Ontario’s decision to end funding for a program that provides healthcare for uninsured patients will not be reversed, according to Ontario Health Minister Sylvia Jones, even as the move sparked controversy among the province’s doctors.
Jones confirmed on Monday that the Physician and Hospital Services for Uninsured Persons Program will be discontinued this Friday, March 31.
“There's no change in the way that uninsured persons will receive care in the province of Ontario, the only change is how hospitals, community health, and midwifery centres will be reimbursed for ensuring and providing that care,” she said.
Introduced in March 2020 during the onset of the pandemic, the program enabled 7,000 doctors to bill the province for providing about 400,000 patient services. It cost $6.8 million in 2020-21, $6.3 million in 2021-22, and $2.7 million so far this year, according to the Ontario Medical Association (OMA).
“The OMA feels the decision to end the program will be detrimental to the livelihood of marginalized Ontarians who often face the greatest barriers in our society,” said Dr. Rose Zacharias, president of the association, via The Canadian Press. “Instead, the government will rely on the goodwill of physicians who often exercise a moral obligation to care for uninsured persons without being compensated.”
OMA had asked that the program be extended for six more months, as it sought more time to come up with a better solution for the uninsured.
However, Jones was firm on the decision that the program would not be extended, stating that there are other programs in place to help uninsured residents receive healthcare.
“That could be through an emergency department, that can be at over 75 community health care centres that operate in the province of Ontario today, right now, and are funded to ensure that people can get access without an OHIP card,” she said.
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