Ford’s approach to primary care: missing the deadline, making patients pay

QUEEN’S PARK – As reports confirm Ontario will in fact miss the April 1 federal deadline to ensure medically necessary nurse practitioner services are publicly funded, Dr. Robin Lennox, Shadow Minister for Mental Health and Addictions with responsibility for Primary Care, and MPP France Gélinas, Shadow Minister for Health, called on the Ford government to stop dragging its feet while patients are forced to pay out of pocket for primary care.

“This government was happy to talk tough about closing the ‘loophole,’ but now they’re the ones refusing to do the work,” said Dr. Lennox. “What this means is that patients are still being forced to pay out of pocket for primary care because nurse practitioners don’t have a proper public funding model. The government needs to get the lead out and fix this, now.”

“We’re watching Ontario slide further into a two-tier primary care system,” said Gélinas. “When people can’t find a family doctor, and the province still won’t fully fund nurse practitioner care, the result is predictable: people pay, or they go without.”

“Let’s be clear about what’s happening on the ground,” added Dr. Lennox. “Nurse practitioners are trained to provide independent primary care, especially in rural and underserved communities. But without payment pathways, too many are pushed into private-pay models just to keep their doors open.”

“And Ontarians are already paying the price,” said Gélinas. “OurCare found Ontario had the highest share of people reporting they paid for primary care services. That is not what our public healthcare system is supposed to be. Ontario needs a stable, public funding model for nurse practitioners now, so care is based on need, not a credit card.”