Aaron Derfel, Montreal Gazette
NOVEMBER 8, 2015 – Quebec reported the biggest annual increase this year in the number of doctors who have gone private. What’s unprecedented and troubling about the trend, experts say, is young doctors who have just completed their medical residencies — including three from McGill University — have decided to opt out of medicare at the start of their careers. Historically, doctors who have gone private have tended to do so after years in the public system. As of Oct. 23 — the most recent date for which statistics are available — the number of doctors going private reached 357, up from 278 in mid-April of last year. That’s an increase of 28 per cent. To put those numbers in perspective, last year’s increase was 14 per cent. Quebec is also reporting more doctors who have withdrawn from medicare than any other province — and by a significant margin. Once a doctor has opted out, he or she can charge patients directly for services that would normally be billed under medicare, including up to $12,000 for knee or hip surgery.
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