canada. It’s highly recommended to seek travel insurance before going abroad.

Check the table below for a quick overview of the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan, what it covers, and for whom:

The province also offers the following extended health benefits for Albertans with low income:

Depending on your income, you could also meet the eligibility requirements for subsidized premiums to the Non-Group Coverage plan. This will reduce the monthly cost from $63.50/month to $44.45/month for individuals, and $118/month to $82.60/month for families.

How to find the best health insurance for you

The secret to buying health insurance is to know your needs and do your research. Here are 5 steps to success and the most important questions at each stage:

1. Find your existing coverage: Take a look at your province’s public healthcare plan and your employer’s group health benefits to identify the coverage you already have. Are you using it completely?
2. Tally your existing costs: Add up your health out-of-pocket expenses during the past year (including the receipts for prescription drugs, dental work, and medical equipment) and any successful health insurance claims. Is there anything left over? How much?
3. Identify coverage gaps: These could be leftover expenses from successful claims or services that aren’t covered by public or group healthcare. How much money did you lose to coverage gaps last year? If you divide the total by 12, what’s the monthly cost?
4. Request health insurance quotes: Now that you know your coverage gaps, you can start to look for plans to address them. Do you need supplemental health insurance, vision, dental, paramedical services, or do you want to maximize your covered services? Are your expenses eligible? Are the premiums lower than the monthly cost of your coverage gaps?
5. Calculate your savings: Read the fine print regarding each plan’s maximums, covered services, and fees. If you had bought it last year, how much money would you have paid in premiums? How much money would you have saved?

Don’t forget to take a hard look at the customer reviews for different health insurance companies. Good customer service is a necessity for making efficient use of your coverage—not to mention getting reimbursement when you need it!

FAQ: Best health insurance in Alberta