Foreign visitors have left more than $200 million in medical bills unpaid in British Columbia since 2020, a new report suggests.
Analysis from SecondStreet.org found that B.C. health authorities are stuck with $200.6 million in unpaid medical bills from fiscal years 2020-21 to 2024-25.
“The government should definitely be taking a look at this problem,” SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig said in a press release. “This is costing B.C. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars while access to health care for residents continues to deteriorate. B.C.’s situation is the worst we’ve seen in Canada so far.”
A detailed analysis revealed that the Fraser Health region has $94,595,000 in bills outstanding, Interior Health has $54,129,000, Island Health has $20,900,000, and Vancouver Coastal Health has $30,982,000, for a total of $200,606,000. Northern Health did not submit data.
The think tank, which obtained the figures through a freedom of information request, said the total losses could have paid for more than 21,000 hip replacement operations in the province.
The B.C. Conservatives spoke out on the issue in a statement this week, noting the research found B.C. has the worst record of unpaid bills among all provinces analyzed to date.
“We are seeing British Columbians driving hours for basic medical care, waiting months for diagnostics, and years for surgery. Meanwhile this research shows tourists are walking into B.C. hospitals, getting treated, and leaving without paying a cent. That is an absolute failure of this government’s priorities,” said health critic and North Island MLA Anna Kindy in the statement. “At what point did they know about this, and why has it never once come up in a budget or health spending review?”
The B.C. Ministry of Health said in a press statement that it strives to secure payment in advance from non-residents but will not turn away people who can’t afford to pay for emergency care.
“In emergency situations, care is always provided regardless of ability to pay,” the ministry said. “No one is denied care. Patients are triaged and treated based on severity of their illness.”
SecondStreet.org has outlined several recommendations to prevent such medical charges in the future, such as requiring international visitors to pay for medical treatment in advance, except in life-threatening situations.
The report also calls on Ottawa to mandate that travellers possess travel insurance before entering Canada as part of the visa requirements. It said 29 European countries require travellers from other nations to have health insurance. Visitors from most nations need at least 30,000 euros in coverage to obtain a travel visa, although some nationalities, including Canadians, are exempted.
The report authors also suggested the federal government bar non-residents with unpaid medical bills from returning to Canada.
