Health Care in Canada

Health care in Canada is one of the most important topics for prospective tourists, permanent residents and students to understand. You need the answers to make a decision on the province where you would land. Some have the CHOICE to choose where they would land and some have no option. But essentially, any one landing in Canada needs to know what they will be coming to, in terms of health care.

Your status in Canada determines if you are eligible for Health Care provided by the provinces or not. Health care is a benefit that is offered to all residents of Canada. Basic health care is universal and is not based off of your income. Health care is provided if you are:

1. Canadian Citizen
2. Permanent Resident of Canada

If you don’t fall in any of the above statuses, you are not provided with partial or full coverage under the Provincial Health Care program or Interim Federal Health Program.

Why Health Care?

There is a very renowned saying that “Health is Wealth”. This technically means that you can live without wealth but you cannot live without your health. Where ever in the world you reside, a basic necessity for any individual is health care. You need Hospitals, Clinics, Doctors and Nurses to provide you with care. You can’t just go ahead and diagnose yourself. Because you don’t have the right education or tools necessitated to understand your own diagnoses.

In Canada, the Government places this necessity as top priority for its residents. You have the necessary infrastructure established in the country. But the next questions that emerges here:

Who Pays for Health Care?

Health care is paid by the Government of Canada for all Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents of Canada. If you are arriving in Canada as a Tourist, Visitor, Student, Business Trip etc. you are required to either have travel health insurance or necessary funds for a doctor’s visit.

When you land in Canada as a permanent resident, you might not be covered under the Health Care benefit. Different provinces have different criterions that define when you can be eligible to receive health care in Canada. For example: If you are a landed immigrant in Ontario, your Provincial Health care kicks in after three months of landing in Canada. Similarly, in British Columbia the health care kicks in after six months for landed immigrants.

As “The Immigrant”:

When we landed in Canada as an immigrant; we were expecting a child in a few months. My wife was pregnant and required health care and it was worrisome at that time. I had did the essential research and new immigrants services helped answer many question. We were ready before we started our journey. We had decided against buying Travel Insurance, which was not very intelligent. But we had the necessary funds, if we had to pay any fees out of pocket. And lastly, we knew that we had to be very careful, not get ill or “climb a tree”.

“Travel insurance doesn’t cover non-emergent cases like visiting a Doctor for consultation, X-Rays, Ultrasounds etc.”

Registering for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP):

When you arrive in Canada, the first thing you do is get your permanent address. Tenancy contract is a requirement for all essential services in Canada. Even though OHIP kicks in after three months of you residing in the province, you do have to get yourself registered as soon as possible. You will receive your OHIP confirmation letter with the effective start date of OHIP mentioned on it.

The Process

You have to visit your nearest Service Ontario location for registration of OHIP. You will have to fill out the OHIP enrollment form. At your turn, you proceed to the Service Ontario counter. After the staff confirms your address from the form, they require you to provide the proof of address which is acceptable in the following format:

• Tenancy Contract with your name mentioned on it
• Sealed envelope from the bank – This can be a Debit card being delivered to you at that address. You should not open the envelope as they will not accept it.

Other Documents Required: Confirmation of Permanent Landing (COPR), Original Passport.

All of the registrants, including your spouse and children have to be physically present at the location for physical verification. The staff at the location will have to take your picture for your health card. Children under age of 16 aren’t required to be photographed. The Health card at times can be used as a proof of identity if it is acceptable.

Health Cards

Health cards are delivered to your address within three month of your arrival in Canada. It does arrive prior to the effective date, if it doesn’t you can use the confirmation form provided on the day of registration at any health care provider i.e. Hospitals, Clinics and Pharmacies.

