B.C. man collapsed, was diagnosed with cancer, then got a $3,700 bill

When Andy collapsed at work last month, he was grateful paramedics rushed him to Richmond Hospital where he was quickly seen by doctors.

When they diagnosed him with aggressive lung cancer hours later, he was shocked, but it was the handling of his medical coverage that left him stunned and deeply upset.

“Within 10 minutes they were asking me about my (Medical Services Plan),” said the Richmond resident, who asked his full name not be used out of concern it could impact the situation.

Andy said that he provided his Personal Health ID, which he’d used in the last few years when getting COVID-19 vaccinations, and was told he was not enrolled in MSP and that he’d have to pay for his visit. He provided the March 14 bill to CTV News, totalling $3,738.11 for using the emergency department, a doctor’s assessment, CT scan and “thoracic viscera.”

“I started crying,” Andy said, describing the encounter as accusatory and particularly frustrating since he hasn’t needed to use the medical system in decades. “Who cares if I haven't used it? That's on you guys. They made me feel like I'm some illegal alien.”

He has been unsure if his cancer treatment would come with subsequent bills that would dwarf the emergency room visit.

Grappling with the system

Andy’s sister tried to navigate the bureaucracy behind the health-care system and find out how his coverage could be non-existent when he’d lived in B.C. for decades and the province had eliminated user premiums in 2020, meaning he couldn’t have missed any payments.

“They have no explanation why he was dropped and they kept asking me if he was born in Canada, which he was,” said Gracie MacDonald. “He never goes to the doctor and he's never sick, so he just assumed everything's good. How would you know? I don't know how you would and it's a hard way to find out.”

MacDonald said one of the MSP call-takers made a reference to a “wrong address” and that Andy’s housing has been inconsistent and precarious, but that doesn’t explain why the full-time worker wouldn’t be covered. She says they were told it would take months to initiate coverage.

“When he went to St. Paul's about his biopsy there was some speculation that they should wait till he gets his MSP number and the surgeon decided it was urgent and they needed to go ahead with it anyway,” she said, expressing gratitude that they diagnosed his cancer and rushed him into chemotherapy to give him the best chance of survival.

Health ministry responds

CTV News spent two days communicating with the Ministry of Health about Andy’s situation and how smoothly MSP coverage is provided; hundreds of thousands of people have moved to the province in the last year and they must apply for coverage, which applies after someone has lived here for at least three months.

The health minister did not agree to an interview, but his staff said that Andy was approved for “retroactive coverage” going back to March 1, meaning he would not be responsible for the emergency bill or any subsequent cancer treatments. Despite their inquiries, they said they couldn’t figure out why Andy’s coverage had been cancelled except for some “missing documents” noted in his file dating back to 2015.

Andy and MacDonald are both grateful the ministry reacted after their interviews and are feeling optimistic about his treatment and the care he’s received.

“They’ve been overwhelmingly beautiful,” he said. “Every other doctor and nurse that I've spoken to has just been amazing and I'm feeling in great spirits about my treatment.”