March 21, 2024 | Ottawa, ON | Health Canada

Respect for that Canadian Health Act (HCA) remains an important opportunity to protect Canada’s health care system and ensure Canadians have equitable access to medically necessary care based on their needs rather than their ability to pay.

Today, the Honorable Mark Holland, Minister of Health, announced mandatory Canada Health Transfer (CHT) deductions totaling more than $79 million in response to patient fees in 2021-22 for medically necessary services provided under the CHA for patients without access should be accessible you have to pay out of your own pocket.

The goal of the Canadian Health Act Mandatory deductions under the Canada Health Transfer (CHT) have always been about ensuring that patients do not pay out of pocket for medically necessary services. By introducing the CHA reimbursement policy in 2018, the federal government allowed provinces and territories to take action to eliminate fees charged to patients and the circumstances that led to them, making reimbursement of these deductions mandatory.

Thanks to the provinces and territories working with the federal government to eliminate patient fees for medically necessary services, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and the Province of Terre-New and Labrador received total refunds of deductions totaling more under the Reimbursement Policy than 90 million dollars. These reimbursements reward the work done to protect patients from unreasonable charges and improve overall access to health care services. If provinces take additional measures to eliminate out-of-pocket costs, they will be eligible for additional reimbursements.

Canadians and their families deserve timely access to the health services they need, and they expect their governments to work together to find immediate and longer-term solutions to these challenges. The federal government will continue to work closely with the provinces and territories to ensure that all Canadians have equitable access to essential medical care based on their needs rather than their ability to pay.