NB: Convention refugees and other protected persons as defined by the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada receive immediate coverage for OHIP. Source: Ontario.ca

An Idea on costs of Health Care:

As I had mentioned earlier, we landed in Canada and our daughter had become sick due to motion-sickness. Within an hour of arriving home, I had the first experience of costs entailing medicines. I went to I.D.A. Pharmacy located in our nearest strip mall. After checking with the pharmacist; I purchased Tylenol Infants (Acetaminophen) and a Gatorade for hydration; overall bill CAD 9.59. Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are not covered under the provincial health insurance plans anyways.

Our First Doctor’s Visit

Next was the necessary visit to the Doctor for consultation for my wife. This was a general consultation and visit to ensure everything was ok with our unborn child. The Receptionist at the clinic mentioned that the Doctor will advise the cost to you after consultation. The Doctor we met was a gem, and she is currently our family doctor as we decided to stick with her long-term. She advised that out of pocket, all costs would add up to a huge chunk of money. Seeing a General Practitioner (GP) is the cheapest at CAD 60.00 per visit (This was her rate in 2016).

The Good Doctor

During the consultation with the GP, we decided to ask for approximate costs out-of-pocket. Fortunately for us, she was a Canadian, as helping as they can get. She went ahead and gave us estimates which are as follows:

• Specialist Referral: CAD 100 to CAD 200
• Blood Tests, Ultrasounds, X-Ray: CAD 200 to CAD 500
• Normal Delivery: CAD 7,000 – CAD 10,000
• Caesarean Delivery: CAD 10,000 to CAD 15,000
• Fractured Bone (Emergent) Including X-Rays and Consultation: CAD 1,500 to CAD 2,500
• Physio-therapy or Chiropractor: CAD 500 to CAD 1500

Cost Coverage

Most of the costs mentioned may not be covered under travel insurance. If it is an emergent case, where you have to visit the emergency department, all costs are out of pocket.

She was reasonable and understanding to the extent that she asked us to wait for all kinds of Specialist Consulting, Pre-Natal Tests, Bloodwork etc. just to avoid any out of pocket costs. “If you are all healthy, stay safe and wait until you have coverage so that you don’t shell out most of your savings on health care.” These words meant a lot and we did save quite a bit of money in the process.

Travel Insurance:

Now, would you get a Travel Insurance? Yes, you would. You never know what may happen therefore always be ready. Get a Travel Insurance plan to cover all of yourselves and make sure to read the fine-print. The small details are clearly mentioned under the fine print that most of the people neglect to read.

A few things you need to note when getting travel insurance:

1. Coverage Limit under each Category
2. Pre-Existing conditions coverage
3. Ambulatory service coverage
4. Coverage for hospital stay in emergency cases
5. Coverage for medicines and tests

Provincial Health Care Coverage:

Different provinces have different coverage, eligibility and enrollment criterions. You can review the Health Care plans for all the provinces in Canada by clicking on the links below. Yes, Canada has 13 provinces and I am proud that every province offers Health Insurance plans to its residents.

1. Ontario – Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)
2. British Columbia – Medical Services Plan
3. Alberta – Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP)
4. Nova Scotia – Health Card (MSI)
5. Manitoba – Health Services Insurance Plan (MHSIP)
6. Saskatchewan – Health Benefits Coverage
7. New Foundland and Labrador – Medical Care Plan (MCP)
8. Prince Edward Island – PEI Health Care Coverage
9. New Brunswick – NB Drug Plan
10. North West Territories – NWT Health Care Plan
11. Nunavut – Health Care Plan
12. Quebec – Health Insurance
13. Yukon – Health Care Insurance Plan (YHCIP)

Health Insurance in Effect:

Eventually health care coverage came in to effect for us in three months. My wife had all the pampering and care needed through our excellent health care system. Of course, it was all covered under the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

We had a perfectly healthy boy born at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga. A Canadian national by birth born to immigrant parents in Canada. All children born in Canada are Citizens of Canada by birth. I will let you know the processes that entail a birth in Canada next. So until next time, stay hooked, stay safe and do ensure that you don’t burden the health care system for no reason.

“Wear Masks & Ensure Social Distancing.”

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