Talks fail; optometrists withdraw OHIP services saultthisweek.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from saultthisweek.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Demonstrators press Ontario for deal with optometrists pembrokeobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pembrokeobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The Ontario Association of Optometrists says it will suspend all OHIP-covered eye exams and services as of Sept. 1 unless the provincial government commits to amending its funding model. Optometrists argue they have not seen a substantial increase in funding in more than 30 years, increasing an average of only 17 cents per year since then. This has left the optometrists themselves to absorb about half the cost of each service. “Optometrists face the same cost pressures as other small businesses, such as hydro, rent, and property taxes,” local optometrist Dr. Krista Bruni told Sault This Week. “Unlike most other businesses, however, optometrists have no way of adjusting their fees to offset escalating costs because those fees are set by OHIP.”