Manitoba taxpayers left with nearly $40 million in unpaid health care bills from foreign visitors: report

Subhead:Visitors to Manitoba who received medical care without paying over the last five years have left taxpayers on the hook for over $39 million.# Manitoba taxpayers have absorbed nearly $40 million in unpaid health care costs after non-residents received medical treatment in the province and left without paying, according to new research from SecondStreet.org . The report, released Tuesday, found $39.62 million in medical bills went unpaid between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 fiscal years, based on records obtained from Shared Health Manitoba through freedom of information requests. According to SecondStreet.org, the unpaid costs stem from people visiting Canada who accessed Manitoba's publicly funded health care system before returning home without settling their accounts.

Manitoba taxpayers left with nearly $40 million in unpaid health care bills from foreign visitors: report Visitors to Manitoba who received medical care without paying over the last five years have left taxpayers on the hook for over $39 million. Manitoba taxpayers have absorbed nearly $40 million in unpaid health care costs after non-residents received medical treatment in the province and left without paying, according to new research from SecondStreet.org. The report, released Tuesday, found $39.62 million in medical bills went unpaid between the 2020/21 and 2024/25 fiscal years, based on records obtained from Shared Health Manitoba through freedom of information requests.

According to SecondStreet.org, the unpaid costs stem from people visiting Canada who accessed Manitoba's publicly funded health care system before returning home without settling their accounts. "This issue is costing taxpayers millions of dollars while access to health care for Manitobans continues to deteriorate," said Second Street president Colin Craig. "If the government addressed this problem, it could have millions of dollars to actually help Manitobans.

For perspective, $40 million could provide almost 3,400 patients with a unilateral hip replacement operation." The annual breakdown of unpaid bills shows: - 2020/21: $3.8 million - 2021/22: $8.2 million - 2022/23: $4.5 million - 2023/24: $18.7 million - 2024/25: $4.5 million SecondStreet is calling for governments to adopt stronger measures to prevent foreign visitors from leaving unpaid medical bills behind. Its recommendations include requiring visitors to pay upfront for non-emergency treatment, requiring proof of travel health insurance before entering Canada, and preventing non-residents with outstanding medical debts from re-entering the country until those debts are paid.

The report comes as health-care systems across Canada continue to face long wait times, staffing shortages and growing financial pressures. SecondStreet argues recovering unpaid bills from non-residents could free up millions of dollars for patient care. The Manitoba figures follow similar findings released by the think tank in other provinces, including British Columbia and the Atlantic provinces, suggesting unpaid health care bills from foreign visitors are a nationwide issue costing taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.

Chief Reporter Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the