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News Release
Medical Group Urges End to Opting-Out
25 May, 1980
Binding arbitration could be a definite possibility in fee negotiated
with the government, a physician's group stated Saturday. The group
calls for bargaining in good faith between doctors and the government
in accordance with generally accepted labour practices, recognizing
that "the process may end in binding arbitration." They
hoped, however, that this would not be necessary.
The Medical Reform Group of Ontario made the statement Saturday
within a series of resolutions accepted by the general membership
at a meeting in Toronto. The Medical Reform Group is an organization
of almost two hundred physicians and medical students formed in
the last year to express their concerns about the future of health
care in Ontario and Canada.
The MRG believes the existence of a separate Ontario Medical Association
fee schedule and government acceptance of opting out renders the
present bargaining process for a fee schedule between the Ontario
Ministry of Health and physicians ineffectual. A separate higher
OMA schedule of fees has existed since 1978. Patients receiving
services from opted out physicians employing this schedule today
recover about 70% of the fee from OHIP. The group believes this
higher schedule should not be allowed.
They resolved that public health care funds should be used only
to pay opted in physicians. They believe physicians who wish to
remain opted out should not be able to obtain partial payment of
their fees from OHIP, nor should their patients be allowed to do
so.
The resolutions passed also called for changes in methods of health
care delivery. The MRG supported community health centres as a major
method of primary care delivery and believes they should be focussed
on health promotion. The control of the funds and programmes should
be local -- in the hands of the centre users and staff.
The MRG called for significantly increased government support for
experimental programmes in which physicians would be on salary or
funded by capitation, i.e., according to the number of patients
on their roster. It asks for a public process of evaluation of the
acceptability and benefits demonstrated in the experiment.
The resolutions passed by the group expressed social concern in
a number of other areas. Citing the continuing problems of accidents
and loss of life in the workplace and the existence of occupational
diseases related to substances like asbestos the MRG "supports
the fundamental right of every worker to a safe and healthy work
environment." It also recognized that "the right to refuse
work without penalty is the ultimate protection of a worker or a
group of workers against exposure to hazards they reasonably believe
exist in their workplace."
Considerable concern over the adequacy of health services for women
was expressed in the resolutions. The group resolved that abortion
should "be removed from the criminal code and be recognized
as a matter of a woman's personal conscience." It also asks
for non-hospital, easily accessible clinics for first trimester
abortions.
In addition the group calls for "free and universal day-care"
in order that women might fully participate in the social, political
and economic life of society.
The MRG calls upon the Canadian Medical Association to take a public
stand against the involvement of physicians in torture. The group
"opposes any participation by physicians in the administrate
of the death penalty."
Subject Headings: Abortion
Rights – Community
Health – Community
Health Centres – Drug
Substitution – Epidemiology
– Epidemiology/Community
Medicine – Health
Administration – Health
Care Budgets – Health
Care Cost Containment – Health
Care Costs – Health
Care Delivery – Health
Care Finance & Fund-Raising – Health
Care in Canada – Health
Care in Ontario – Health
Care in the U.K. – Health
Care in the U.S. – Health
Care Myths – Health
Care Reform – Health
Care Resources – Health
Care Services – Health
Care Workers – Health
Clinics – Health
Determinants – Health
Economics – Health
Expenditures – Health
Issues – Health
Policy – Health
Policy/Seniors – Health
Service Organizations – Health/Social
Justice Issues – Health
Statistics – Health/Strategic
Planning – History
– Hospitals
– Labour
Medicine – Medical
Associations – Medical
Costs/Foreign – Medical
Education – Medical
Ethics – Medical
Human Resources – Medical
Personnel – Medical
Research Funding – Medicare
– Medication
Use – Medication
Use/Seniors – NAFTA/Health
– Occupational
Health & Safety – Patients'
Rights – Pharmaceuticals
– Physician
Compensation – Physician
Human Resources – Pro-Choice
Issues – Public
Health – Publications/Health
– Social
Policy – Women's
Health
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