Federal Health Minister speaks out against double dipping doctors
Posted June 12, 2017 12:08 pm.
Last Updated June 12, 2017 1:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – Your doctor shouldn’t be charging you additional fees for medically necessary treatment, beyond what you already pay through your taxes.
That’s the message from the federal health care minister as she swings by Vancouver.
This follows a report from the Globe and Mail this weekend that some doctors are charging patients cash to skip lines or even book appointments.
Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott is urging you to contact the relevant provincial department if your doctor is charging you extra fees unnecessarily, because it’s possible they’re violating the rules.
“Most provinces have on their website a mechanism by which patients can report potential violations and I would encourage people to do so,” says Philpott.
Philpott has had conversations on this topic with outgoing provincial health minister Terry Lake — and says she’ll follow up with whoever replaces him once it’s clear which party is governing BC.
“There’s been work done already,” says Philpott. “It’s not appropriate to give details on that at the moment, but as soon as there’s a new health minister in place we’ll continue the work with them.”
Philpott is responding to a story in the Globe and Mail outlining the practice of doctors charging so-called accessory fees in order give patients with cash the ability to skip the line, which is illegal.
