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In response to questions about whether the ministry did not understand the implications of the original changes, Shandro said that after consultations, “I don’t believe that they went wrong.”

The change to overhead billing has been paused for urban doctors, pending a review by Alberta Health Services.

Medical liability insurance rates will be frozen at $1,000 for rural doctors, some of whom said they would not be able to offer obstetrics services, such as delivering babies, if rates were increased.

Rates for all family physicians in Alberta will also be frozen at $1,000. Rates for all other urban physicians will range from a low of $1,200 to a maximum of $4,000.

But Shandro said that the Alberta Medical Association (AMA) was responsible for incorrect information and a “misunderstanding” about insurance rates.

“That caused needless confusion and anxiety, particularly as physicians are trying to respond to the pandemic,” he said.

‘A band-aid for a wound that is not going to heal’

Some rural doctors said Shandro failed to show accountability on Friday and still isn’t properly seeking physician input.

“It still doesn’t address the underlying issue: trust with physicians,” said Dr. Samantha Myhr, who practices in Pincher Creek.

“He seemed to allude at least on one point that this is all the AMA’s fault — which totally misses the point that physicians are the AMA. It’s made up of us. It doesn’t change a lot for me.”

Last fall, the UCP’s Bill 21 gave it the authority to cancel its master agreement with doctors, which was scrapped in February after talks with the AMA broke down. Without an agreement, doctors still feel like their representatives are being pushed aside, said Dr. Vicci Fourie, who practices in Westlock.