Private Clinics and the Threat to Public Medicare in Canada

hospitals, they have bolstered their owners’ They petitioned the Court in a bid to force the incomes and profits by charging extra user-fees to federal Health Minister to fulfill her duty under patients amounting to hundreds or even the Canada Health Act to stop the extra-billing of thousands of dollars for medical care. [...] This motion aimed to affect the ability of the Canada Health Act and force the federal government to take measures every provincial health insurance plan to to stop the extra-billing of Quebec patients, protect access to physician and hospital prohibited by the Canada Health Act. [...] In April 2016, the federal the Quebec Health Minister to end all extra- government announced its intention to billing practices, specifying that the federal intervene in the court challenge to protect health transfer payment to the province would single-tier health care. [...] The clinics The province’s Minister and his government are required to provide one scan to a patient on have repeatedly claimed that the privatization the public wait-list for each scan they sell to a of MRIs provides two MRI scans for the price of patient who pays a user fee charged by the one, saving “taxpayers” money and reducing private clinic. [...] other medical imaging was debated, the Assistant Deputy Health Minister stated that the Opposition to the Saskatchewan government’s government assumes that the cost for the so- foray into private for-profit health care has called “free” MRI is included in the cost for the been voiced by health policy experts, doctors, private-pay MRI.18 In addition to the extra user other political parties, unions.