Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Surrey North for raising the issue of the reopening of the False Creek Urgent Care Centre and also for the very strict timelines in answering her very interesting questions.
First, let me emphasize the federal government's desire to work in collaboration with the provinces and territories to ensure that the publicly funded health care system is strong, universally accessible and equitable and that Canadians have access to the care they need when they need it.
The Canada Health Act is Canada's federal legislation for publicly funded health care insurance. The Canada Health Act establishes criteria and conditions related to insured health services and extended health care services that provinces and territories must fulfill to receive the full federal cash contribution under the Canada health transfer.
The aim of the Canada Health Act is to ensure that all eligible residents of Canada have reasonable access to medically necessary services on a prepaid basis without direct charges at the point of service for such services.
The Canada Health Act requires that all medically necessary services provided by participating or enrolled physicians be covered by the provincial or territorial health insurance plan.
As the hon. member for Surrey North noted, on April 9 the False Creek Urgent Care Centre reopened to the public after recruiting doctors from out of province to work at the clinic. These physicians are not enrolled in British Columbia's medical services plan and, as a result, operate completely outside the provincial health insurance plan.
In this situation it is important to note that services provided by physicians who are not enrolled in their provincial or territorial health insurance plan, or who are non-participating physicians, are not considered insured health services under the Canada Health Act.
The right of physicians to practise outside of provincial or territorial health insurance plans was recognized by provinces in the 1960s and 1970s when they created their own medical health insurance programs.
Since the inception of the Canada Health Act in 1984, the position of the federal government has been that non-participation by physicians is acceptable under the Canada Health Act provided the physician is fully opted out and the patient is not entitled to a reimbursement from the plan for the services provided.
In addition, the right to opt out should never impede reasonable access to insured health services for provincial residents.
Therefore, in situations where physicians do not participate in the provincial or territorial health insurance plan, neither they nor their patients can recover the costs of the services rendered or received from the provincial health insurance plan.
These physicians may therefore establish their own fees, which are paid directly by the patient.
As noted, the provision of insured services by non-participating physicians is acceptable under the Canada Health Act as long as reasonable access to insured services is paid for by the province and is maintained.
While most provinces and territories allow for physician practice outside the plan, some provinces have chosen not to allow physicians to opt out of the public system.
With this in mind, let me assure the House that this government will continue to work collaboratively with the provinces and territories to uphold the principles of the Canada Health Act and the integrity of our publicly funded health care system.