How to cover an uninsured friend in Toronto?
September 15, 2014 5:20 AM Subscribe
How can we cover my recently-hospitalized, uninsured friend in Toronto?
My friend came from abroad around 4 months ago to Toronto in order to take care of her sick mother. She didn't know about the whole visitor's insurance thing so she didn't get one. To make matters worse, she is uninsured in her own country (for reasons too complicated to get into here), and has had an appendicitis as well as an intestinal obstruction repair around a year ago. Now she is in Toronto and has been admitted to emergency and then to the surgical care room for another intestinal obstruction, and the costs are insane (which $4,000 per day, excluding surgery if it comes down to it and excluding the other things like x-rays and CT-scans).
It is basically up to her sister and friends (none of which is well off) to cover the costs. My question is, do the hospitals in Toronto recognize humanitarian cases, and do you know whether we can negotiate a payment plan with them? Or is there some sort of organization that we can go to for help in such cases? At this point, any suggestion would help.
My friend came from abroad around 4 months ago to Toronto in order to take care of her sick mother. She didn't know about the whole visitor's insurance thing so she didn't get one. To make matters worse, she is uninsured in her own country (for reasons too complicated to get into here), and has had an appendicitis as well as an intestinal obstruction repair around a year ago. Now she is in Toronto and has been admitted to emergency and then to the surgical care room for another intestinal obstruction, and the costs are insane (which $4,000 per day, excluding surgery if it comes down to it and excluding the other things like x-rays and CT-scans).
It is basically up to her sister and friends (none of which is well off) to cover the costs. My question is, do the hospitals in Toronto recognize humanitarian cases, and do you know whether we can negotiate a payment plan with them? Or is there some sort of organization that we can go to for help in such cases? At this point, any suggestion would help.
Her sister should seek out the hospital's social worker for information and help.
posted by Carol Anne at 5:42 AM on September 15, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by Carol Anne at 5:42 AM on September 15, 2014 [6 favorites]
Something similar happened to a friend of mine -- though in the U.S. -- and when it was all done, and all the bills were in hand, she basically told the hospital she had no money. They slashed the bill down hugely, and then put her on a $50 per month payment plan. As long as she paid that $50 per month they didn't hassle her. She eventually paid it off.
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:20 AM on September 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:20 AM on September 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
nthing 'talk to the social worker.' The hospital has at least one.
I have contact info for a social worker who basically lives in emergency rooms. She mainly handles mental health cases, but she'd know who to talk to. Memail me or use a throwaway to the email in my profile if you'd like her number.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:30 AM on September 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
I have contact info for a social worker who basically lives in emergency rooms. She mainly handles mental health cases, but she'd know who to talk to. Memail me or use a throwaway to the email in my profile if you'd like her number.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 6:30 AM on September 15, 2014 [1 favorite]
Anonymous, tell your friend that she doesn't need to be afraid of what's going to happen. The financial office in the hospital has heard this story before, and we don't bury people in bills here.
posted by mhoye at 6:34 AM on September 15, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by mhoye at 6:34 AM on September 15, 2014 [9 favorites]
I hesitate to suggest this, because I consider it unethical, but I feel compelled to point out inter-country debt collection is especially hard to manage. This is probably especially true for a hospital in a country with socialized medicine that doesn't have US-style weapons-grade billing departments.
Without having any notion of how bad an idea this is, she could just leave the country and forget about the whole matter.
posted by saeculorum at 6:55 AM on September 15, 2014
Without having any notion of how bad an idea this is, she could just leave the country and forget about the whole matter.
posted by saeculorum at 6:55 AM on September 15, 2014
Without having any notion of how bad an idea this is, she could just leave the country and forget about the whole matter.
Don't do that. Canada's a nice place, and with Anonymous' mom here, she may want to come back at some point.
posted by mhoye at 7:28 AM on September 15, 2014 [6 favorites]
Don't do that. Canada's a nice place, and with Anonymous' mom here, she may want to come back at some point.
posted by mhoye at 7:28 AM on September 15, 2014 [6 favorites]
The waiting period for OHIP for people returning from out of country (and for newcomers as well) is only three months. Your friend may be covered (see information at this link http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/ohip_waiting_pd.aspx ). She should go in person to a Service Ontario counter and see what she needs to do to get or reinstate her coverage.
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:54 AM on September 15, 2014
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:54 AM on September 15, 2014
That's assuming she's now a resident, of course.
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:56 AM on September 15, 2014
posted by cotton dress sock at 7:56 AM on September 15, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Sequence at 5:37 AM on September 15, 2014 [2 favorites]