CMA says out-of-pocket fees charged by primary-care providers should be banned

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) believes the federal government should force provinces to pay for care in other jurisdictions if wait times become dangerously long. The CMA notes a growing number of for-profit clinics are delivering specialty surgery, diagnostic imaging and primary care, including virtual care companies and private clinics that responded to the shortage of family physicians by charging patients subscription or membership fees to access NPs. Other recommendations include:

• The association wants 80% of Canadians to have access to interprofessional primary care teams within a decade;
• Public money should only go to private surgical centres after an open tendering process that guarantees patients won’t be charged for the contracted services; and
• Virtual care should be publicly covered and physicians who offer it should be remunerated commensurately with in-person services.

Related:
L’AMC publie des recommandations préliminaires sur la gestion des soins de santé publics et privés au Canada - L'Association médicale canadienne