A Manitoba man who lives a few kilometres from the U.S. border is stuck with $118,000 in medical expenses after he suffered a heart attack and sought treatment in a Minnesota emergency room.

The province has an emergency care deal with Minnesota, but Robin Milne, 60, says the U.S. doctor ordered him to get a heart stent at another facility in North Dakota -- a state where Manitobans are not covered by the deal.

The decision came after Milne says he waited 90 minutes to be transferred to a Winnipeg hospital for the procedure.

“Of course, that’s our first choice to go there, to Winnipeg. But when life’s on the line and death is there … we went to Grand Forks, (North Dakota),’” the Sprague, Man., resident told CTV Winnipeg.

Milne says that the incident, which occurred last October, was a life-or-death matter and that the province should cover the hefty bill. If Milne doesn’t get help, he says he may need to remortgage his house or dip into his savings.

“I feel like Manitoba Public Health needs to step up to the plate here and cover it and come up with a plan so no one in this area would ever, ever have to go through this hellish experience again,” he said.

According to government estimates, about 850 Manitobans are treated at facilities in Roseau and Warroad, Minn., each year. The deal doesn’t cover the cost of transporting patients to other U.S. hospitals.

Cases like Milne’s aren’t totally unheard of. Fellow Sprague resident Verna Kittleson got a bill for $69,000 after she was similarly transferred from Minnesota to North Dakota. She ended up paying $47,000 for the health services, despite the fact that she says a doctor suggested she cross state lines for care.

“I was being taken care of. And I would’ve gone to Winnipeg if they would’ve given me an appointment. I wouldn’t have even thought twice about it,” Kittleson said.

Health minister: Policy needs ‘clarity’

Manitoba Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen has asked for a review of the policy and said he’s asked for more information about what exactly happened in Milne’s case.

"Additional clarity about eligibility of coverage and services is needed for both residents of Manitoba and the service providers in the United States," he said in an email to the Canadian Press.

"Regarding this specific case, we are still gathering information from the service providers to fully understand what occurred."

Goertzen said he doesn’t have the power to order the province to pay for Milne’s bill. He added that the deal with Minnesota costs the province about $3 million each year.

NDP: Forcing patients to pay is ‘unacceptable’

NDP health critic Matt Wiebe says the government should expand the program to cover Manitobans forced to cross state lines for emergency care.

"We think the minister needs to take care of these costs for these families. It is an undue hardship on them," Wiebe said.

He added that the province should invest in rural health access and help cover medical expenses for patients like Milne and Kittleson.

"We have heard stories of people who have had to sell their homes or make tough decisions about where they live, take out second mortgages. This is unacceptable," he said.

Speaking specifically to Milne’s case, Wiebe said that a person who is having a heart attack shouldn’t be expected to make their own decisions.

"These were decisions made by medical professionals on where he should go and what kind of treatment he should receive. He was at the mercy of those medical professionals who we think made the right decision on saving his life," Wiebe said.

With files from CTV Winnipeg and The Canadian Press