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Ending pandemic prenatal health coverage for uninsured people is both costly and dangerous

On March 31, 2023 the Ford government in Ontario ended the expanded health-care funding it put in place when the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. This funding allowed everyone in Ontario to access essential health care. For the hundreds of thousands of people living in the province without health insurance, this meant access to necessary surgeries, emergency care and labor and delivery services without thousands of dollars in hospital and physician bills. As a midwife who has worked in Toronto for over 20 years, largely with uninsured populations, and an associate professor who has focused my research and activism…
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Ontario’s Your Health Act: Changes to the Legal Framework for Independent Health Facilities | Knowledge

The Ontario government recently introduced Bill 60, the Your Health Act, 2023. According to the Ministry of Health, Bill 60 aims to, among other things, improve patient wait times and patient experiences by expanding access to publicly funded, community based health services.[1] This bulletin summarizes the proposed legal regime set forth in Bill 60 for “integrated community health service centres,” which will be privately operated – but publicly funded – health facilities that provide surgical and diagnostic care. Existing Regime for Independent Health Facilities Privately owned independent health facilities (IHFs) currently operate in Ontario and perform publicly funded procedures (ie,…
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Ending medical coverage for the uninsured harms vulnerable people: OMA

Breadcrumb Trail Links Local News Published March 31, 2023 • Last updated 6 days ago • 3 minute read Rose Zacharias, president of the Ontario Medical Association, poses for a photo in Ottawa Friday. Zacharias said the organization is in talks with the government about extending a program to provide care to uninsured Ontarians. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA Article content The Ontario Medical Association will continue to press the provincial government to reinstate a program that extends health coverage to people without insurance, its president Dr. Rose Zacharias has said. Advertisements 2 This advertisement has not been loaded yet,…
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Gov. Whitmer fears the impact of the ruling that free ACA screenings are unconstitutional

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer directed the state Department of Insurance and Financial Services on Monday to move immediately to protect Michiganders from the potential loss of health insurance coverage for preventive services, including colon and lung cancer screenings, and for preventive drugs for breast cancer, heart disease and HIV . Whitmer’s action comes after a federal judge in Texas struck down a provision in the Affordable Care Act that requires insurance companies to fully cover certain preventive health services, a ruling that could have major ripple effects in Michigan and across the country. US District Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern…
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Can Your EHR Template Land You in Prison?

If your electronic health record (EHR) template is set up incorrectly and leads you to be billed improperly, it could lead to prison time. We can help you stay on top of the latest news that affects your everyday life. Subscribe to stay up to date. (To subscribe to our blog click here). In recent years, we have heard from many of our clients that their compliance plans received less attention than normal due to the pandemic, staffing issues, and other pressing concerns. However, compliance enforcement is ongoing and it is essential to prioritize your compliance plan. A Delaware physician…
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Peppermint Pet Health Insurance Review 2023 – Forbes Advisor Canada

To find the best pet insurance, we reviewed each company’s policy wording and used data provided by PetInsurer.com to score each pet insurance company based on the following: Pet insurance rates: 40% of score. We calculated average rates for plans with $5,000 or unlimited coverage, a $100 deductible and an 80% reimbursement level, or the closest options available. Special waiting period: 10% of the score. Many pet insurance companies have a special waiting period for problems such as cruciate ligament issues and hip dysplasia. Plans that had no waiting period, a waiting period of six months or less, or the…
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Biden-Harris Administration Celebrates the Affordable Care Act’s 13th Anniversary and Highlights Record-Breaking Coverage

During 2023 open enrollment a record high 16.4 million people signed up, with 4.4 million more people enrolled for health insurance under the Biden-Harris Administration since 2021 New HHS report shows more than 40 million people are currently enrolled in Marketplace or Medicaid expansion coverage related to provisions of the Affordable Care Act — the highest total on record Today, the Biden-Harris Administration celebrated the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by highlighting record-breaking enrollment numbers during the 2023 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period and lower health care costs because of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Inflation…
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Buying health insurance for your next foreign trip: Don’t fall victim to the fine print

A Saskatchewan man’s nightmarish trip to the United States is a cautionary tale for those who travel outside of Canada. If you are taking a trip soon, experts say, now is the time to look into purchasing travel health insurance and, they emphasize, read the fine print before you buy. When Louis Lamothe, 72, from Halbrite, Sask., suffered a stroke while vacationing in Arizona, his family got another dose of bad news: Their insurance claim had been denied and they would be on the hook for the $56,000 flight home, as well as other hundreds of thousands of dollars in…