Media Advisory: Patients to Share Stories About Being Charged Hundreds or Thousands of Dollars by Ontario Private Clinics Extra-Billing & Upselling

Coalition Warns of the Existential Threat Bill 60 Poses to Public Medicare


TORONTO, Feb. 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Health Coalition will be joined by patients from across Ontario as they reveal thousands of dollars in charges from private, for-profit clinics; the same clinics that the Ford Government is looking to give funding and expansions to under Bill 60, Your Health Act.

The Coalition will present evidence in press conferences with patients Monday morning showing the private clinics charge patients for medically necessary services, upsell patients for medically unnecessary services and make access to care contingent on paying for extra fees. This is currently happening in private for-profit cataract clinics, MRI clinics, colonoscopy clinics across Ontario and it is costing patients hundreds to thousands of dollars.


What: Media conferences live and by Zoom responding to the Ford government's plans to privatize Ontario's hospital services and Bill 60, Your Health Act, with patients sharing their stories revealing that private, for-profit clinics are currently violating the Canada Health Act to charge Ontarian’s thousands of dollars for medically necessary services and manipulate patients into paying a growing array of extra charges.
   
When & Where: Monday, February 27 at 9:45 a.m. in person at Queen’s Park media studio, Toronto
   
  Monday, February 27 at 10:30 a.m. by Zoom for cross-province media. Media must register to attend
and a Zoom link will be emailed to you. Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUvdO-grT0jHNz6kMCBWrfXaer3Xfh1ienp
   
Who: Natalie Mehra, Executive Director, Ontario Health Coalition & patients from Kingston, Newmarket and Sarnia-Lambton


For more information: Natalie Mehra cell (416) 230-6402 and Salah Shadir cell (647) 648-5706