Windsor eye patients speak out against extra billing at private clinics, call for accountability

Two Windsorites say they have been impacted by healthcare privatization. CTV Windsor’s Sanjay Maru reports.

Patients in Windsor are calling for accountability over extra billing for cataract surgeries at private clinics, arguing that they were improperly charged for services that should have been covered under OHIP.

At a press conference Tuesday, the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) highlighted cases of Windsor residents who say they were pressured into paying out-of-pocket fees for eye exams, lens upgrades, and additional procedures.

The coalition says these cases are part of a broader trend across Ontario, where patients are being charged hundreds or even thousands of dollars in private clinics despite provincial and federal laws prohibiting such fees.

Ann Lauzon, a 76-year-old Windsor resident, said she had to borrow money from a friend after being charged nearly $2,400 for cataract surgery in 2023.

She was referred to a private clinic, where she was required to pay for additional eye exams and measurements before being told that OHIP-covered lenses were not as effective as paid alternatives.

“It was a shock. I didn’t expect it to be that much,” Lauzon said. “But my eyes are important, so I paid what I could afford.”

Bruce Awad, 74, also spoke about his experience at a Windsor clinic. He said he was referred to the clinic after being told that the wait time for hospital surgery would be too long.

Once there, Awad said he was required to pay $280 for additional eye exams and was presented with four lens options, ranging from an OHIP-covered lens to a multifocal lens costing $2,000 per eye.

He opted for a $900-per-eye option after feeling pressured by the clinic’s presentation.

“It was insinuated that the OHIP-covered lens wasn’t as good,” he said. “You feel pressured — it’s your eyesight. What’s more important than that?”

Awad ultimately paid more than $1,100 out of pocket for his cataract surgery. He later discovered that these extra charges are illegal under both the Canada Health Act and Ontario’s Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act.

“I feel like I was coerced into using the private clinic,” he said. “At the very least, it was made difficult to use the public health system at the hospital.”

Patrick Hannon, chair of the Windsor-Essex Health Coalition, called the issue a direct result of the Ford government’s health care policies. He pointed to Bill 60, passed in 2023, which expanded the role of private clinics while exempting them from public transparency laws.

“This isn’t about individual clinics. It’s about the system that allows this to happen,” Hannon said. “We have a system where private clinics are charging patients. It is so wrong.”

Hannon said the Windsor-Essex Health Coalition has received dozens of calls about private clinic fees, and that the Ontario Health Coalition has recorded hundreds of similar complaints across the province.

In response, the Ontario PC Party dismissed the OHC’s concerns, calling it an “out-of-touch, NDP-backed special interest group.”

In a statement, the party defended its health care investments and argued that Bill 60 strengthened protections against extra billing.

“Ontario has provisions through legislation that prohibit a provider from being charged for an OHIP-covered service, legislation that was strengthened by our PC team’s Bill 60,” the statement read.

“If someone has been charged for an OHIP-covered service, they can contact the Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act program to open a review. Those who have been charged for an insured service will be reimbursed in full.”

The Windsor-Essex Health Coalition will host a virtual town hall on Feb. 25 to discuss the issue further and release a survey of local candidates’ positions on health care privatization.