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CBC NEWS'S MARKETPLACE INVESTIGATES HOSPITAL PARKING FEES: ARE THEY A TAX ON THE SICK?

HOSPITAL PARKING PAIN AIRS FRIDAY,
MARCH 29 AT 8 P.M. (8:30 NT) ON CBC-TV

Hospitals across the country are raising their parking rates. They say they need the money to support patient care. But what does this mean for patients and their families? On this week’s MARKETPLACE, Erica Johnson investigates hospital parking in major centres across the country and reveals who’s really making money off those lots. With hidden cameras and interviews at some of Canada’s top hospitals, Johnson follows the money and asks why hospitals and private companies are allowed to make so much money off of sick patients.

Hospital Parking Pain airs on CBC News’s MARKETPLACE, Friday, March 29 at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC-TV.

Some people are constantly at the hospital, whether for their own illness or caring for a loved one, and can end up paying thousands on hospital parking. As one doctor told MARKETPLACE, “It’s a tax on my cancer patients.” This week on MARKETPLACE, see how far some people are going - and the risks they’re taking - to cut the costs, and why people are fighting back.

And if the meter runs out and you get a ticket at the hospital, where does the money go? Johnson makes some surprising discoveries in this week’s Hospital Parking Pain.

Join Erica Johnson for a live web chat about hospital parking fees this Thursday, March 28 at 1 p.m. ET at cbc.ca/marketplace.

MARKETPLACE airs Fridays at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC Television and. MARKETPLACE also airs Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. ET and Sundays at 5:30 p.m. ET on CBC News Network.

For more information on MARKETPLACE, visit our website at cbc.ca/marketplace, join us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/cbcErica and twitter.com/cbctom. The executive producer is Tassie Notar.

To view past episodes of MARKETPLACE and other CBC programming, visit CBC Player, download the CBC app for your mobile devices, and download CBC podcasts.

cbc.ca/marketplace
facebook.com/marketplace
@cbctom
@cbcerica
@cbcmarketplace
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About CBC News
For more than 75 years, CBC has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.

About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages.

About CBC’s New In-House Publicity Team
CBC’s new team of in-house publicists are delivering a comprehensive publicity service for all CBC programming and events. For a complete list of publicity contacts and for more information including series synopses, press releases, hi-res images, video clips and bios, please visit the new CBC Media Centre at cbc.ca/mediacentre.

For further information, or to request interviews, contact:
Corey Black, News and Current Affairs publicist, CBC
416.205.8710 (office)/647.221.4133 (mobile)
Corey.Black@CBC.ca

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