Copy of an Email Sent to Colin Carrie, MP for Oshawa

Dear Dr. Carrie,

I have recently become aware of changes that the province of Quebec is making to its healthcare system. As an Ontario resident this usually wouldn't be an issue to me, however in this particular case I am outraged that these changes are being allowed by the Federal government, and worried that the silent approval being given to them will be taken as a sign by the other provinces that going against the Canada Health Act is acceptable.

Quebec is planning to charge a $25 user fee for each doctor's visit, as I'm sure that you're aware. To my knowledge, not a single Federal politician has spoken out against this, despite it being contrary to the Canada Health Act. The Act says quite straightforwardly:

User charges
19. (1) In order that a province may qualify for a full cash contribution referred to in section 5 for a fiscal year, user charges must not be permitted by the province for that fiscal year under the health care insurance plan of the province. 

So how is this now acceptable? As you are a medical professional I'm especially bothered by your apparent lack of concern. I understand that the health system in Canada is under great stress, but user fees are simply not the answer. $25 may not seem like very much to some people, but there are so many people in Canada for whom this would be completely out of reach. Even for families such as mine, with four children, if all four children were sick at the same time we would be looking at a $100 bill for a few minutes in urgent care.

Our family lived in the United States for a year, and we have experienced their healthcare system. It is one of the reasons that we returned to Canada, and why I would hesitate to live there again. Even with employer-provided insurance and a relatively healthy family we found healthcare costs to be difficult.

In my experience, user fees do tend to make you think before you go to the doctor, which may be a good thing at first glance, however, if a user fee presents a financial difficulty you may end up avoiding an office visit when one is warranted, possibly leading to a worse medical problem down the road. To me this doesn't make sense: isn't it better to deal with problems at the start and avoid a larger bill to medicare later on? As a wellness practitioner, I would think that you would see the value in regular office visits for preventative care, as well, which might be avoided if they present a financial problem.

I hope that the Conservative Party will speak out against Quebec's planned user fees, and enforce the Canada Health Act. The vast majority of Canadians treasure our national healthcare system and do not want to see it destroyed.

Sincerely,
Cynthia Hill


NOTE: This letter was also cc's to Prime Minister Harper and Minister of Health Leona Aqlukkaq. To find an email address for your own MP, you can look here. I urge you to write a similar letter if you don't want to see Quebec allowed to go against the Canada Health Act.