Couple still fighting IVF bills for services they say never happened — what you should know before paying disputed medical charges

While the case unfolded in the United States, the underlying issues will feel familiar to many Canadians navigating fertility treatment, private clinics or other high-cost medical services not fully covered by public health plans.

A billing dispute that never stopped

Tim, the caller, explained to cohosts Ken Coleman and George Kamel that he and his wife went through IVF in 2023. After the treatment, they noticed they were billed for services they claim they never received. They flagged the issue with the clinic and withheld payment for the disputed charges.

The couple stopped hearing back from the clinic altogether but the collection notices started arriving.

“We don’t feel like we should pay this certain amount of money that’s left over,” Tim said. “So we kind of seem stuck.”

There were conversations and reassurances, but no airtight documentation, forcing the billing provider to correct the record before sending the balance to collections.

Why IVF bills are especially prone to errors

IVF is one of the most expensive medical treatments that many families will ever face. In Canada, a single cycle can cost $10,000 to $20,000 (2), depending on the province, medications and add-on services. While some provinces offer limited public funding (3), many costs remain out of pocket — often paid under intense emotional and time pressure.

Coverage for this services varies widely across the country:

• Ontario funds one IVF cycle per eligible patient but does not cover medications or storage.
• British Columbia launched a publicly funded IVF program in 2025, with eligibility limits.
• Quebec, Manitoba and others offer varying tax credits or partial funding.
• In several provinces, there is no public funding at all.

Even when some funding is available, many costs remain out of pocket.

Situations like Tim's are uncommon, but not unheard of in Canada. While medically necessary hospital and physician services are covered under provincial health plans, IVF is largely funded privately, depending on where you live. That means billing disputes fall into a different category than disputes over insured services.

Fertility clinics often bill separately for consultations, monitoring, lab services, freezing, anesthesia and medications. Some services may involve outside labs or third-party providers. That can result in multiple invoices, complex fee structures and occasional billing confusion. If patients don’t slow the process down early, errors can slip through unnoticed — or be paid to keep treatment moving forward. Unlike insured hospital care, these charges are governed by private contracts between patients and clinics.

Once a bill is paid or sent to collections, however, leverage drops sharply.

What the hosts say the couple should have done earlier

The hosts acknowledged how overwhelming IVF can be — emotionally, financially and logistically — but they were blunt about where things went off track.

The biggest mistake, Coleman said, was letting the billing issue drag on unresolved. Paying part of a bill while hoping the rest gets fixed later often backfires.