Telus Health’s paid services under review

B.C.’s Medical Services Commission is looking into whether private services offered by Telus Health for a fee let people jump the health-care queue.

Telus Health’s LifePlus program costs $4,650 for the first year. According to its website, it offers “access to support from a multidisciplinary care team,” as well as early detection and prevention programs, among other things.

It also says people who pay into the program receive annual health screenings, including a “full head-to-toe examination.” It is offered at locations in Downtown Vancouver and Central Lonsdale in North Vancouver.

B.C.’s health ministry confirms there have been “complaints regarding Telus’ LifePlus Program,” along with “other patient-paid programs.”

“The Commission, which reports to the Minister of Health, has been asked by the Minister to consider companies’ business and service models, to confirm they are not allowing queue jumping for patients who pay a fee, which is prohibited by Canadian laws,” reads the ministry’s statement in part.

According to the province, the commission has been in contact with “several companies,” including Telus.

“The Commission is currently reviewing the matter and will present options to the Minister. The Commission has been in contact with several of the companies in question, including Telus,” it added.

In a statement from Sonya Locker, vice president of Telus Health Care Centres and Pharmacy, says the company  “fully supports and is committed to publicly funded healthcare as the foundation of our healthcare system in Canada.”

“TELUS Health does not charge for any primary care services. The fees for the LifePlus program available at our TELUS Health Care Centres are strictly for preventative care modalities, which are provided by a multidisciplinary team that is not publicly funded. TELUS Health has no ability, and is fundamentally opposed, to fast tracking publicly-funded health services for a fee.”

The commission’s review comes as the province struggles with a shortage of doctors. There are about a million British Columbians who do not currently have access to a family physician.

B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix recently said there are about 400 family practice doctors in this province who are over the age of 70.

“We have the largest family practice residency program in the country, but we have to make sure they are not just becoming hospitalists or other things, but that they are going into longitudinal family practice. That will involve some changes,” he said.

In March, Doctors of BC told CityNews four clinics had closed due to doctor shortages. Dr. Rita McCracken, a family doctor and policy researcher in Vancouver, said the pressure of the pandemic revealed further cracks in the system.

Related article: How do we solve the critical shortage of nurses and family doctors in B.C.?

In 2018, Telus Health launched MyCare (formerly known as Babylon by Telus Health) to virtually connect patients with doctors in Canada. Over the next few years, it expanded to include digital mental health services and a “Virtual Pharmacy” service.

Patients using Telus Health MyCare do not have to pay for those virtual visits. They are covered by B.C.’s Medical Services Plan.

With files from Sonia Aslam and Claire Fenton