Quebec Optometrists to Leave Government Healthcare Program

The move would take place March 10.

Optometrist’s in Quebec say they’re withdrawing from the publicly funded healthcare system.

The move comes after the province’s optometry association, Association des optométristes du québec, failed to reach an agreement with the government for a new five-year contract, Global News reports. The depature from the province’s health insurance board, known as RAMQ, would take effective March 10.

If the optometrists follow through with the move, Quebec residents won’t have government coverage for eye exams, according to the news outlet.

Parti Quebecois Leader Jean-François Lisée is quoted saying: “Quebecers will have to pay cash for these services and that’s not our vision of the health-care system in Quebec.”

But Maryse Nolin, executive director of the 1,400-member optometry association, said her group would still be open to staying if a favorable deal were offered.

Read more at Global News