Home / Health / NPs Face Funding Squeeze as Health Act Evolves
NPs Face Funding Squeeze as Health Act Evolves
6 Mar
Summary
- Canada Health Act expansion April 1 impacts primary care.
- Independent NPs worry about practice barriers.
- Provinces may interpret the new rules differently.
Primary care provided by nurse practitioners (NPs), pharmacists, and midwives will be included under the Canada Health Act starting April 1. This federal change aims to ensure medically necessary services are covered by provincial or territorial health plans, preventing patients from incurring direct costs.
Independent health-care providers, such as nurse practitioner Angela McGraw, who operate private clinics and bill patients directly, express concern. They fear this expansion could create significant barriers to their ability to practice independently, as provinces begin to implement the new measures.
Each province is expected to interpret and apply the federal policy distinctively. This lack of uniform guidance raises questions about the future of independent NP practices, with some worrying about continued viability if flexibility is not maintained.
Concerns are also raised regarding the ability of independent NPs in New Brunswick to order diagnostic and laboratory tests. Changes introduced in 2021 require practitioners outside the public system to incur costs from regional health authorities for such services, creating administrative hurdles.
Pharmacists' associations view the federal policy as a positive step towards equitable and timely access to healthcare. They anticipate increased roles for pharmacists in managing common medical concerns, freeing up physicians and nurse practitioners for more complex cases.
