BC Nurses' Union calls government review of Copeman's "Club Medicare" an outrage
President McPherson says it is a bad day for Medicare and demands full disclosure
Since November 2005, the BC Nurses' Union (BCNU) has raised on-going concerns with the BC government about the Copeman Clinic's requirements for patients to pay large fees to see physicians whose services are covered under Medicare.
"Today's decision that the Copeman Clinic is not in violation of the Medicare Protection Act and the Canada Health Act is a fundamental attack on the principles of Medicare that the people of British Columbia hold dear. It opens up the floodgates for further violations and erosion of our publicly-funded, publicly-administered health care system. It is a very bad day for the future of Medicare," says Debra McPherson, BCNU President.
"The government review completed by the Medical Services Commission will apparently not be released by government to the public. This is not acceptable. Any trust people have in the current government's willingness to be open and accountable will be undermined. We have a fundamental right to full disclosure of information that impacts on our equal access to health care services."
Nurses are outraged that this review seems to be saying that any and all extra medical fees can be charged to an average person seeking care.
"This is exactly the reason that BCNU has stood up for Medicare by launching a legal challenge against extra billing practices," McPherson says.
That legal challenge was launched in December 2006 against the Medical Services Commission for failing to enforce the laws of Medicare by allowing extra billing charges for medically necessary services by physicians across the province. This stands in the Supreme Court of BC, awaiting decision. This same Commission has now apparently concluded that the Copeman Clinic is operating within the law.
Meanwhile, McPherson is calling on the government to immediately fully disclose the contents of the government's review of Copeman's Club Medicare.
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