Tourists racked up $200M in unpaid health-care bills in B.C.: report

The BC Conservatives say non-residents have racked up more than $200 million in unpaid health bills in British Columbia since 2020.

In a release, they pointed to research from SecondStreet.org, which obtained the information through a freedom of information request.

The organization said it found that people from outside Canada are coming to B.C., receiving health services and then not paying their bills.

“The government should definitely be taking a look at this problem,” SecondStreet.org president Colin Craig said in a 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.”

In a breakdown, it found that there are $94,595,000 outstanding in the Fraser Health region, $54,129,000 in Interior Health, $20,900,000 in Island Health, and $30,982,000 in Vancouver Coastal Health, for a total of $200,606,000. Northern Health did not provide any data.

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“British Columbians are not guaranteed timely access to healthcare, be it treatment or diagnostics, and this situation continues to deteriorate under the NDP,” Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health, said in a statement.

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“Taxpayers are footing the bill for tourists’ health treatments to the tune of over $200 million, enough to cover over 21,000 hip replacements in this province while British Columbians wait months to years for that surgery.”

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B.C.’s health minister doesn’t believe it’s typically visitors to B.C. who are exploiting the system, but those who need unexpected urgent care.

“While any unpaid amount is concerning, health authorities are required and do take action to ensure they do everything possible to recover those costs,” Health Minister Josie Osborne said.

The organization behind the research also has some suggestions to avoid these bills, including requiring visitors from abroad to pay up front before receiving medical treatment except for life-saving cases, urging Ottawa to require visitors to have travel insurance before entering the country as part of the visa process and the federal government banning re-entry to Canada for non-residents with outstanding medical bills.

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