EDMONTON, Alberta, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- The Canadian province of Alberta is being sued because it does not allow private health insurance.
A civil rights group filed the suit on behalf of a 59-year-old man who says the provincial government's ban on private health insurance violates his right to life, liberty and security of the person, the Edmonton Journal reported.
The suit could be a test case for private health insurance, which is currently illegal in all of Canada's provinces.
The man wished to have hip resurfacing surgery, but the country's government-run health insurance scheme refused to pay for the procedure because he was too old. He was then also unable to buy private insurance to cover the surgery because of the ban.
In the end, he was forced to pay about $20,000 out of pocket for the treatment.
When he needed the same surgery on his other hip, the plaintiff said, the government denied his request -- even if he was willing to pay for it with his own money -- and he was forced to travel to a neighboring province.
The government has not yet filed a response to the complaint, the newspaper said.
