Bill 7, Health Care is Not for Sale Act (Addressing Unfair Fees Charged to Patients), 2025
Chamber
ontario
Stage
Introduced
This Ontario bill makes it professional misconduct for health professionals to charge patients unfair fees, with penalties including suspension.
Key Changes
- Charging a patient an unfair fee is now defined as professional misconduct under the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991
- Health professionals found to have charged unfair fees can be required to reimburse the patient and face a three-month suspension of their registration
- College patient relations programs must include measures to prevent and address unfair fees charged to patients
- The Council gains authority to define 'unfair fee' by regulation, subject to ministerial and Lieutenant Governor in Council approval
- The Director can revoke or suspend a community health services centre licence if unfair fees are being or will be charged
- The Director cannot remove services from a clinic's licence unless there is reasonable belief that fees for those services are being charged unfairly to patients
Gotchas
- The definition of 'unfair fee' is not set in the bill itself — it will be determined later by regulation, meaning the practical scope of the law depends on future government decisions
- The regulation defining 'unfair fee' requires approval from both the Minister and the Lieutenant Governor in Council, adding layers of oversight but also potential delay
- The bill is at First Reading stage, introduced by opposition MPPs, meaning it may face significant hurdles before becoming law
- The three-month suspension penalty is mandatory once an unfair fee finding is made, leaving panels little discretion on that specific consequence
- The bill takes effect immediately upon Royal Assent, but enforcement depends on the 'unfair fee' regulation being in place first
Who's Affected
- Patients receiving health care services in Ontario
- Regulated health professionals (e.g., doctors, nurses, physiotherapists)
- Health profession Colleges responsible for regulating their members
- Integrated community health services centres and their operators
- The Director responsible for licensing community health services centres
Vibes
0 responses
Gotchas
- The definition of 'unfair fee' is not set in the bill itself — it will be determined later by regulation, meaning the practical scope of the law depends on future government decisions
- The regulation defining 'unfair fee' requires approval from both the Minister and the Lieutenant Governor in Council, adding layers of oversight but also potential delay
- The bill is at First Reading stage, introduced by opposition MPPs, meaning it may face significant hurdles before becoming law
- The three-month suspension penalty is mandatory once an unfair fee finding is made, leaving panels little discretion on that specific consequence
- The bill takes effect immediately upon Royal Assent, but enforcement depends on the 'unfair fee' regulation being in place first
Summary
Bill 7, the Health Care is Not for Sale Act, amends two Ontario laws to protect patients from being charged unfair fees for health care services. It changes the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 so that charging a patient an unfair fee counts as professional misconduct. Health professionals found guilty of this can be required to repay the patient and have their registration suspended for three months. The bill also amends the Integrated Community Health Services Centres Act, 2023 to allow the Director to revoke or suspend a clinic's licence if it is charging or plans to charge unfair fees to patients. It also prevents the Director from removing services from a clinic's licence unless there is reason to believe fees for those services are being charged unfairly. The bill was introduced by opposition MPPs and appears aimed at preventing extra billing or hidden charges in health care settings, reinforcing the principle that publicly insured health care should remain accessible without unfair out-of-pocket costs to patients.
Automatically generated from bill text using Claude
Vibes
0 responses