Canadian Doctors for Medicare is urgently calling for the release of the Canada Health Act interpretation letter.
Why?
Right now, the Canada Health Act prohibits charging patients for medically necessary care delivered by physicians. This is why some Nurse Practitioners have been able to charge privately to deliver primary care. Further, the Canada Health Act, which was passed in 1984, does not specifically mention virtual care. There are several virtual care platforms that charge patients fees, which is harder to justify in a post-pandemic world where provinces and territories do have some public coverage for virtual care in specific situations. The provinces and territories could more broadly fund nurse practitioner and virtual care but have not yet chosen to do so, which presents an opportunity for federal leadership.
We at CDM were pleased to hear that the Minister of Health in March 2023 promised to issue a Canada Health Act interpretation letter to clarify that “no matter where in the country Canadians live or how they receive medically necessary care, they must be able to access these services without having to pay out of pocket.” Many health care advocates were hoping that the interpretation letter would stipulate that nurse practitioner care and virtual care should be publicly-funded. This would be a significant expansion in Canada’s publicly-funded health care services.
Taking Action
However, 18 months have passed, and the interpretation letter has yet to be released. This delay continues to put patients at risk of paying out of pocket for essential care. Last week, Canadian Doctors for Medicare sent a letter to the Prime Minister’s Office, urging the immediate release of the interpretation letter. You can find the letter below. We have also published an op-ed and participated in media discussions on this urgent issue. Explore our recent articles here: