ONTARIO HST Harms Patients & Professionals!!

HST Will Harm Patients and Health Care Professionals!! Add your voice to the current petitions being circulated  and help us take Action to exempt Regulated Health Care Professionals from having to charge HST to patients who require their services.  

An initiative has been created to inform and mobilize patients and providers alike.  As Regulated Health Professionals we want you to be aware of the impact of the recent announcement from the Minister of Finance to harmonize Ontario retail sales tax with the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST).  This change will result in the application of a 13% tax to the services of Registered Massage Therapists, Physiotherapists, Dieticians, Occupational Therapists and many more.   Amidst a torrential downpour of horrible economic news, the Ontario provincial Liberal government has introduced what many will see as a massive tax grab, just when we all can least afford it.  Only books, feminine hygiene products, diapers, kids' clothing, children's car seats and new homes costing less than $400,000 will be exempt from the levy that takes effect July 1, 2010.  This will ultimately cause harm to both patients seeking therapy and to the regulated health care professions themselves.

Harm to Patients
Many of these therapies are not covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP), instead, these services are paid directly by patients, either out-of-pocket or through their private extended health benefits programs. The introduction of HST will mean that:

• By adding the 8% tax, given the ridiculous truth that so many of these Health Care therapies are already taxed under the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST), Ontarians will be paying more for health care services, either from their own income or through their extended health benefit plan;
• With less funding available, patients will be forced to reduce the frequency with which they seek treatment, both for injuries and on-going preventive health care, or eliminate these services entirely;
• This reduction in services will cause a direct impact on the health and well-being of many Ontarians and, in the long term, will affect Government spending in other areas of health care.

Harm to Regulated Health Care Professionals
The reduction in the funds patients have available, either individually or through an extended health benefit plan, will result in a reduction in services sought by Ontarians.  Many healthcare professions are already facing significant economic distress.  The introduction of the HST will mean that:

• Health care professionals, will face increased economic difficulties operating their practices as the available funding for therapy is reduced and therefore patients are forced to reduce or eliminate these treatments from their rehabilitation or wellness regime.
  
• The economic downturn, coupled with ever-increasing costs for licensing and insurance to practice puts further financial pressure on many therapists who run smaller practices which focus on more personalized care. 
  
• This will lead to lack of sustainability within professions and compromise the ability of many professions to maintain regulatory structures within colleges.
  

Take Action Now!

Health care professionals that are regulated under Ontario's Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA) are a valuable part of the health care regime for Ontarians, both in terms of the rehabilitative and the preventive nature of the practice.  Its time for Ontarians and health care professionals to stand up together and let your voice be heard by the Ontario Government.  Send an e-mail message today to the Premier and Minister of Finance stating your concerns about what this means for health care in Ontario and to you personally.