Health Insurance for Visitors to Canada
Temporary Health Insurance for Visitors to Canada (HIC) is designed for people who are entering Canada but do not have, or are temporarily unable to have, Canadian government health insurance. As such, it is primarily intended for visitors to Canada, new immigrants who are temporarily unable to obtain government health insurance, and international students. The program is also available to Canadian residents who are going to the United States for a short-term job of up to one year.
In some Canadian provinces, new immigrants are not eligible for free government health insurance for the first 90 days or two months or more. The government does not require newcomers to buy temporary health insurance during these 90 days, and many young immigrants do not buy temporary health insurance. However, because hospitalization costs in North America are very high (see Canada's Temporary Health Insurance FAQs), it is worthwhile to spend a small amount of money on health insurance if you can afford it, just in case. In recent years, there have been a few cases in Toronto where new immigrants who were seriously ill and did not have health insurance were urged to collect donations.
On the other hand, as new immigrants' incomes stabilize, more and more of them are inviting their parents to visit them in North America. As their parents are getting older, it is essential that they have temporary medical insurance to cover them when they arrive. Otherwise, if something happens to them, it could put the inviter in a difficult financial situation.
The third group of people for whom temporary health insurance is appropriate is foreign students coming to Canada to study. Most schools require foreign students to have health insurance while they are studying in Canada, and many even include the cost of health insurance in their tuition fees. However, health insurance arranged by the university, such as UHIP in Ontario, may not always be the most competitive in terms of price. International students can ask if they can choose their own insurance company and present the certificate of acceptance to the school to be exempted from paying for school-arranged health insurance.
Canada's health insurance and benefits
Source: Study in Canada
Canada has world-class health care facilities and services, and the government's health insurance program covers all major medical treatments and is available to all citizens and permanent residents. There are approximately 60,000 practicing physicians in Canada, which equates to one doctor for every 500 people. Publicly funded medical care is available to all, including all kinds of tests, examinations, and surgeries. All costs of hospitalization for serious illnesses are fully covered by the government, including meals and care.
After you enter Canada, you must apply for a health insurance card at the provincial Ministry of Health Office in the city where you live. The insurance card for British Columbia, Ontario and New Brunswick will be valid for 3 months from the date of entry into the country.
1. International students are covered by the medical insurance program
BC:
Students must register within three months of arrival.
BC Medical Services Plan
PO Box 1600
Victoria, BC
V8W 2X9 Canad
Telephone inquiries:
Telephone inquiries: 1-800-633-7100 Fax: 250-952-3427
Website. :
Alberta:
Students must register within three months of arrival.
Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan
PO Box 1360
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2N3 Canada
Telephone inquiries: 3100000 ext. (403) 427-1432 (Edmonton) or (403) 297-6411 (Calgary)
SAS:
Students must register immediately upon arrival.
For more information, contact:
Saskatchewan Health
Health Insurance Registration
T.C. Douglas Building
3475 Albert Street
Regina, SK
S4S 6X6 Canada
Telephone inquiries: 1-800-667-7551
Fax: (306) 787-3251 or 8951
Website:
2. International students are not covered by the health insurance programs of the following provinces. Students studying in these provinces must arrange for health insurance through a private insurance company with assistance from the school.
Manitoba New Brunswick
Nova Scotia Ontario
Newfoundland Prince Edward Island Quebec
Benefits
Canada has one of the world's best social welfare systems, such as a publicly funded health care system, retirement pensions, unemployment benefits, injury assistance, and social welfare payments. Only some of them are introduced here.
Retirement Pension
Canadian citizens or immigrants are entitled to a pension once they reach the age of 65. For immigrants, the Canadian government requires that they must have lived in the country for at least 10 years to receive a pension.
Unemployment Benefits
If you lose your job, you get a double livelihood. First, there is unemployment insurance. Normally, you can receive unemployment benefits for up to 50 weeks, which is about 50-70% of your original salary. If you haven't found a job after 1 year, you can receive a social welfare benefit, which is about $800 a month for 1 person.
Child Tax Benefits
Canadian citizens or permanent residents, refugees, and people who have been granted permission by the government to stay in Canada under the Immigration Act can apply for Child Tax Benefits.
