The Ontario Health Coalition is warning of a creeping trend toward cuts to funding for community hospitals and the contracting out of services to private clinics.
Natalie Mehra, executive director of the coalition, says initially this is affecting colonoscopies, cataract surgeries, endoscopies, MRI’s CT scans and could expand to inlcude day surgeries. Mehra told Gold Hawk Fights Back on the new AM740 Monday, that in some cases these clinics are charging user or administrative fees, on top of what they’re charging OHIP for the services. Under the Canada Health act, it is against the law to charge for medically necessary services. Mehra says where these clinics make their money is through sheer volume of procedures charged to OHIP, augmented by administrative fees and selling things like upgraded lenses for cataract surgeries.