BC to crack down on ‘extra billing’ in health sector

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – BC’s Minister of Health has announced the provincial government will crack down on extra billing for health care services.

At a press conference in Vancouver, Adrian Dix says the crack down will also apply to extra fees for publicly-funded procedures which are charged to the patient.

“I am taking action today to protect our public health-care system, and to correct the previous government’s failure to enforce the law, something done at the expense of patients,” says Dix.

The practice of extra billing is already illegal, but he says the province has had a “don’t ask, don’t tell” approach to it in the past. Federal audits at three private clinics estimated extra billing costs at $15.9 million, which the province has had to pay back.

“The consequences of the failure of the previous government to enforce the law has cost patients millions of dollars. This has to stop,” Dix explains. “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.”

Under new legislation, people or businesses that are found to be extra billing may have to refund the amount paid as well as face fines.

Fines of up to $10,000 will be applied for a first offence, and anyone convicted of “wrongly charging patients” on a second offence can be forced to pay up to $20,000.

Clinics could also be de-enrolled from the Medical Services Plan which means they would no long be able to bill the public health-care system for services.

The changes make up outstanding sections of the Medicare Protection Amendment Act, 2003, the province explains. Sections to be enacted include:

• Making it an offence to extra bill for services insured under the Medicare Protection Act or the Hospital Insurance Act;
• Clarifying that selling priority access to medically necessary care is extra billing;
• Providing new protections for beneficiaries and establishing that they are not liable to pay for extra billing charges;
• Creating consequences for practitioners, or others, such as privately owned medical clinics, who have extra-billed beneficiaries;
• Ensuring that all diagnostic facilities, including non-approved diagnostic facilities, cannot charge beneficiaries for diagnostic services if the services would be covered under MSP.

 

They are expected to pass in October.