No more fee-based physician program: B.C. Medical Services Commission reaches deal with Telus Health

The B.C. Medical Services Commission and Telus Health have reached an agreement, after the commission took the company to court over alleged contraventions of the Medicare Protection Act.

Under an agreement, the fee-based LifePlus program will no longer accept new patients or offer physician services.

Health Minister Adrian Dix announced the deal on Wednesday. He said Telus will separate the services that can be charged back to the Medical Services Plan from the LifePlus program. That means those who have paid for the program already will no longer have access to physician services through it, but they’ll still be able to access the services virtually through Telus Health.

Dix said that will allow patients to have continuity of care. Telus will not need to reimburse clients who have paid the fee.

In February 2022, the Medical Services Commission began investigating Telus’ fee-based LifePlus program. In December 2022, the Commission sought an injunction against Telus Health.

At that time, Juggy Sihota, vice president of consumer health for Telus Health, denied any wrongdoing.

“The LifePlus program is a small, preventative service,” said Sihota. “We do not charge for primary care services with our LifePlus service. Our fee is preventative health, uninsured services like dieticians, kinesiologist, health and wellness services.”

The commission asked for an injunction, alleging Telus charged for fees covered under MSP. It’s unclear if the company is accepting that argument under the terms of the agreement.

When asked if Telus would need to pay a fine, Dix emphasized the deal focuses on making modifications to the program.

“It’s not about punishing people,” he added.

Dix said he was delighted with the agreement because the LifePlus program has been brought into compliance with Medicare Protection Act.

In terms of connecting people with a family doctor, Dix said a rostering system would start running in July to connect those with the greatest need to a service provider.