User fees at PEI hospitals

Patients in hospital are being means-tested for ability to pay, and then are being charged large amount (e.g. $140/day) for large portions of their stay (e.g. 18 days when recovering from bladder cancer).  [On a related note some insurance policies won’t cover this expense because care is being provided by a public institution.]

Given that our health care system is supposed to be universally available to all, why are these fees being charged?

References

• The Guardian (letter to the editor), Feb 22, 2016 – User fees at P.E.I. hospitals cause fear