Eye exams back on Tuesday as Ontario and optometrists agree to talks
Eye exams for children, seniors and social assistance recipients are back on starting Tuesday as optometrists and the province agree to begin formal negotiations to settle a long-standing dispute over fees paid under Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
In a sign of good faith," the Ontario Association of Optometrists said Monday it is pausing its job action" that began Sept. 1, resulting in cancelled exams at the rate of 15,000 a day for people entitled to coverage for them under OHIP.
Most optometrists stopped performing the publicly funded exams to back demands for better payment, saying provincial health insurance pays $44 for services that cost almost $80 to perform. Optometrists have been without an agreement since 2011.
The dispute has left hundreds of thousands without the eye care they need, including many with deteriorating vision and nowhere to turn because it's illegal for optometrists to charge for a service covered under provincial health insurance.
Swift resolution of this issue is a top priority for both optometrists and their patients," the association said in a statement, calling for robust talks to begin immediately" to reach a sustainable funding model."
Health Minister Christine Elliott said she is pleased" face-to-face negotiations will resume along with services and noted talks will be held under a media blackout.
The Ministry of Health is at the negotiations table ready to reach a timely and fair agreement regarding this important matter."
It will take time to clear the backlog of missed appointments and examinations.
The new development in talks comes less than two weeks after optometrist and Progressive Conservative MPP Gila Martow (Thornhill) accused Premier Doug Ford's government of heavy-handed tactics" in the standoff.
While she has acknowledged optometrists have been treated unfairly by previous governments," Elliott has said the claim that eye exams cost almost $80 to perform requires verification.
Optometrists say the fee paid for exams has risen just $5 since 1989 and left them on the hook for inflation and rising overhead costs such as rent, equipment and clinic staff.
The province has previously offered an increase of 8.49 per cent to about $48, and provided $39 million to Ontario's 2,500 optometrists intended to retroactively cover the last decade.
Optometrists say that payment sounds far more generous than it is because the money amounts to just over $1 for each of the 24 million exams performed over the 10-year period.
Rob Ferguson is a Toronto-based reporter covering Ontario politics for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @robferguson1