The province says it is providing fair access to public health care by enforcing sections of a law to prevent extra billing by practitioners. Photo courtesy CBC.
B.C.’s health minister says action is being taken to protect British Columbians by enforcing sections of a law passed 15 years ago to tackle extra billing against patients.
The provisions of the 2003 Medicare Protection Amendment Act coming into force means practitioners could face a first-time fine of $10,000 and have to refund a patient if convicted of wrongly charging them.
That fine is doubled for a second offence.
Extra billing is charging a patient or health care representative that should be provided at no cost under Medical Services Plan coverage, or publicly funded under the Hospital Insurance Act.
“The consequences of the failure of the previous government to enforce the law has cost patients millions of dollars. This has to stop,” Dix said in a release.
“We are taking strong action today and will be asking the federal government to restore funding to B.C. in the coming year as a result.”
Federal health funding was reduced by $15.9 million in March after three private clinics were audited and Health Canada estimated extra billing cost the same amount in B.C. during the 2015-16 fiscal year.
That is in violation of the Canada Health Act.
The government is clarifying the rules around extra billing with the new provisions, authorizing the Medical Services Commission (MSC) to refund beneficiaries in cases of extra billing and set out clear consequences for breaking the rules.
The province says the MSC is currently able to audit practitioners and clinics and can seek a court-ordered injunction to stop the practice of extra billing, but other actions are limited.
Six clinics have audits planned this fiscal year in the province, with three already underway.
Andy Neal
