Understanding what conditions are impacting your plan members and your organization, as well as the resulting cost, is important. Alberta Blue Cross® monitors and reviews drug claiming information to provide insight into the prevalence of health conditions in our populations and the associated costs that can impact plan sustainability in the future.
The following are the top 10 health conditions ranked by total amount paid (Table 1) and by number of claims (Table 2).
Top 10 health conditions based on amount paid*
| Rank | Health Condition |
| 1 | Diabetes |
| 2 | Crohn’s disease/ulcerative colitis |
| 3 | Asthma/COPD |
| 4 | Depression |
| 5 | Rheumatoid arthritis |
| 6 | ADHD |
| 7 | Cardiovascular disease |
| 8 | Multiple sclerosis |
| 9 | Psoriasis |
| 10 | Reflux/ulcer |
Top 10 health conditions based on number of claims*
| Rank | Health Condition |
| 1 | Cardiovascular disease |
| 2 | Depression |
| 3 | Infection (antibotic) |
| 4 | Diabetes |
| 5 | Asthma/COPD |
| 6 | High cholesterol |
| 7 | Reflux/ulcer |
| 8 | Thyroid disorders |
| 9 | Pain (narcotic) |
| 10 | Pain (non-narcotic) |
As can be seen above, there are a mix of conditions at play in the top 10 conditions. Non-modifiable conditions such as Crohn’s Disease and Rheumatoid Arthritis represent higher-cost, lower-frequency claims. By contrast, cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol and diabetes—typically viewed as conditions where the disease severity can be modified—are among the top conditions by number of claims as well as by amount paid.
While lifestyle changes generally have limited impact on non-modifiable conditions, some of the more modifiable conditions noted above can be tackled through education, diet and physical activity. Wellness initiatives, such as Alberta Blue Cross’s Balance® platform, can help. Balance® helps users assess and track their health and wellness habits and includes features like medication and activity reminders, educational articles and more. For more information on this and other resources available to help manage health, please speak with your Alberta Blue Cross® representative.
*The rankings above are based on 2019 Alberta Blue Cross® private plan drug claims data and reflect Health Canada-approved indications (health conditions) of the medications.
Balance® is a registered mark of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross® Plans, an association of independent Blue Cross® plans
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It is great to hear that she is doing well and experiencing relief! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Can Alberta Blue Cross tell me if they have finally gotten on board with the Libre Sensor approval? Seems every Insurance Company but his one will approve it! if they took the time to do the math, figured out costs of strips, needles on top of the evasive finger pokes how can they not understand this is so much more beneficial for their clients! Come on AB Blue Cross, we expect better than this of you!!!
Hi Lisa,
We can certainly look into whether your plan covers the Free Style Libra sensor. We’ll send you an email to request your plan ID number so we can check this out for you.
Freestyle Libre flash testers save so much money because users use it often,Ontario and quebec I believe have coverage,why not Albertans,As a 4 year user flash testers improve the health of diabetics and do not cost that much more. !
Thank you for your comment Peter, we will share this feedback with our teams.
Exactly! Every other province gets coverage and I pay $300 a month for my plans and was told I will never have coverage for a CGM or FGM system because it’s private insurance so I can only hope for a job with amazing benefits or pay the extra $200 out of pocket for them.. how is a single family income supposed to sustain $500 a month on medical alone?