What to Know About Healthcare in Canada for Newcomers?

No wonder the healthcare services are available to new Canadian permanent residents (PR) as they are to those who were born and nurtured here. Therefore, the blog covers the most frequently asked questions about Canadian healthcare.

Is Healthcare Free in Canada?

All citizens and permanent residents of Canada pay taxes that go towards funding healthcare in this nation. The majority of Canadians have access to free health care at the point of use, while some prescriptions and treatments require patients to pay out-of-pocket.

How to Access Healthcare Services in Canada?

To obtain healthcare services in Canada, all citizens and Permanent Residents must have a health card. This record will demonstrate to a physician or other healthcare provider that the bearer of the health card is enrolled in the province’s healthcare system. There is no one application procedure utilised by all Canadian provinces and territories; instead, the health card application process differs from province to province.

How to Know If I am Eligible For Health Care in Canada?

It is surprising that the eligibility for healthcare in some cases, does not happen right after becoming a PR in Canada. Here’s the list of wait times in each province:

• For the provinces of Alberta, Prince Edward Island (PEI), Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon – the waiting period is 3 months.
• For Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador, there is no waiting period.
• Also, for the province of British Columbia, it is 2 months, in addition to a month after acquiring residency in province.

How Private Health Insurance is Beneficial?

Private health insurance may be useful for a variety of reasons. Private health insurance would cover a person’s healthcare requirements if there was a waiting period. Furthermore, private health insurance would enable covered individuals to receive coverage for requirements that are typically not covered by public insurance. These include procedures like dental cleanings and visits to the special doctors.

How Can I Visit a Doctor in an Emergency?

If anything happens in an emergency phase, you can rush to the nearest hospital with your important documents like health insurance card, ID card, recent medical reports, and more.