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Abortion, imaging fees part of $1.3 million health transfer deductions for N.B., N.S.

Click to play video: 'Ottawa recouping $82M from health transfers to 8 provinces charging private fees: minister'
Ottawa recouping $82M from health transfers to 8 provinces charging private fees: minister
Canadian Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Friday he is recouping $82 million in federal health transfers to the provinces for charging patients for services that should have been covered by the public purse. Eight provinces will see reductions in their next health transfer from the federal government over fees charged to patients in 2020 and 2021, according to Duclos. Most of the deductions are related to fees for diagnostic services such as MRIs and CT scans. – Mar 10, 2023

Ottawa says it will deduct more than $1.27 million each from health-care transfers to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to compensate for fees paid by patients in those provinces for medically necessary services.

The federal government says Nova Scotia will lose more than $1.27 million for fees collected in the province for diagnostic tests in the 2020-21 fiscal year.

New Brunswick will lose the same amount as Nova Scotia for the same reason, as well as an additional $64,850 for allowing patients to be charged for abortions or other insured services at private clinics.

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Restrictions in New Brunswick prohibit government funding for abortions conducted outside three approved hospitals in two cities.

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Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said Friday that eight provinces face a total of more than $82 million in deductions unless they implement a plan to end the fees and the circumstances that led to them.

Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island are the only provinces not on the list for claw backs.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 11, 2023.

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