US EditionOntario to miss federal deadline for publicly funding nurse practitioners
Ontario's delay leaves some patients paying out of pocket for primary care despite federal rules mandating public funding of nurse practitioner services by April 1.
- Ontario provincial government missed the federal April 1 deadline to publicly fund all medically necessary nurse practitioner services, leaving some patients paying out of pocket for primary care.
- Two years ago, private subscription clinics proliferated and some nurse practitioners opened fee-based clinics after 2023 applications were rejected, Jones said in question period.
- With most nurse practitioners salaried, recruitment and retention in public roles remains challenging, and associations say lack of flexible funding limits public positions across family health teams and hospitals.
- The Ministry of Health said it is actively reviewing implementation expectations, with spokesperson Ema Popovic writing that provinces will not face penalties until April 2027.
- Critics argue delayed funding undermines primary-care access ahead of 2029 as some nurse practitioners say charging was their only option after public funding was denied.
32 Articles
32 Articles
Some Ontario patients continue to face fees as Ontario misses federal deadline for nurse practitioner funding
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. It comes years after the health minister called on Canada for more support.
The Toronto Star
Ontario to miss federal deadline for publicly funding nurse practitioners
Ontario will not have a policy in place to publicly fund all medically necessary services from nurse practitioners by April 1, leaving some patients paying out of pocket for primary
Ontario to miss federal deadline for publicly funding nurse practitioners – 105.9 The Region
TORONTO — 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 fee…
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