More details needed on costs related to out-of-province ICU care, says COVID survivor

A Regina man who survived COVID-19 after spending time in an ICU earlier this year says critical patients need the best care possible, even if it means flying some of them out of province to Ontario.

Matthew Cardinal, 37, said leaving Saskatchewan for another province would be frightening, but he believes it’s the only way now for those patients to get the care they need. So far, Saskatchewan is slated to send six patients to Ontario, with others possible.

“From my experience of being in the ICU, you are hoping that they can do whatever they can to save your life,” he said. “Yes, it gets very lonely in there because when I was in there, we weren’t allowed visitors. Only end-of-life turns … they could only have five minutes.

“I’m glad that they’re going (to Ontario), but there’s so much uncertainty of what’s going to happen,” he added.

Cardinal wonders exactly what costs are covered, since many families can’t afford to travel.

“Not every family has the means to fly across the country and go see their loved one or whatnot,” he said. “There’s many concerns with this.”

If Cardinal had been taken out of province, he said his mother wouldn’t have had the means to be able to travel and absorb the additional costs related to that.

He also wonders if in the unfortunate event a Saskatchewan patient dies in Ontario, who covers the cost of bringing the deceased person home?

“It can go up to $6,000,” he said. “Is your body covered? Are you out of the provincial scope if you die after being flown by the province across the country? Are you covered to be flown back, or is your family on the hook to get that?” he wondered.

While the province has committed to covering the costs for transporting a patient and two support people to Ontario, as well as what it described as repatriation, the details surrounding what that includes haven’t been announced.

It’s not clear whether families would have to pay out of pocket if a loved one dies to bring their body back to Saskatchewan.

“If you don’t have the means to take your family back, how are you going to be doing it? If they’re flying patients out, make sure they have a guaranteed way home plus … plus (getting) the remains back,” he urged.

As a person in his mid-30s, he says many people his age don’t even think about whether they’ll need additional insurance if they get sick and need treatment out of province.

“Some people, especially if they’re younger, don’t look that far ahead,” Cardinal said. “I was unfortunately one of those guys.”

Many people also don’t have the luxury of taking time off work, or have extra vacation time, so they’re out that money as well.

“If you take time off, you lose those hours,” he said. “What about those families? Those are the people that are barely making ends meet as it is.”

Still, Cardinal knows it’s the only option right now, with ICUs overflowing and medical staff overwhelmed with patients.

“My heart goes out to everyone being flown out of province,” he said.