Expecting the birth of a first child is an exciting time for any parents-to-be, but for one Winnipeg couple, what should be a joyous occasion is turning into a bureaucratic headache.
Andrew and Nikka Worth are expecting a baby at the end of June, but due to what they say is an overly complicated process related to Nikka’s legal status in Canada, they’re looking at massive costs associated with her pregnancy, some of which they’ve already begun paying out of pocket.
The couple, who met at a local church, was married last September, and Nikka — originally from the Philippines — is waiting to receive her permanent resident status. Andrew said the process seemed fairly straightforward, until the pregnancy came into play.
“We’d already submitted the documentation with the federal government to get Nikka her PR,” he told Global Winnipeg.
“After that, we found out we were pregnant, so I began the process of trying to get her covered (under) my health card. Looking at the website, it looked like it shouldn’t be a problem.”
Unfortunately, it turned out to be more complicated than the couple thought. Nikka’s legal status in Manitoba is as a visitor record holder, and Andrew said he was surprised to learn that the only way someone with that status can get health coverage is if their spouse is a temporary resident with a work permit.
Andrew, a Canadian citizen, didn’t meet that criteria.
“We got a letter in the mail saying that the request had been rejected,” he said. “We reached out to our MLA, and at the same time, the families minister of Manitoba, the health minister of Manitoba, (premier) Wab Kinew.
“After all that kind of petered out and basically we were told to wait for the PR, we thought maybe we could go through the appeal board and maybe the ombudsman.”
That process, he said, led to a lot of contradictory and confusing information, and ultimately another dismissal of their request.
While they await approval of Nikka’s permanent residency, their baby is still on its way, which means regular doctors’ appointments and more — all of which they’ve had to pay for directly.
“We’ve actually been paying out of pocket for all of my doctors’ appointments, even the ultrasounds… everything that is required — even the lab tests, blood work, and all of that,” Nikka said.
“We’ve paid $5,000 already out of pocket, and that doesn’t include the hospital bills yet, because they haven’t delivered the baby, and also the doctor’s fee.”
Those costs, she said, could come to $6,000 per day, depending on the type of delivery and whether there are any additional complications. If for any reason Nikka has to stay in the ICU because of complications, that would add an additional $16,000 to the hospital bill.
Because the child will immediately be a Canadian citizen once he or she is born, Andrew said some of the rules don’t make a lot of sense.
“To me, it’s strange that they would have the stipulation that any child born on Canadian soil is a Canadian citizen… but for billing purposes, they are not.
“It just seems like a weird kind of misstep or interpretation.”
