Ontario to miss deadline to fund nurse practitioners, leaving some patients paying out of pocket

Ontario will not have a policy in place by April 1 to publicly fund all medically necessary services provided by nurse practitioners as ordered by the federal government, leaving some patients to pay out of pocket for primary care. The delay highlights federal-provincial disagreement on health funding and may increase access and cost pressures for affected patients.

Analysis

Ontario will not have a policy in place by April 1 to publicly fund all medically necessary services provided by nurse practitioners as ordered by the federal government, leaving some patients to pay out of pocket for primary care. The delay highlights federal-provincial disagreement on health funding and may increase access and cost pressures for affected patients.