Family stuck in long wait for N.B. Medicare card told to pay $30,000 bill in 30 days
CBC
Charlotte McGee and her family have accumulated more than $30,000 in medical bills while waiting for their New Brunswick Medicare cards, and they're now being told to pay up.
McGee relocated last year to Saint Andrews from Maine with her husband, Brody, a nurse who used to live in New Brunswick, and their two young children. They applied for Medicare in October and have been waiting ever since.
McGee said her family doesn't have the money to pay the medical bills.
"We just don't have $30,000, whether it is cash, a line of credit, or a family member, there is absolutely no way we can pay a $30,000 hospital bill," she said.
McGee said the family moved to New Brunswick partly because Brody has family in the province and partly because it seemed more affordable.
The medical bills relate to routine childhood vaccinations, an ER visit for a stomach illness, and mental health care that required hospitalization.
Health Minister Dorothy Shephard was unavailable for comment, but in an official statement the Department of Health said the effective date for Medicare cards can be backdated, making reimbursement possible for eligible services.
But that doesn't reassure the McGees.
"Even if we did have the ability to [pay it] … I can't imagine how long we would be waiting to see that reimbursement money," Charlotte said.
CBC previously reported that the province is working through a backlog of Medicare applications because of a record number of immigrants settling in New Brunswick and a historic wave of Canadians moving east.
Although the delay getting Medicare cards is not the couple's fault, the bill they owe as a result of the New Brunswick government backlog has now been transferred to a collection agency.
About two weeks ago, the agency told McGee she had 30 days to either pay in full or provide a Medicare number, or the debt would be reported to.a credit-rating agency.
If the bills aren't paid, the couple's credit rating will be affected, which will increase the cost of borrowing money. McGee said this could halt plans she and her husband had to refinance their house.
"Refinancing a mortgage doesn't exactly look like it's in the cards for us right now," she said.