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What changes for accident benefits on 1 January 2027
From 1 January 2027, Alberta's Care-First auto insurance replaces the $50,000 two-year cap on medical and rehabilitation with unlimited eligible expenses over your lifetime, and enhanced benefits no longer require a lawsuit. What that means for physiotherapy after a collision at our Edmonton clinic.
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What is changing
From 1 January 2027 Alberta moves to a Care-First auto insurance system. Medical and rehabilitation coverage changes from a $50,000 cap over two years to unlimited eligible expenses over your lifetime, and enhanced benefits become accessible without having to sue.
Alberta moves to a Care-First automobile insurance system on 1 January 2027. The government’s stated intent is faster access to treatment and less reliance on litigation to get it.
For anyone injured in a collision, the headline change is the size of the treatment entitlement.
Treatment coverage
- Currently: medical and rehabilitation is capped at $50,000 over the two years following a collision
- From 2027: unlimited eligible expenses over your lifetime
- Serious and catastrophic injuries: no maximum and no time limit for treatment that provides a measurable benefit
- Enhanced benefits become accessible without having to sue
Income replacement
Income replacement currently pays the lesser of $600 per week or 80 per cent of average gross earnings, for up to two years. From 2027 it moves to a maximum of 90 per cent of net income, up to an annually adjusted gross income maximum, payable until age 65.
There is also provision for a permanent impairment lump sum, ranging from $944 to $298,520 depending on severity.
What it means practically
If your collision happens before 1 January 2027, the current rules govern your claim. If it happens after, the new system does. For treatment that spans the date, ask your adjuster directly which framework applies — that is not a question a physiotherapist can answer for you.
What does not change is the clinical picture. Early assessment, early gentle movement and a graded return to activity remain the approach current evidence supports for collision injuries, whoever is paying.
A note on this page
This page describes a system that has not started yet, based on the Government of Alberta’s published information as at September 2026. Details can change before implementation. It will be reviewed before 1 January 2027 and again after the system is live.
Related questions
When does Alberta's new auto insurance start?
The Care-First system takes effect on 1 January 2027. Collisions before that date are governed by the current rules, and collisions after it by the new system.
What is care-first auto insurance?
A system that prioritises funding treatment and recovery over compensation through litigation. Medical and rehabilitation coverage moves from a $50,000 two-year cap to unlimited eligible expenses over a lifetime.
Can you still sue after a car accident in Alberta?
The Care-First system is designed to make enhanced benefits accessible without needing to sue. The precise scope of remaining legal rights is a question for a lawyer, not a physiotherapist.
Does this change how much physiotherapy I can get?
The funding cap changes substantially. How much treatment is appropriate remains a clinical decision based on your assessment and response, not on the size of the available benefit.
If my accident is in 2026, which rules apply?
The rules in force on the date of the collision. A collision before 1 January 2027 stays under the current Section B system for its whole course of treatment. The change is not retroactive.
Will I still be able to choose my own clinic in 2027?
Based on what has been published, yes. The reform changes how care is funded and limits lawsuits; it does not assign clinics. Vertex will update this page as regulations are finalised.
Does the change affect WCB or private insurance?
No. It applies to auto insurance only. Workplace injuries stay with WCB Alberta, and extended health plans are unaffected.
Talk to a physiotherapist in Edmonton
Vertex Physiotherapy is at 6958 76 Ave NW #205, Edmonton, AB T6B 2R2. Call (825) 525-2852 or book online, and we will match you with a physiotherapist who works with this regularly.