Old Age Security (OAS)
Basic Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and Spouse's Allowance (SA). The Old Age Supplement (OAS) is for people aged 65 and over, where those with no or little income can apply for the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). Spouses of low-income or deceased allowance recipients can apply for Spouse's Allowance (SPA).
Canada and Quebec Pension Plans
Canada and Quebec Pension Plans are insurance policies that allow beneficiaries to pay a certain amount of money into the program during their working life. The amount of the benefit depends on the total amount of money you have paid into the program.
Canada's free health insurance system
Canada's free universal health care system is one of the best in the world. Citizens and permanent residents who are enrolled in Medicare can enjoy free services such as doctor's appointments, consultations, laboratory tests, fluoroscopies, surgeries, and hospitalization with a "health card" (a magnetic card with a photo).
The Canadian federal government enacted the Canada Health Act in 1984, which for the first time legally defined the content and function of the health care system, as well as the responsibilities and rights of the federal and local governments.
The Act stipulates that the federal government is primarily responsible for health care legislation, policy development and supervision, as well as the provision of macro-guidance, while the day-to-day delivery of health care services is the responsibility of the provinces, with costs shared between the federal government and the provinces, and that the federal government allocates a portion of its annual tax revenues directly to the provinces, which is primarily used for basic hospital expenditures.
More importantly, the bill sets out five guiding principles for adding universal health care. In addition to universal access and accessibility, they include the principle of broad service coverage, i.e., covering routine medical services, emergency care, public health, pregnancy, AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections, mental illness, death, etc.; the principle of non-discrimination, i.e., the health card can be used throughout Canada; and public management, i.e., the federal government is responsible for allocating funds to oversee the services provided by the localities in order to ensure that a uniform standard is maintained throughout the country. Any province that violates any of these five principles will be penalized by the federal government through cuts in funding.
The scope of health insurance coverage varies slightly from province to province in terms of coverage, eligibility and procedures. In some provinces, enrollment in a health plan is completely free, while in others, a premium is required, depending on the applicant's (family's) financial situation, and a premium subsidy is available for those with financial difficulties. Despite the differences, the provincial health care system guarantees every citizen a minimum level of health insurance coverage for services such as doctor's visits, hospitalization, and laboratory tests. Items that are not insured include higher-than-average hospital services such as single or double rooms, telephone calls, private nursing care, take-home prescription medications upon discharge, cosmetic surgery, acupuncture, psychological tests, unorthodox medical services, and dental services.
To address the medication needs of seniors, families in need, and recipients of welfare benefits, each province has established its own drug insurance program. In addition, the Canadian government encourages companies and organizations to participate in the medical insurance system in the form of collective benefits. For medical services that are not covered by free universal health insurance, Canadians are required to choose non-government health insurance.
Canada's universal health care, as one of the most important social benefits, has made an important contribution to the country's economic development and social stability. But the system has not been perfect, and since the 1990s, a number of systemic shortcomings have emerged. The main manifestations are: health care expenditures skyrocketed, the average annual medical expenditures in all provinces to 10% or even higher rate of increase; supply and demand conflicts, Canadians waiting in line to see a doctor for an alarmingly long time, the patient complained a lot, and even took the government to court; medical equipment is backward, some of the hospital's X-ray machine, magnetic **** vibration equipment, and so on, is still stuck in one or two decades before the level.
The reason for this is, first of all, the government's mismanagement, with too many loopholes and a serious waste of resources. For example, because it is publicly funded, many people move to the emergency room, ask to be hospitalized (with meals provided), and are delayed in being discharged. Secondly, there is the aging population and the increased demand for health care, with health care costs for people aged 65 and above now accounting for about half of the total health care expenditure plus. Then there is the high price of medicines. According to statistics, over the past 20 years or so, the price of Canadian medicines has risen more than tenfold, and the proportion of medical expenses accounted for by medicines has exceeded that of doctors' fees.
