$28,000 for surgery in Alberta; Shocker for Ontario native

 

After waiting more than three years on the waiting list for shoulder surgery, Ontario native Paul Prudems went to Alberta for surgery to relieve his excruciating pain. But after the surgery, Paul was shocked to see the bill. Paul Prudames performed the surgery in October 2022 at Canadian Surgery Solutions in Calgary. The hospital charged Prudems $28,000 because he was not a resident of Alberta.

Paul assumed that the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) would cover most of the cost of the surgery. Paul says he is trying to get reimbursed through OHIP. He said he was relieved when OHIP told him that a percentage of the surgery would be covered, but he was shocked to learn that he only received $1,821.

Meanwhile, an explanation from OHIP said that the OHIP ministry officials reviewed the application and the hospital where the surgery was performed was not publicly funded, so only this amount could be sanctioned.