The head of the local doctors association is unimpressed with a fee proposal from the province.
Health Minister Eric Hoskins is proposing a reduction in the fees for the highest paid specialists combined with a modest boost to family doctors.
Essex County Medical Association President Dr. Amit Bagga says that won't go very well and he's surprised by the direction.
He says the plan is not going to work because it's a 'divide and conquer' scheme that plays on a Robin Hood mentality.
Dr. Bagga says the specialists are getting higher fees, but points out those fees include the cost of expensive, specialized equipment, trained staff and offices.
He says the medical community isn't reacting positively to this idea. "Right off the bat, I think it affects morale. It affects the morale of the physicians and nurses and health care teams that provide care to people in our community. I think beyond that, there's the tangible that if one has several staff in an office or clinic, they're going to have a hard look and say I may have to cut."
Dr. Bagga says the other impact could be an exodus of specialists to the US and other countries where they can make the kind of money their training and expertise will command.
Earlier this year, doctors overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement and have refused to return to the table unless the province agrees to binding arbitration, which it won't do.
The current physician agreement expires at the end of March and this proposal is an interim plan.
It would cut any physician billings over $1 million by 10 per cent, and any billings over $2 million by 20 per cent and would also cut the amount doctors could bill for certain procedures and tests that can be performed more quickly due to technological improvements.
Family doctors would be given an additional 1.4-percent per year - $185-million - as compensation for specifying evening and weekend hours they must work.