The BC Court of Appeal is expected to release its Reasons for Judgment in Cambie Surgeries Corporation v. British Columbia tomorrow morning.
These are the possible outcomes that we're preparing for:
- Cambie's appeal is dismissed, and Justice Steeves ruling is upheld
- Cambie's appeal is partially allowed
- The Court of Appeal allows Cambie's appeal, finding that critical provisions in the Medicare Protection Act are unconstitutional
The legal attack by Cambie Surgeries Corporation, one of the largest for-profit clinics in Canada, sought to invalidate key protections in the BC Medicare Protection Act which prohibit physician extra billing, dual practice and duplicative private insurance for medically necessary procedures.
The BC Supreme Court ruled against Cambie Surgeries on September 10, 2020 in a landmark decision. At over 800 pages, it was one of the most comprehensive and longest verdicts in BC Supreme Court history.
This appeal was not about re-examining the evidence - which overwhelmingly showed that a duplicative private health care system would drain our public health care system leaving only the healthy and wealthy to benefit. The appellants are hoping to reverse the previous decision not on the strength of their evidence but on interpretations of the law.
The BC Health Coalition (BCHC) and Canadian Doctors for Medicare (CDM), along with two doctors and two patients, are intervenors in this case. Spokespeople from both organizations are available for media interviews.