Key Facts About How Doctors Practice in Canada
- Private Contractors, Public Funding: Most family doctors and many specialists are self-employed private entities. They act as "independent contractors" who bill the provincial or territorial government for the medically necessary services they provide to patients.
- Opting Out of the Public System: Except for Ontario, doctors in most provinces can choose to "opt out" of the public health insurance system.
- Opted-in (98% of doctors): They bill the government and cannot charge patients directly for medically necessary services.
- Opted-out (Very few doctors): They bill patients directly for services. However, if they opt out, they generally cannot bill the government at all for those services.
- Private Clinics: Some doctors work in specialized private clinics for services not covered by public insurance, such as cosmetic surgery, or in private virtual care clinics.
- Dual Practice Restrictions: In most of Canada, doctors are generally restricted or banned from practicing in both the public and private systems simultaneously (dual practice). They must typically choose to be either fully "in" or fully "out" of the public system for insured services.
