We are lucky to be living in Canada and have access to health insurance otherwise we would be emptying our pockets in a big way. If a person in Canada doesn't renew their insurance or have a valid RAMQ card then they will also have to pay high hospital rates.
Someone who visits the emergency room without valid insurance would have to pay $769.14 and that is without diagnostic testing. If that emergency room visit escalates into needing surgery then the bill would climb up to $4,445.85 plus the initial emergency room expense. A total of $5214.99.
If you or a loved one did not have a health insurance card and had recently had a baby, the price for the newborn to stay at the hospital would be $2,757.00 per day. Even more alarmingly, if the newborn needed special care, the price for a stay in the neonatal intensive care unit would be $16,311.00 per day.
Here's a list of other prices that someone without valid insurance or a RAMQ card would have to pay:
Emergency triage visit only - $124.92
A clinic or follow up visit - $127.65
Minor surgery (in an operating room) - $826.65
Minor surgery (without an operating room) - $193.26
MRI - $1,181.79
Hemodialysis - $912.00
Inpatient stay - $5,166.00/day
Intensive care unit stay - $16,311.00
Although we often face long wait times, it is a privilege to have access to medical treatment in Canada.
