LTC bill passes, hospital patients who refuse to move won’t pay $1,800/day: Ford

Ontario’s Progressive Conservative government has passed legislation that would force hospital patients awaiting long-term care into nursing homes not of their choosing on a temporary basis.

But Premier Doug Ford says patients who refuse to move will not be charged an uninsured rate of $1,800 per day.

Bill 7 is a part of the province’s efforts to deal with an ongoing health-care crisis.

This comes as Ontario hospitals face nursing shortages, causing some emergency departments to close for hours or days at a time in recent months.

The province believes sending patients who need an “alternate level of care” to long-term care homes will help ease the burden on hospitals.