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BigBen · 03-03-2006, 08:27 AM

...sigh...

Like calling Healthcare "Free" instead of "Universal", I must object to the use of the term "Illegal" when discussing private medical clinics.

You are allowed to open a private clinic in Canada. You must be a member of good standing in your area of specialty, and you must also provide competent care.

The confusion comes when it is time to pay the bills. The Canada Health Act forbids the use of Federal funds to pay for private clinics. What we have here is federal government matched funds, or in layman's terms, "50 cent dollars". When the bill comes to the public clinic, they only see half of the costs.

When the bill arrives for a private clinic, they see the true, unsubsidized cost. Private clinics cry foul, and say they are being penalized. In reality, they are not being compensated for following our rules.

If you are a public clinic, and you see 10,000 patients every year, and you charge a fee to one patient that contravenes the Canda Health Act, then you are at risk of losing half of the compensation for the 10,000 visits. Is this illegal? Technically, no. It is the old philosophy of "Carrot and the Stick". Play by the rules, and you have access to federal funds. Fuck around, and we cut you off, and you soon find out how expensive healthcare really is.

Please stop calling the private clinics "illegal".

03-03-2006, 08:27 AM	#33 (permalink)
BigBen Comedian Location: Use the search button	...sigh... Like calling Healthcare "Free" instead of "Universal", I must object to the use of the term "Illegal" when discussing private medical clinics. You are allowed to open a private clinic in Canada. You must be a member of good standing in your area of specialty, and you must also provide competent care. The confusion comes when it is time to pay the bills. The Canada Health Act forbids the use of Federal funds to pay for private clinics. What we have here is federal government matched funds, or in layman's terms, "50 cent dollars". When the bill comes to the public clinic, they only see half of the costs. When the bill arrives for a private clinic, they see the true, unsubsidized cost. Private clinics cry foul, and say they are being penalized. In reality, they are not being compensated for following our rules. If you are a public clinic, and you see 10,000 patients every year, and you charge a fee to one patient that contravenes the Canda Health Act, then you are at risk of losing half of the compensation for the 10,000 visits. Is this illegal? Technically, no. It is the old philosophy of "Carrot and the Stick". Play by the rules, and you have access to federal funds. Fuck around, and we cut you off, and you soon find out how expensive healthcare really is. Please stop calling the private clinics "illegal". __________________ 3.141592654 Hey, if you are impressed with my memorizing pi to 10 digits, you should see the size of my penis.