Response to the 2025 BC Budget: ME|FM Society of British Columbia

The ME|FM Society of BC expresses profound disappointment with the 2025 BC Budget’s continued neglect of over 87,000 British Columbians living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), 136,000 with FM and 118,000+ for those living with ME post COVID. Despite years of advocacy and explicit recommendations from the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services, this budget ignores the urgent needs of a community facing systemic healthcare barriers, stigma, and a looming crisis due to Long COVID.

The budget’s $7.7 billion investment in health, education, and social services includes no dedicated funding for ME/FM care, education, or research. This omission directly contradicts the Select Standing Committee’s repeated calls for action, including the implementation of ME-specific billing codes to track patient outcomes and mandatory clinician training to address systemic ignorance. Shockingly, the ME|FM Society of BC's 2020 Needs Assessment revealed that 80% of clinicians felt they lacked basic knowledge of ME, leading to delayed diagnoses, dismissal of symptoms, and preventable harm. Without funding for accredited training, the province’s healthcare workers remain unprepared to support this vulnerable population.

Equally alarming is the ongoing failure of the Complex Chronic Diseases Program (CCDP), BC’s sole ME specifc funded program. With a long standing 2.5-year waitlist and capacity to serve only a fraction of diagnosed patients, the CCDP’s shift to group-based care excludes the 25% of ME patients who are bedbound or require individualized care.   Meanwhile, the program has no clearly articulated plan to address the projected 88,000+ new ME cases linked to Long COVID, leaving thousands without hope for timely care.

The budget’s $500 million allocation for mental health and addictions further highlights inequities. ME patients—who face a sixfold increase in suicide risk compared to the general population—are excluded from targeted supports. This oversight is compounded by the absence of diagnostic codes for ME, which renders patients invisible in healthcare data and stifles policy development.

While the budget appropriately funds services for autism, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, ME patients—who report a lower quality of life than cancer, stroke, and renal failure patients—are left behind. This disparity contradicts the province’s commitment to universal healthcare and perpetuates a cycle of neglect.

The government’s $4 billion contingency fund offers a critical opportunity to address this crisis. These funds could be used to implement the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Relations recommendations of 2022, 2023 and 2024, highlighting the inclusion of clinician education, billing and diagnostic codes. 

We urge the BC Government to act immediately. Immediately prioritize mandatory ME/FM/Long COVID training for healthcare providers and adopt diagnostic codes and explicit ME billing codes in this fiscal year. Our community cannot wait another year for equity.

The ME|FM Society of BC stands ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Health to implement these life-saving solutions. Together, we can ensure British Columbians with ME/FM receive the dignity and care they deserve.

Signed,

Talia Rose Hilary Robertson

Executive Director, ME|FM Society of BC     Board Chair, ME|FM Society of BC