Randall Denley: Ontario's private eye-surgery experiment can give sight to the ideologically blind
The government does not cover those other lenses on the premise that OHIP's responsibility is to prevent blindness, not to perfect everyone's vision. Just as the government doesn't cover the cost of glasses, it doesn't cover lenses for non-cataract vision issues.
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The health coalition seems offended that patients are offered these choices, but what business is it of theirs? People can spend money on enhanced lenses to fix their vision problems or they can spend money on glasses. The lens choice doesn't involve any extra cost to the public system.
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In the view of hardcore proponents of public health care, all care must be provided directly by government, not a penny can change hands directly, and everyone should receive exactly the level of care approved by government and nothing more. It's an inflexible, out-of-date approach that denies patients the right to make choices for themselves.
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The OHC would like to see eye surgeries take place only in hospitals, or at least be conducted under hospital supervision, but the health coalition's vision of good, honest doctors working in hospitals versus greedy, dishonest doctors working in privately owned clinics doesn't pass the reality test.
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Doctors who work in clinics typically do work in hospitals, too. The more expensive lenses that fix more eye problems are available to patients getting their work done in hospitals, not just in clinics.
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The OHC has rounded up 50 patients who say they were sold lenses they didn't require, or even were charged for surgeries that OHIP covers. The coalition will lodge formal protests this week with the provincial and federal governments.
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Perhaps there is substance to these complaints. If so, the health coalition should forward them to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for investigation. Mehra says some patients feel intimidated by that process. Maybe the OHC could help them. That would be doing something useful.
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What isn't useful is attempting to undermine the cataract-surgery clinic program because the service is provided by privately owned businesses. The typical doctor's office is privately owned, as are many of the province's diagnostic clinics.
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