Why optometrists in Ontario are essentially on strike

Ontario optometrists hope the provincial government has a vision to increase their wages to see patients covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), the public health insurance system for Province. During this time, some patients see red because they cannot make an appointment with their optometrist.

As of September 1, optometrists across Ontario have refused to see children and seniors whose eye exams are paid for by OHIP to protest the lack of increase in insurance -health pays each optometrist per examination. Vision care in Ontario is covered by OHIP until age 20 and up to age 65 and over. People not covered by Medicare must pay for eye care or use private insurance.

An Ontario optometrist cannot charge more than $ 47 per senior eye exam, which is the lowest amount in Canada. Alberta’s amount is the highest in Canada. The government there pays optometrists $ 137 per senior exam.

The amounts that optometrists in Ontario may charge for eye exams in children or for people receiving Ontario Disability Support Program vision care or social assistance vary. According to the Association of Optometrists of Ontario, the average amount an optometrist in Ontario receives for publicly insured services is $ 44.65 per eye exam. In 1989, the amount was $ 39.15. Nearby in Quebec, the provincial government pays optometrists $ 107 for a senior eye exam.

“Optometry is not the same as it was 30 years ago,” said Hawkesbury optometrist Dr. Morris Hazan.

He said that technologies and techniques have advanced, which means that the cost of providing modern services to patients has also increased. Hazan said he has always had a keen interest in ensuring that older people receive the best eye care available.

“It depends on what the government funds for the services,” said Dr. Joshua Smith, optometrist in Alexandria and past president of the provincial association. He said the average cost of an eye exam in Ontario is closer to $ 80 these days and optometrists also have expenses related to running their practice and paying employees.

“I want to keep my staff,” Hazan said.

Smith said the $ 80 average was found in a BDO study that confidentially examined the financial statements of 75 optometric offices representing 300 optometrists across Ontario.

According to Smith, 80 to 90% of optometric patients covered by OHIP are in rural areas and small towns.

Smith and Hazan said other provinces allow optometrists to bill on a variable basis, depending on the nature of the patient’s situation. Glaucoma patients often require many appointments per year, but OHIP does not differentiate between billing patients with glaucoma and those who need glasses.

Hazan said he didn’t want to end up restricting the number of elderly patients he sees.

“It’s not health care.”

Smith said Ontario’s health budget is around $ 70 billion and eye care is 0.2% of this budget. He said if the government increased funding to cover the average of $ 80, it would still only represent 0.4% of the health budget.

“What we are asking for is rooted in evidence,” he said.

Patients normally covered by OHIP for optometric services in Ontario are not allowed to go to an optometrist and pay for an appointment that would normally be covered by the insurance system. provincial. Rather, most patients are advised to see their usual doctor, go to hospital emergency departments, emergency care clinics, or see ophthalmologists. who have received referrals from optometrists.

Smith and Hazan believe the public strongly supports the plight of optometrists, but not all patients are happy that they cannot make an appointment.

“My visits are covered by OHIP and on my last visit my prescription had changed so much that I was dangerously close to having my driver’s license withdrawn on the spot. I called back in September for my late appointment, and they can’t see me until November because of this situation, ”said Natalie Amell, a resident of L’Orignal, Ont.

A woman who did not want to be named shared her 88-year-old father’s experience.

They explained that they could not see him because of their protest. He waited seven hours in an emergency room to be told he had a scratched cornea. They prescribed drops to cure him and wanted him to come back the next day for follow-up. He waited 5 hours the next day.

Other patients have said that they cannot get appointments for their children with special needs or that they have vision problems that interfere with their ability to do their jobs safely. Three patients said they offered to pay for their appointments, but were turned down due to Medicare regulations.

Meanwhile, optometrists across Ontario continue to be professional. The provincial association has launched a large-scale public relations campaign asking citizens to contact MPPs, Minister of Health and Premier Doug Ford to demand increased funding for eye care from Medicare. Ontario.