in Chatsworth, Grey Highlands, Southgate, West Grey
April 17, 2024
Today in communities around the province, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) has released a report about for-profit private clinics in Ontario that are billing, and in some cases, overbilling patients for medically necessary procedures.
The Canada Health Act (1984) and Ontario’s Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act (2004) provide legal protections for patients to receive necessary health care services without financial barriers. “The foundational principle of Canadian Public Medicare is that all Canadians have equal access to the medical care we need without being charged user fees or being subjected to extra-billing.” Yet there is evidence that for-profit private clinics are operating within our jurisdiction doing just that. They are billing patients directly for medically necessary procedures and, in many cases, upselling patients to accept and agree to pay for, procedures and services that are arguably not necessary. Seniors are particularly at risk to these pressures.
The OHC report, allegedly based on direct research, includes 18 in-depth case studies with firsthand reporting by patients who had cataract surgeries performed in private clinics and responses from 231 patient surveys. It also discusses Primary Care Fees. In Grey and Bruce counties there are about 30,000 people with no family doctor. With few walk-in clinics, this is very concerning and puts a strain on emergency services in our local small rural hospitals. In a province with thousands of people who have no family doctor, we find patients reporting practices such as appointment fees to see a doctor or nurse practitioner, membership fees for access to a primary care health team, or administrative fees that are in violation of legislated health care protections.
Read the full report on the OHC website.
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