US EditionOntario shuts down one way of funding nurse practitioners as province misses deadline
- On April 1, 2026, Ontario missed a federal deadline to fund nurse practitioner services equivalent to physician care, as Health Minister Sylvia Jones rejected direct billing for practitioners, citing required negotiations with the Ontario Medical Association.
- Nurse practitioners are currently restricted to approximately two dozen publicly funded clinics in Ontario, while they seek flexible funding models similar to family physicians' fee-for-service arrangements.
- The OMA supported team-based care, while NDP Leader Marit Stiles criticized Jones's competence, arguing the missed deadline forces Ontarians to pay out of pocket, calling it "unacceptable in Canada."
- Liberal primary care critic Adil Shamji demanded government reimbursement for patients paying out of pocket, warning that families face an affordability crisis choosing between food and essential medical visits.
- Although federal penalties for noncompliance will not apply until April 2027, Ontario aims to attach every resident to a primary care provider by 2029, supported by 124 recently announced team proposals.
16 Articles
16 Articles
The Toronto Star
Ontario shuts down one way of funding nurse practitioners as province misses deadline
TORONTO - Ontario's health minister is shutting down one avenue of publicly funding all nurse practitioners, as the province misses a federal deadline for ensuring their medically necessary services are
Ontario Misses Deadline on Nurse Practitioner Funding Plan
Ontario's health minister shut down one avenue of publicly funding all nurse practitioners Wednesday, as the province missed a federal deadline for ensuring their medically necessary services are covered. The federal government gave provinces and territories until April 1 to ensure they are funding nurse practitioner services equivalent to what doctors provide, though penalties for noncompliance won't kick in until April 2027. Ontario does not y…
Ontario shuts down one way of funding nurse practitioners as province misses deadline – 105.9 The Region
TORONTO — Ontario’s health minister is shutting down one avenue of publicly funding all nurse practitioners, as the province misses a federal deadline for ensuring their medically necessary services are covered. The federal government gave provinces and territories until April 1 to ensure they are funding nurse practitioner services equivalent to what doctors provide, though penalties for noncompliance won’t kick in until April 2027. Ontario doe…
From Non-Compliance to Open Defiance: Doug Ford Fails to Meet Deadline to Publicly Fund Nurse Practitioners
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 01 April 2026 QUEEN’S PARK – Dr. Adil Shamji, Member of Provincial Parliament for Don Valley East and Ontario Liberal Critic for Primary Care, delivered the following statement regarding Doug Ford’s failure to meet the federal deadline to publicly fund nurse practitioners: After 8 long years under the Ford Conservative government, healthcare is struggling more than ever before – reeling from frequent ER closures, rampant h…
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