In recent years, there has been much debate about how to reform the health care system. Some have suggested a user-pays system to ease pressure on the government, while others have advocated a dual-track healthcare system that would give full play to private healthcare organizations so that people can get more convenient services. But nationally, the opposition to the dual-track system and user fees is even louder. The government of current Prime Minister Paul Martin has decided to invest C$41 billion over the next 10 years to increase funding to local governments on the one hand, and to increase scientific research, upgrade medical equipment and shorten patients' waiting time for medical treatment on the other, in the hope of achieving the goal of improving and strengthening the current system.
Canada's health insurance system
Among all the welfare programs in Canada, Canadians are most proud of its universal free health care system. Americans were so enamored of this that from Clinton's first day in office, he appointed his wife to reform the current U.S. healthcare system in an attempt to create a system similar to Canada's. The program has been mentioned one after another, or not realized, there is only one reason, Canada-style system is based on high taxes, and the United States and want to free health care, but also do not want to pay more taxes, sugar cane where there are two sweet?
What is Canada's free health care system like? Every Canadian, regardless of whether you are a citizen or a permanent resident, receives a magnetic photo ID card, called a Health Card, which entitles you to free medical care, consultation, laboratory tests, fluoroscopy, surgery, and hospitalization in Canada. Doctors will bill the government's Ministry of Health according to the number on your card. Note: You have to pay for your medicines out of pocket. The doctor prescribes the medicine and you have to go to the pharmacy to buy it yourself. Medicines are not expensive and are usually affordable. However, if you have a slightly more formal job in Canada, usually your boss will buy you drug insurance and your whole family will be reimbursed for the cost of medicines. In other words, as long as one person in your family has a regular job, the whole family can get medical care for almost nothing. Dentists are not included in the health care system in Canada and have to pay out of pocket, they are a relatively independent profession. Dentistry is not practiced in hospitals. In universities, there is a separate school of dentistry in addition to the medical school. They believe that teeth are not a disease, dentistry is a cosmetically related profession, so you have to pay out of pocket. But as with medicine, if you have a regular job (working in a restaurant is certainly not an option), your boss will pay for dental insurance for your whole family. This is the minimum employee benefit in Canada. That way, your family's dental visits can be free as well.
Another point is that new immigrants can't get a medical card when they first arrive in Canada. You generally have to live in the country for three months before you can apply. Within those three months, you don't get free medical care, and if you get seriously ill during that time, it's a disaster. In Toronto, a day's hospitalization costs 2,200 to 2,400 Canadian dollars. In one week, all the old money is lost. That's why many new immigrants buy private health insurance for the first three months, which is about $100 a month per person.
The approach to medical care in Canada is very different from that in China. In China, it's natural to go to the hospital when you're sick. In Canada, you don't usually go to the hospital directly, and there are no registration offices or anything like that, you have to see your "family doctor" first. Each doctor usually has his own clinic and one or two secretaries or assistants. These doctors are often "jack-of-all-trades", knowing a little bit of everything from obstetrics and gynecology to psychiatry, but not much of anything. They can solve minor problems, but they will refer you to hospitals or specialists for major illnesses. Therefore, patients who go to the hospital are often booked by their family doctors. Usually everyone has their own regular family doctor. Choosing a family doctor is up to you, and you can change them at any time if you are not satisfied, and it is no problem to have three or four at the same time. However, every time you change to a new doctor, he tends to examine you inside and out in order to build up your medical history, and he will take four or five tubes of blood alone. So, unless it's necessary, don't torture yourself. New immigrants from Mainland China usually prefer to find a family doctor who speaks "Mandarin". Naturally, even if your English is good, you may not understand all the specialized vocabulary. It's a matter of life and death, and the consequences of taking the wrong medication are unimaginable.
Doctors trained outside Canada are no better than Canadian-trained doctors
Ontario researchers say doctors trained outside of Canada can care for heart attack patients as well as those trained in Canada, reassuring both patients and policy-makers trying to ease the shortage of doctors in the country.
Dr. Dennis Ko, a cardiologist at Toronto's Shinnecock and Wyoming Hospitals and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences, which was the study's lead author, said the foreign graduates were no worse at caring for patients than Canadian-trained doctors. The level of patient care is by no means inferior.
He said Monday that the results of the study, which showed similar levels of care for patients, would help to reassure patients, especially those with heart disease.
