Is The BC Government Gouging Foreigners In Hospitals?

... i was in a hospital and i saw a sign on the wall that listed the prices for care for those without insurance. i was totally blown away by what i saw!

... for one thing, the rates struck me as grossly overpriced. a day of full care was $800. but what really flabbergasted me was that there was a separate pricing system for foreigners in which they have to pay THREE TIMES AS MUCH as canadians! a day of full hospital care for a foreigner cost an astounding $3,000!!!

... this strikes me as totally predatory pricing! talk about taking advantage of people in need of assistance!

... can someone explain the justification for the separate pricing? is it because the BC government hates foreigners? sure looks that way ...

... does this sound fair to you? comments?

 

You don't get out much that's painfully obvious.

FYI-those people all have insurance so who cares?

 

... thanks for your reply, bill!

 

Not all Foreigners have the means to pay for their stay in a hospital but the hospitals are obligated to care for them regardless. Maybe the price is meant to offset.

 

... is that right? even if you don't have the cash you'll still be treated? thanks for the info ...

... nonetheless, it's pretty well a given that they'll inevitably go after you for the medical fees. they'll send their collections pit bulls after you and have their solicitors drag you into court looking for their pound of flesh. keep in mind, we ARE talking about the money-hungry BC government here ...

 

He just puled that answer out of his ass it's 100% of a lie they can & will turn you down flat if you don't produce a credit card when asked.

I've spent enough time in Emergency @ St Pauls to have seen it a few times No Money No Honey hospitals are not obligated to provide anything to anyone.

 

... lol. you certainly have an eloquent way with words, bill ...

... it's funny you should mention st. paul's hospital. if you believed the news media you'd think it was the ONLY hospital in the land, considering all the undue attention they pay to it to the exclusion of all other hospitals. but to me that just says that it's an annihilated facility not competently administered that's receiving life support from the government and its paid-off news media partners ...

 

St Paul's gets a lot of press because they are right downtown-literally a 5 minute bus ride from my house I was there a week ago.

As to competence it's all relative hospitals can seem like quite shambolic operations but that's because there's so much going on all at the same time-the building is old and most of that patients see is used hard.

 

i think it is somehow reasonable, otherwise there might be a 'medic-tourism', much like 'birth-tourism', foreigners come to get free medic-care and then just run away without paying anything.

in this jet-era, the other side of the earth planet is only 10 to 15 hours away.

btw, foreign visitors should get travel health insurance before being allowed entry.
i know Germany requires this before a visa is issued.

 

I think it's good to reflect and remember that we are on a public healthcare system. The truth is, healthcare is expensive, it shouldn't be in my own opinion, but it is. So yes, the prices they list seem outrageous from our perspective, but it really isn't. And if someone is in a life threatening condition going into the hospital, they will definitely treat you. But, most of the time, you have people who "abuse" the emergency room.

 

... thanks for your intelligent reply, 123 ...

... but medical "tourism" and perpetrating some kind of "dine 'n' dash" hospital scam are two different things. if a treatment is being offered somewhere other than where you live why shouldn't you travel to that country for help if you are in need? i don't see anything wrong with it ...

... and thank you for your excellent reply too, ema ...

... but i disagree that health care is as expensive as the government makes it out to be. i mean, c'mon, THREE GRAND A DAY FOR TREATMENT!!! that is way overpriced in my opinion, especially considering that the medical system is being run by the government which is HEAVILY subsidized by taxpayers, not to mention that the government is in the business of printing and issuing all the money that exists. it just isn't reasonable to claim that the government is bound by ANY monetary restraints of any kind ...

... nonetheless, thank you both for your very smart insights ...

 

You have to be in Nepal or somewhere else ro receive free medicare. here at home Hospitals say always: EEKK ME NO PAY PLEASE!

 

... thank you so much for your comment, Scrambled eggs!