Self funded medical treatment will become history! Starting from next year, more medical services will be covered for free
If you find yourself needing to pay for certain necessary medical services out of your own pocket, a new healthcare plan update starting next year may change this situation.
Federal Health Secretary Mark Holland issued a statement on Friday outlining the new Canada Health Act (CHA) service policy. This policy requires healthcare plans in all provinces or territories of Canada to cover services considered "medically necessary" provided by doctors or professionals equivalent to doctors, such as practicing nurses.
Holland stated that in order to meet the needs of Canadians, the way healthcare services are provided must be changed. This includes practicing nurses now being able to diagnose, refer, and treat patients, tasks traditionally handled by primary care physicians.
Unfortunately, too many Canadians have to pay for certain health services out of their own pockets, and if these services were provided by doctors, these costs should have been covered by publicly funded provincial or territorial healthcare plans.
Image source: REUTERS/Blair Gable
We need to protect the publicly funded healthcare system and ensure that Canadians can access fair healthcare services based on their medical needs rather than their ability to pay
Holland stated that these changes will take effect on April 1, 2026, to allow time for adjustments to the provincial and regional healthcare insurance systems.
Starting from April next year, any medically necessary physician equivalent services provided by regulated healthcare professionals (such as practicing nurses) should be covered by provincial and regional healthcare plans.
According to Holland, any additional charges for these services from that date onwards will be considered as additional billing practices and user charges in violation of the Canadian Healthcare Act.
This means that every improperly charged fee will be deducted from provincial and regional health transfer payments, "he explained. Once the patient charges and the circumstances that led to these charges are eliminated, provinces and regions will be eligible for compensation
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The federal government will collaborate with provinces and regions to develop information collection measures necessary for implementing new policies.
Holland also mentioned that he has learned that certain private surgical clinics offer patients the opportunity to pay for non emergency surgeries (such as cataract surgery, knee or hip replacement surgery, hernia repair) outside of their province or region, in order to bypass queues.
In a letter to provinces and regions, he said, "I am concerned that this approach may weaken the fundamental principle of universal healthcare, which is that access to medical services should be based on health needs rather than payment ability or willingness. That is why I have instructed department officials to continue working with you to closely monitor this issue
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