B.C. hospitals are increasingly dealing with a form of medical dine-and-dash, where foreign visitors get treatment and then take off without paying their bills.

That’s according to new data dug up by think tank SecondStreet.org, which used freedom of information requests to total up more than $200 million in unpaid medical costs run up by people from other countries who then skipped town.

“This would likely be people coming to B.C. for tourism, maybe they are there for work or something, maybe there to take advantage of the system, and they get some kind of health-care treatment and are being given a bill and not paying it,” said Colin Craig, SecondStreet’s president.

The amount is spread over four years, from fiscal 2020-21 to 2024-25, with Fraser Health having the highest losses at $95.6 million, followed by Interior Health at $54 million, Vancouver Coastal at $31 million and Island Health at $21 million. Northern Health did not produce costs.

The unpaid bills come at a time the B.C. government has pledged to cut costs in health care to tackle the record $13.3-billion deficit forecast this year. It’s currently reviewing how to merge services across health authorities, cut administration costs and reduce mid-level executives.

Finance Minister Brenda Bailey has said the government is reviewing all spending, everywhere, as well as cutting 15,000 full-time equivalent positions in the public sector. Health is the largest and fastest-growing expense for the provincial treasury.

“We are in a health-care crisis and every dollar matters,” said BC Conservative health critic Anna Kindy. “So [government] should be looking at that, tracking it, and potentially see what other counties are doing about it, because that’s a big number.”

The missing $200 million may only appear to be a fraction of the $40.6 billion annual health-care budget for B.C.

But put in real procedural terms, it represents surgical procedures for thousands of people that could lower wait lists.

“This is the equivalent of 21,000 hip replacement operations,” said Craig.

“That’s the equivalent of an NHL arena full of fans you could help. That’s a lot of people.

“We always say you’re not going to fix the health-care system by making one change or two, it will take a lot of changes, but this is certainly something governments could take a look at to make sure health-care dollars are spent on Canadian health-care patients.”

B.C.’s Ministry of Health said in a statement it does try to collect payment up front for non-residents, but that in emergency situations it will not refuse care if a person cannot pay.

“In emergency situations, care is always provided regardless of ability to pay,” read the statement.

“No one is denied care. Patients are triaged and treated based on severity of their illness.”

The government tries to recover medical bills “thoughtfully and thoroughly” the ministry said, without explaining how it does so and whether that process could be improved.

Kindy said she agrees with SecondStreet’s recommendations that B.C. lobby the federal government to require out-of-country tourists have health insurance before entering Canada. That’s a requirement already in place in some European countries.

“Let’s say you did get health care in Canada, and you left, well, you’re not allowed back in unless you pay for the treatment,” said Kindy, who is also a physician. “And I think that’s fair.”

B.C.’s numbers are already amongst the highest collected by SecondStreet, which has been filling FOI requests in every province to gather a national picture, said Craig.

For a government that says it’s trying to pinch every penny, and making tough decisions about spending, going after those non-residents who heal and peel out of our system seems like a no-brainer first step.

Rob Shaw has spent more than 18 years covering B.C. politics, now reporting for CHEK News and writing for BIV. He hosts the weekly show Political Capital and has a NEW daily podcast, Political Capital Daily.

[email protected]

New newsletter alert! Stay ahead of the curve in B.C. politics. Get expert political analysis delivered straight to your inbox, plus inside scoops and other stories from across the province. Sign up here for the Capital & Coast newsletter.