Ontario will not have a policy in place to publicly fund all medically necessary services from nurse practitioners by April 1, as ordered by the federal government, leaving some patients paying out of pocket for primary care.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones pushed the federal government years ago to close what she called a loophole in the Canada Health Act that allowed some nurse practitioner clinics in the province to charge patients fees for primary care.
The government has done that, clarifying that nurse practitioner services equivalent to what physicians provide are covered by the Act's requirement that medically necessary services are publicly funded. It has given provinces and territories the April 1 deadline — but Ontario won't be ready.