Pregnant woman facing $20K bill to have baby in Manitoba after health-care coverage denied

A pregnant woman has been denied health coverage in Manitoba as she’s still waiting for her permanent residency to be approved. Danton Unger explains.

A pregnant woman will have to pay thousands of dollars to have her baby in Manitoba after being denied health coverage and losing an appeal.

Nikka and Andrew Worth are expecting their first child, a baby girl, at the end of the month. However, the pregnancy is being paid for out of pocket after Manitoba Health denied coverage to Nikka.

“We are at the last stretch. I’m nine months pregnant and no matter what – we will be taken care of,” Nikka told CTV News. “But it’s just that we want to fight for what’s fair.”

As CTV News first reported, the couple met last year while Nikka was visiting Canada from the Philippines. They fell in love and got married in September. Shortly after, they found out their little family was about to grow.

Read more: ‘It doesn’t feel right’: Pregnant woman denied health coverage over provincial ‘grey area’

The problem is Nikka – a Filipino citizen – is currently in Canada on a visitor record – an extended visitor visa that expires in November.

She has been waiting for her permanent residence to be approved. Until it is, Nikka said she’s been told she is not eligible for provincial health coverage – despite the fact she’s married to a Manitoba resident and the child she’s carrying will be a Canadian citizen.

“Canadian health care, I think, is a real point of pride for a lot of Canadians,” said Andrew. “This has been kind of disillusioning to myself.”

Andrew said what makes the situation even more frustrating, is the fact that there are exceptions in Manitoba’s rules. According to the province, the spouse of a work permit holder would be eligible for health coverage, but not the spouse of a Canadian citizen.

The couple took their case to the Manitoba Health Appeal Board, but it was dismissed earlier this month.

“Unfortunately, the specific wording found within the Act… does not allow for health benefits to be extended to the spouse until they are determined to be a ‘resident,’” the board said in a decision obtained by CTV News.

CTV News reached out to the Health Minister for comment. A spokesperson from the provincial cabinet communications team responded by email.

“Manitoba provides insurance based on your residency status, which is determined by the federal government,” the email reads, adding if the federal government determines you are a resident, you would be covered by Manitoba.

“Manitoba stipulates that insurance is tied to residency in the Health Services Insurance Act.”

All this means Nikka and Andrew will have to cover the cost of the pregnancy.

They’ve already spent about $5,000 on prenatal care and ultrasounds. As for the actual delivery, they’ve been told a single night in hospital will cost nearly $6,000. If there are any complications, a night in the ICU would cost them more than $16,000.

Altogether, in order to bring their baby home, Nikka and Andrew are expecting to pay more than $20,000.

They say there is a silver lining, as they’ve been told the baby will be covered by Manitoba Health.

To cover the costs, the couple have taken out a line of credit from the bank and launched a GoFundMe.

“We would just have to pay it off like you pay off a car,” Andrew said. “We’re going to have to take on debt to have a child in Canada, which seems almost ludicrous.”