From 1 January 2027 Alberta moves to a Care-First system. The biggest change for injured people is that treatment funding stops being capped at 10 to 21 visits.
What Is Care First Auto Insurance Alberta?
Care-First is the new auto insurance system the Government of Alberta is introducing on 1 January 2027. The province describes the intent as care without the wait and compensation without the conflict: benefits are paid on the basis of your injury and your recovery rather than being fought over through a fault-based claim.
For a physiotherapy, chiropractic or massage patient, the practical question is simple. How much treatment will be funded, and how quickly can it start? That is where Care First Auto Insurance Alberta is most significant for people dealing with injuries after a motor vehicle accident.
How Care First Auto Insurance Alberta Changes Injury Treatment
Under the current system, treatment for the common collision injuries is capped. Alberta’s Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols Regulation allocates a block of either 10 or 21 visits depending on the injury and its severity, and treatment beyond that requires approval from your insurer.
Under Care-First, that cap goes. Medical and rehabilitation treatment becomes unlimited for as long as it contributes to your recovery. Physiotherapy, chiropractic, psychology and comparable services fall under that.
For anyone with an injury that does not resolve in the first few weeks — persistent whiplash, a shoulder that will not settle, post-concussion symptoms — this is a meaningful difference. Under the current rules those are exactly the cases that run out of funded visits partway through recovery.
Care First Auto Insurance Alberta vs the Current System
Treatment funding now
A defined block of 10 or 21 visits for protocol injuries, with further treatment requiring insurer approval.
Treatment funding from 2027
Unlimited treatment for as long as it supports your recovery, rather than a fixed visit count.
Other benefits from 2027
Higher income replacement, permanent impairment and fatality benefits, and the province has said benefits will be accessible in weeks rather than months.
What Care First Auto Insurance Alberta Means If You Are Injured
If your collision happens before the changeover, the current protocols apply to your claim. Do not delay treatment waiting for the new system — the funded visits you have now are most valuable in the first weeks after an injury, and early treatment produces better outcomes for soft-tissue injuries regardless of which system pays for it.
If you are injured after 1 January 2027, expect a different pathway with more treatment available. Either way, the first steps are the same: report the collision to your own insurer, get your claim number, and get assessed early.
Details of how Care-First is implemented are still being finalised by the province. We will keep this page current as they are confirmed. If you are unsure which system applies to your situation, call us at (780) 673-0573.
Common Questions About Care First Auto Insurance Alberta
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Injured in a collision? Do not wait for the rules to change — early treatment matters under either system.
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