Ontario government won’t rule out further health system privatization

Ontario’s health minister says the government’s transformation of health-care services in the province will not include two-tier care.

Christine Elliott’s comments come a day after the Opposition revealed a leaked draft of a government health-care bill that would create a “super agency,” and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath warned that wording in the bill opened the door to privatization.

READ MORE: Ontario government considers creation of health super agency; NDP warns of privatization

Elliott said Thursday that Horwath was wrong, but repeatedly refused to rule out further health system privatization.

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Today she says there will not be a two-tier system, patients won’t have to pay out of pocket for further services, and there will be no new private hospitals.

READ MORE: Get patients out of the hospital hallways, says Ontario hospital union

Elliott did not rule out further private delivery of health care within the public system _ such as companies that do diagnostic testing _ but says that isn’t the focus of the health-care transformation.

The draft bill would allow the government to transfer the responsibilities of organizations including any local health integration network, Cancer Care Ontario, eHealth Ontario and the Trillium Gift of Life Network to the super agency.