Quick answer
The patient pays. Canada's provincial health plans don't cover visitors, so any amount above the insurance limit, any treatment after the policy has ended, and any claim the insurer refuses is billed to the visitor. Family members aren't automatically responsible, but they can be if they sign a financial responsibility form at the hospital. Unpaid bills are usually sent to collections, and an unpaid debt to a Canadian hospital may count against future visa applications.
Three Ways a Visitor Ends Up With the Bill
The bill passes the coverage limit. A $100,000 policy pays up to $100,000, then stops. Ontario hospitals charge visitors about $3,750 a day for a ward bed, before doctors, surgery and scans. A stroke or heart surgery with a week in intensive care can go past $100,000.
The policy ended. Super Visa insurance must be valid for a year from entry, but parents often stay longer. If the renewal is missed, there's no cover for anything that happens in the gap, and the new policy won't pay for an illness that started before it.
The claim was refused. The usual reasons are a pre-existing condition that wasn't covered or wasn't stable, a medical question answered wrongly, or not calling the assistance line before treatment.
In B.C., a visitor from India who came to see family ended up with a hospital bill of more than $125,000. The policy they had paid a maximum of $8,583. The local paper reported that the health authority usually sends unpaid amounts like that to a collection agency.
Not automatically. The bill is the patient's debt. But if you sign the hospital's admission or financial responsibility form as the person who will pay, the hospital can hold you to it. Read what you sign at the front desk.
Ask for a deposit or insurance details at admission, bill the insurer directly where they can, send the rest to the patient, offer a payment plan, and use a collection agency as a last step.
Hospital Bill Gap Calculator
Estimate a hospital stay and see how much would be left after the insurance pays.
Five Ways to Keep the Bill With the Insurer
Buy more than the minimum
$100,000 is IRCC's minimum, not a recommendation. For parents over 70, or with heart or blood pressure history, we usually suggest $150,000 to $300,000.
Renew before the end date
Put the expiry date in your phone a month ahead. A renewal bought after a gap can come with a waiting period and new medical questions. Renewing without a gap.
Cover the pre-existing conditions
The cheapest plan often excludes them, and that's where the big claims come from. High blood pressure and insurance.
Call the insurer first
Most plans want a call to the assistance line before treatment, except in a real emergency. Why the call matters.
If it already happened
Ask the hospital for an itemized bill and a payment plan, ask the insurer for the refusal in writing, and appeal if the reason looks wrong. Send us the letter and we'll read it with you.
Hospital Bills for Visitors: Your Questions
If Super Visa insurance runs out, who pays the hospital bill?
Your parent does. Canada doesn't pay for visitors' medical care, so treatment after the policy ends, or above its limit, is billed to the patient.
Does the Canadian government pay if a visitor can't?
No. Provincial health plans don't cover visitors. When a visitor doesn't pay, the hospital tries to collect, and if that fails the cost is written off and paid for by the hospital and, in the end, taxpayers.
Can the family in Canada be made to pay?
Not automatically. The debt belongs to the patient. A family member can become responsible if they sign the hospital's financial responsibility form, or agree in writing to pay.
Can an unpaid hospital bill affect a future visa?
It may. Unpaid hospital bills are sent to collection agencies, and immigration lawyers warn that leaving Canada with a large unpaid debt to a public hospital can count against later visa applications. Setting up a payment plan is much better than ignoring it.
How much does a hospital stay cost a visitor in Canada?
It varies by hospital and province. In Ontario, Cambridge Memorial Hospital's 2026 rate for visitors is $3,750 a day for a ward bed, before doctors' fees, surgery and tests.
Can we buy more coverage after my parent gets sick?
Not for that illness. A new or top-up policy won't pay for a condition that started before it. More coverage has to be in place before something happens.
Is $100,000 enough for Super Visa insurance?
It meets IRCC's minimum. It pays for about 26 days on an Ontario ward at visitor rates, before doctors. Many families choose $150,000 or more for older parents.
Pankaj Bhatia, PFA, CHS
Pankaj is a licensed insurance advisor with offices in Mississauga and Cambridge, Ontario, and a member of Advocis. He helps families compare Super Visa and visitor plans from Canadian insurers and sorts out claims and refunds when plans change.
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Not sure the coverage is enough?
Tell us your parent's age and health. We'll show what $150,000 or $200,000 costs next to what you have now.