Doctors consider legal action

Doctors across Ontario are considering legal action because the Ontario Medical Association says the province has refused to take their dispute over fee cuts to binding arbitration.

The association says the cut to fees will take another $235 million from patient care and will lead to longer patient wait lists.

The government says it has cut fees because it is trying to cap the annual physician services budget at $11.6 billion.

The doctors argue that they are charging beyond the cap because they are doing more work by treating a growing and aging population.

Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins says Ontario doctors are the best paid in the country, earning $368,000 a year on average, but that’s before expenses for such things as offices and staff.