Ontario’s property and casualty insurers are asking the provincial government to join with the industry to help solve serious problems in the rehabilitation services segment of health care.

In a submission to the Ontario Health and Long Term Care Minister Tony Clement, the Insurance Bureau of Canada points out that, over the past 10 years, the cost of providing health services to people injured in motor vehicle accidents has increased by 350%. This is despite a steady decline in the number of auto-related injuries during the same period.

Each year in Ontario, more than $1.3 billion is spent on rehabilitation services by OHIP, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and property and casualty insurers. However, IBC suggests that rehabilitation has never received the attention it needs. As a result, there is a lack of service standards in rehabilitation services, uneven access to care, and uncontrolled cost escalation.

IBC is asking the health minister to establish a forum for ministry officials, the WSIB and private insurers to meet regularly to reform and improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of rehabilitation services in Ontario.

IBC also wants to see mechanisms in place that would hold rehabilitation providers accountable for the health outcomes of their patients, and for the proper use of health care system resources. It recommends changes to the Insurance Act to permit private insurers to use proven methods for improving health outcomes and managing the cost of care for insured rehabilitation services.

IBC is calling for a national effort on injury prevention; reforms to primary health care services; and reducing reliance on fee-for-service as the method for paying health practitioners.