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Bill 7, Health Care is Not for Sale Act (Addressing Unfair Fees Charged to Patients), 2025

Gélinas, France

Lennox, Robin

Pasma, Chandra

Current status:

First Reading Ordered for Second Reading

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Bill 7 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill amends the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991

in the following ways:

Section

3 of the Act is amended to provide that individuals be treated with fairness in

addition to sensitivity and respect in their dealings with health

professionals.

Section

51 of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended to provide that a panel can find a

member has committed

an act of professional misconduct if the member or another

person has charged a patient an unfair fee for a service provided by the

member. If the panel makes such a finding, the panel may require the member to

reimburse the patient for the amount paid by the patient for the unfair fee as

well as direct the Registrar to suspend the member’s certificate of

registration for three months.

Section

84 of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended to provide that the patient relations

program of a College must include measures for preventing and dealing with

unfair fees charged to patients.

Section

95 of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended to add a new regulation-making authority

that authorizes the Council to make a regulation defining “unfair fee”. The

regulation is subject to the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council

with prior approval of the Minister.

The

Bill amends the Integrated Community Health Services

Centres Act, 2023 in the following ways:

Section

13 of the Act is amended to specify that the Director may revoke or suspend a

licence in instances where the integrated community health services centre is

or will be charging unfair fees to patients.

Section

14 of the Act is amended to provide that the Director shall not eliminate

services from the list and types of services in respect of which an integrated

community health services centre is licensed unless the Director is of the

opinion that there is reasonable ground for belief that fees in respect of the

eliminated services are being charged, or will be charged, in a manner that is

unfair to patients.

Bill 7 2025

Act to amend the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 and the Integrated

Community Health Services Centres Act, 2023 to address unfair fees charged to

patients for health care services

His

Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the

Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Regulated

Health Professions Act, 1991

Section 3 of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991

is amended by striking out “sensitivity and respect” and substituting

“sensitivity, fairness and respect”.

(1) Subsection 51 (1) of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended by

striking out “or” at the end of clause (b.1) and by adding the following

clause:

(b.2) the

member or another person has charged a patient an unfair fee, as defined in the

regulations, for a service provided by the member; or

(2) Subsection

51 (2) of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended by adding the following paragraph:

5.1.1 If

the act of professional misconduct was the charging of an unfair fee to a

patient,

i. requiring

the member to reimburse the patient for the amount paid by that patient for the

unfair fee, and

ii. directing

the Registrar to suspend the member’s certificate of registration for a period

of three months.

(3) Section

84 of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended by adding the following subsection:

Measures

for charging unfair fees to patients

(1.1) The

patient relations program must include measures for preventing and dealing with

the charging of unfair fees to patients.

(4) Subsection

95 (1) of

Schedule 2 to the Act is amended by adding the following clause:

(i.1) defining

unfair fee for the purposes of clause 51 (1) (b.2);

Integrated

Community Health Services Centres Act, 2023

Clause 13 (1) (

e) of the Integrated Community Health

Services Centres Act, 2023 is repealed and the following substituted:

(

e) the

Director is of the opinion that there is reasonable ground for belief that the integrated

community health services centre is not being or will not be operated in

accordance with the law and with honesty and integrity, including that the

facility is or will be

charging unfair fees to patients;

Section 14 of the Act is amended by adding the following subsection:

Same

(1.1) Despite

subsection (1), the Director shall not amend the limitations of a licence to

eliminate services from the list of services and types of services in respect

of which an integrated community health services centre is licensed unless the

Director is of the opinion that there is reasonable ground for belief that fees

in respect of the eliminated services are being charged, or will be charged, in

a manner that is unfair to patients.

Commencement

and

Short Title

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Health Care is Not for

Sale Act (Addressing Unfair Fees Charged to Patients), 2025 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

April 30, 2025

First Reading

Ordered for Second Reading

April 30, 2025

First Reading

Vote

Carried

First Reading

April 30, 2025

Carried

Ordered for Second Reading