(Quebec) Quebec plans to end the obligation to obtain a medical note to be reimbursed by an insurance company.
On Wednesday, the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, announced that he will table a bill to cut red tape, so that family doctors can free up 500,000 additional medical appointments for patients annually.
In a press scrum with his colleague at Health, Christian Dubé, Mr. Boulet declared that family doctors spend a quarter of their time filling out forms for insurance companies.
“Doctors in Quebec are faced with a significant administrative burden,” he said. 25% of their time is spent on paperwork. (…) It prevents them from having medical consultations. »
His bill will notably prohibit insurers from requiring that a person consult a doctor to be reimbursed for equipment, such as a cane or a support boot, or the services of a physiotherapist or massage therapist, for example.
According to him, a request for accommodation in a CHSLD should not require a visit to the doctor either.
“Someone who is experiencing professional burnout, we don’t need (…) for the insurer to require a visit all the time. Someone with a fracture, (…) they should not be asked to see the doctor every three weeks,” illustrated the Minister of Labor.
However, Mr. Boulet cannot guarantee that premiums will not increase with the probable increase in the number of reimbursed services. “We cannot give guarantees. Is it possible that there will be an impact? I am not in a position to assess that,” he admitted.
Measure well received
All opposition parties welcomed the measure on Wednesday. “It’s an excellent initiative, sincerely,” responded the co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire (QS), Christine Labrie, at a press briefing.
“It’s a major irritant for patients to have to go and get these tickets each time, and particularly for people who don’t have a family doctor. So, we really welcome this initiative,” she added.
“I think that for doctors to make their job easier is a good thing. It will help with productivity,” added Liberal MP Frédéric Beauchemin.
Skeptical, Parti Québécois (PQ) MP Pascal Bérubé welcomed the government’s “intentions”, but said he was waiting for the “results”. “We will observe closely,” he said. We will be there for the results, if it works. »
On social networks, the Federation of General Practitioners of Quebec (FMOQ) also doubted that the measure could generate half a million medical appointments annually.
“This figure seems exaggerated to us at first glance and we are waiting for the minister to explain his methodology,” said the union.
Furthermore, the FMOQ invited the government to take “one more step” by prohibiting insurance companies from requiring medical notes for absences of less than five days.
reference: www.lapresse.ca