BCNU-Supported Patient-Intervenors Testify at Medicare Trial

One of those patients is Mariel Schooff, who testified on Thursday about the financial burden she and her family incurred after being referred for treatment at a for-profit surgical facility.

Schooff's testimony comes after years of delays and legal maneuvering on the part of the plaintiffs in the trial, led by Vancouver's for-profit Cambie Surgery Centre. The plaintiffs concluded their arguments last month.

The case, which has turned into an epic legal battle over the constitutionality of Canada's public health-care laws, revolves around the practice of extra-billing, where a doctor charges an insured patient additional fees for medically necessary services.

Cambie Surgery Centre owner, Dr. Brian Day, has fully admitted to breaking provisions of the BC Medicare Protection Act that prohibit extra-billing and has been litigating for 10 years in order to prevent the province from enforcing the law in the interest of all British Columbians.

BCNU has consistently advocated for equity in the provision of health care. In fact, it was BCNU that began ringing the bell in 2003 over for-profit clinics' unchecked and illegal billing for publicly insured services. And since 2006, the union has been providing legal support to patients who have suffered financially at the hands of for-profit health-care providers.

There is no evidence to show that for-profit clinics reduce surgical wait times. The evidence does show that universal public health care - medicare - is the safest, most efficient and most cost-effective way to provide care for all.