A Calgary clinic informed its clients it would be introducing a “membership-based medical service,” running $4,800 a year for a two-parent family membership.

Such arrangements have been growing increasingly common in recent years, experts say.

  • Hacksaw@lemmy.caEnglish
    6·
    1 year ago

    Let’s call out these fees for what they are: BRIBES.

    That’s the worst part about these fees: They still charge the public healthcare system. In effect we’re all paying for a small number of people to get priority service because they slid $5000 to the doctor under the table.

    I know that not everyone who pays the fee is complicit. Some people are easily fooled by the “membership” wording, and desperate for medical care.

    That being said, the clinics that ask for these bribes know exactly what they’re doing, they’re asking their customer to slide them money, outside the system, for preferential treatment. Doctors asking for bribes is disgusting behavior and we need to be clear that we all know what they’re doing, and we’re not fooled by “memberships” to access care we already paid for.