Invoice due: Illegal extra-billing costs BC health care $23 million
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
- Written by editor
Hello Paov --
British Columbians should not be paying out of pocket for medically necessary services already covered by MSP. And yet, in 2020-2021 alone, for-profit health care companies and providers broke the law, taking $23 million from BC residents by extra-billing them for health care services already covered by the public Medical Services Plan.
Of this, $17 million was extra-billing in diagnostic imaging such as MRIs or CT scans. Extra-billing in diagnostic imaging remains widespread as the BC government has not brought into effect provisions in the Medicare Protection Act (Section 18.1) that would protect British Columbians.
Patients are being unlawfully charged anywhere between $800 - $2000 for medically necessary MRI scans by private, for-profit imaging centres, which is more than three times the cost of a scan in the public system that would be at no charge to the patient. Add your voice to our provincial call for proactive enforcement of BC's laws on extra-billing so all British Columbians are protected.
BC is currently not in compliance with the Canada Health Act because we lack provisions against extra-billing for diagnostic services in the Medicare Protection Act. This means that future federal funding for health care will continue to be clawed back, dollar-for-dollar, for the amount these for-profit companies are extra-billing British Columbians.
This is money owed to BC residents to fund a robust public health system that continues to be taken away due to the actions of for-profit companies.
Let these companies know your health is not for profit. Sign the pledge below.
Sign NowIn solidarity,
Audrey Guay, BC Health Coalition
https://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/
British Columbia Health Coalition · 3102 Main St, 302,
Vancouver, Unceded Coast Salish Territories, BC V5T 3G7, Canada
This email was sent to s43. To stop
receiving r46.
Created with NationBuilder, software for leaders.
