780 doctors opted out of medicare in Quebec. Only 14 have in the rest of Canada
Quebec was fined almost $42 million by Ottawa for allowing patients to be charged out of pocket for ‘medically necessary diagnostic services’
While a record 780 doctors have withdrawn from the public system in Quebec, only 14 in the rest of the country have opted out of medicare, according to the latest report on the state of the Canada Health Act.
What’s more, in March 2023 Ottawa fined Quebec nearly $42 million — by far the highest of any province — for allowing patients to be charged illegally out of pocket for “medically necessary diagnostic services” that should be covered under medicare
The annual report provides the strongest evidence to date of the extent to which health care has been moving more and more toward the private sector under the Coalition Avenir Québec government.
“In March 2023, Quebec was subject to a deduction (in funding health transfers) of $41,867,224 under the Diagnostic Service Policy, based on estimates made by Health Canada,” the report observed. “The deduction was the result of patient charges for medically necessary diagnostic services that occurred in 2020-2021.”
