When crisis becomes opportunity

The information below was initially distributed on August 14, 2025.

Recent MSP billing compliance changes are set to disrupt care for thousands of patients with ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Long COVID—many of whom were already struggling in a broken healthcare system.

With no transition plan in place, approximately 5,000 people face immediate loss of the limited care they had. For a community where 98.5% already have no access to specialized care, this isn't just a service disruption—it's healthcare abandonment.

But sometimes crisis creates the perfect moment for transformation.

Just as we prepared our response to this latest blow, something remarkable happened: BC's own Budget 2026 Committee released consultation findings that validate our exact approach to solutions. Their report identifies the very priorities our proposals address.

What started as crisis response has become strategic opportunity.

We're no longer asking government to choose new directions. We're offering to implement their own consultation findings. The healthcare you deserve isn't just possible—it's politically achievable right now.

This is how we transform crisis into lasting care for hundreds of thousands of British Columbians.

The Stark Reality

Our recent survey of 1,045 BC patients in January, 2025 revealed a healthcare system in crisis. Over 90% reported negative healthcare experiences, with many facing dismissal, misdiagnosis, and harmful treatments. When asked about their priorities, patients overwhelmingly wanted "quick, one-on-one access to knowledgeable healthcare providers"—individualized care that addresses their complex needs. This includes patients currently accessing group services, who while generally grateful for the group care received, consistently expressed their desire for individualized care.

Currently, only 5,600 patients annually receive any specialized care through limited sources. This means 98.5% of affected British Columbians have no access to specialized care. Even more concerning, 25% are homebound or bedridden with negligible in-person healthcare access, while 80% of physicians lack basic knowledge about these conditions.

Understanding the Current Crisis

The current situation reveals an uncomfortable truth: for years patients have been receiving care that falls short of what they need and deserve. Many patients have found hope, validation, and genuine benefit through current services. However, this relief highlights the profound neglect this community has endured.

We understand why patients value the services that do exist. The social connection, the relief of being heard, the access to information, and even prescriptions - these are profound and valid benefits that our healthcare system has failed to provide elsewhere. However, when patients must rely on workarounds to access any care at all, it exposes how fundamentally our system has abandoned this population.

When large group medical appointments become the primary available option for serious conditions requiring careful individual assessment, it signals a system in crisis. We should not feel forced to accept this as the ceiling of care our community deserves. 

Why Standards Matter

When we accept models that provide mere minutes of physician time, we send a dangerous message: that patients with ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Long COVID don't deserve the same quality of care as those with other chronic conditions. This perpetuates the very attitudes that keep physicians from learning about these illnesses.

By insisting on proper individual assessment, adequate documentation, and meaningful physician-patient interaction, we establish that these conditions deserve the same medical rigor as diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. This recognition will ultimately drive physician education and expand access for the hundreds of thousands currently abandoned by the system.

Immediate Solutions: Safe and Ethical Stopgap Care

For the approximately 5,000 patients facing an immediate care gap, we propose that the Ministry of Health and Doctors of BC allocate a small team of physicians to provide telehealth services specifically for our population. This stopgap measure should:

• Ensure continuity of care during service disruptions

• Maintain proper individual assessments and documentation standards

• Provide specialized knowledge about ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Long COVID

• Bridge patients to long-term sustainable care solutions

Comprehensive Long-Term Solutions: Implementing Government Priorities

The ME|FM Society of BC has submitted ready-to-implement solutions to the provincial government's 2026 budget consultation—solutions that directly deliver on the Budget Committee's own identified priorities:

ME Pilot Integration into Community Health Centres: Implementing Committee

Recommendations 27 (chronic disease investment), 31 (community health centres), and 36 (team-based care) Using existing infrastructure and the CARGA agreement, 2-3 pilot CHCs could demonstrate scalable models with team-based care and proper funding. This directly advances the Committee's vision for "targeted investments in chronic diseases" while supporting their endorsed "community health centre model" and "team-based primary care approach."

Severe ME Care Gap Solutions: Delivering on Committee Recommendations 29 (home care services) and 32a (digital health solutions)

Home-based medical services and specialized telehealth for the 85,250 British Columbians who cannot leave their homes. This implements the Committee's call for "funding for home and community care services" and "expanded access through digital health care solutions," specifically addressing the homebound population they identified.

Workforce Development: Advancing Committee Recommendations 27 (effective treatment) and 37 (allied health workforce) 

Comprehensive education to rapidly expand care capacity across the province, addressing the knowledge gap among 80% of clinicians. This delivers the "effective treatment of chronic diseases" the Committee prioritized while expanding "involvement and scope of practice of allied health workforce professionals" across multiple healthcare disciplines.

A Direct Message

To Premier Eby and Minister Osborne: This moment is your opportunity to lead. Your own Budget Committee has identified the priorities our solutions address. This isn't about choosing between competing interests—it's about implementing your government's own consultation findings. Our 2026 budget submission provides concrete pathways to implement the Committee's vision for improved chronic disease care. Don't let this opportunity pass without acting on real solutions.