Ontario’s health coverage could see some changes that would force residents to pay for services that aren’t necessary. Expectant mothers in Ontario should take note – on the list of potential cuts are planned caesarean sections.
In an attempt to tackle the province’s $16-billion deficit, Ontario Health Minister Deb Matthews told reporters Thursday that procedures and tests should only be done to improve health outcomes for patients.
Medically unnecessary services, such as planned C-sections, may be coming from parents’ pockets. Emergency C-section surgeries, when a baby is unable to be delivered naturally, will still be covered by the province’s health care system.
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“If there isn’t evidence to support a procedure or test, we don’t want to pay for it,” Matthews told reporters.
“Sometimes that will mean delisting.”
She said recent studies have shown that C-sections are performed in urban areas of Ontario more than other regions.
In December 2010, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) released a report that suggested thousands of potentially unnecessary surgical treatments, including C-section deliveries, cost the health care system $180 million between 2008 and 2009.
The Ontario Association of Midwives estimates that cutting the number of C-sections in Ontario by 15 per cent would save $50 million a year.
CIHI noted that C-sections cost hospitals nearly $5,000, approximately $2,265 more than vaginal births.
Rates of C-section deliveries varied from province to province – a high of 23 per cent in Newfoundland to a low of 14 per cent in Manitoba. Experts say that the variation in rates of C-sections points to a trend in offering unnecessary treatment.
SOUNDOFF: Should expectant mothers in Ontario have access to planned C-sections or should individuals pay for the unnecessary procedure?
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