A Calgary clinic informed its clients it would be introducing a “membership-based medical service,” running $4,800 a year for a two-parent family membership.

Such arrangements have been growing increasingly common in recent years, experts say.

  • Seigest@lemmy.caEnglish
    1510·
    1 year ago

    Can confirm it’s happening in Toronto not 5k but they don’t even seem to guarantee appointment times or that your getting an actual doctor. And given how hard it is to get a family doctor here I’m almost desperate enough to pay it.

    Evidence: https://www.careand.ca/family-practice

    • Hacksaw@lemmy.caEnglish
      6·
      1 year ago

      Let’s call out these fees for what they are: BRIBES.

      That’s the worst part about these fees: They still charge the public healthcare system. In effect we’re all paying for a small number of people to get priority service because they slid $5000 to the doctor under the table.

      I know that not everyone who pays the fee is complicit. Some people are easily fooled by the “membership” wording, and desperate for medical care.

      That being said, the clinics that ask for these bribes know exactly what they’re doing, they’re asking their customer to slide them money, outside the system, for preferential treatment. Doctors asking for bribes is disgusting behavior and we need to be clear that we all know what they’re doing, and we’re not fooled by “memberships” to access care we already paid for.