MONTREAL - A Montreal doctor who successfully challenged Quebec's ban on private health insurance before the Supreme Court of Canada has started a health care referral service.
The service, which will hook patients up with doctors in private and public practice for faster service, is run by Jacques Chaoulli. Chaoulli said Wednesday that he believes he is on solid legal ground.
The Montreal-based Chaoulli Group doesn't offer any medical services itself but sends patients where they can get faster service for a fee.
Membership costs $150 per year and the patient has to pay $20 each time they get a referral from the group.
Patients who are referred to doctors in the public system have their costs covered by medicare but visits to doctors in the private sector would be paid for by the patient or the patient's insurance.
Chaoulli said the service will not operate at odds with the public sector.
"The doctors who are working with the Chaoulli Group will not reduce their practice volume in the public system in order to protect the public system and reduce wait times in the public system," Chaoulli said.
The group also offers health information and emergency transport, such as a helicopter ambulance that could take patients to a private emergency hospital in the United States.
The Quebec government is looking at the service but has not given it its approval yet.