The researchers, who reviewed the health records of 127,000 cardiac patients admitted to Ontario hospitals between 1992 and 2000, found that patients who were cared for by either Canadian-trained or foreign-trained physicians had similar levels of care at 30 days and 1 year. They found that patients cared for by either Canadian- or foreign-trained doctors had the same death rates at 30 days and one year, and that Canadian- and foreign-trained doctors used standard treatments such as prescription ASA pills and cholesterol-lowering drugs in the same way to save patients' lives.
Joan Atlin, president of the Association of International Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, said she was pleased to learn there is substantial evidence that the quality of foreign medical graduates selected to join the health care system is not as good as that of Canadian-trained doctors. The quality of foreign medical graduates selected to join the health care system is comparable to that of locally trained doctors in Canada.
The Toronto-based organization, to which she belongs, has been active in supporting and advocating for foreign-trained doctors. She said the report's findings disprove the notion that bringing foreign-trained doctors into the health care system would lower standards.
She pointed out that Ontario has begun to develop a mechanism for assessing foreign medical graduates for admission to training and residency programs, and that there are currently 200 such places, up from 12 six or seven years ago. However, there are now 2,000 foreign-trained doctors in Ontario who want to practice medicine in the country to which they have moved, so the problem is still quite serious, and 200 slots is just not enough, but it's a step in the right direction.
Canada's provinces set their own guidelines for evaluating and licensing foreign-trained doctors.
Dr. Albert Schumacher, president of the Canadian Medical Association, said in January that 850 international medical school graduates had passed the first part of their licensing exams this year, but only 85 of them could become part of a residency program. There are 1,773 graduates from Canadian medical schools this year, but the association knows there is a national need for 2.500 doctors.
Meanwhile, many foreign-trained doctors who have practiced in their home countries for years are now willing to work in hospitals wherever jobs are available. From folding laundry in hospital laundries to working in parking lots, Irene said, some of those who have been in Canada for some time can also use some of their medical knowledge and skills in medical research or health insurance assessments.
She said the foreign-trained doctors immigrated with their families, knowing there was a shortage of doctors in the country and believing they could return to their profession after an assessment, but it didn't work out that way and made them feel betrayed.
Abouboubou, a 49-year-old family doctor who immigrated from Bangladesh in 2001, has been practicing medicine in his native country and Iran for 20 years. Although he has passed the Canadian assessment test, he is still waiting for a retraining opportunity or a residency vacancy before he can be issued a license to practice medicine. He said he is feeling bad and anxious because he knows he is perfectly capable of being a family doctor, but has not had the opportunity to do so.
But when he gets his license, he'll have to leave Mississauga, where he lives now, because Ontario law requires foreign doctors to practice in areas of the province where there is a shortage of doctors for five years after they are licensed, except for Canadian-trained doctors. He now works part-time at a medical clinic and as a clinical observer at a hospital in Toronto, but his income is not enough to support his family. He has worked as a telemarketer, but has never been able to give up his profession. But he was pleased to learn that the report proved that some of the foreign-trained doctors, who make up 20 percent of Ontario's workforce, are as good as the native Canadians.
Temporary Canadian health insurance
Unlike Canada's travel health insurance, Canada's temporary health insurance (Canada's family travel health insurance) is designed for people who are coming to Canada but who do not have, or are temporarily unable to have, health insurance from the Canadian government. As such, it is primarily intended for people coming to Canada to visit family, new immigrants who are temporarily unable to access government health insurance, and international students. In addition, the program is also available to Canadian residents who are traveling to the United States for short-term employment of up to one year.
In some Canadian provinces, new immigrants are not eligible for free government health insurance for the first 90 days or two months. The government does not require new immigrants to buy temporary health insurance during those 90 days, and many young immigrants do not buy temporary health insurance. However, since hospitalization in North America is very expensive (see Canada's Temporary Health Insurance FAQ), it is worth considering spending a small amount of money on health insurance just in case if you can afford it. In recent years, there have been a few cases in Toronto where new immigrants who were seriously ill and didn't have health insurance were urged to raise money.
On the other hand, as new immigrants' incomes stabilize, more and more of them are inviting their parents to come to North America to visit their families. As the parents are older, it is relatively necessary for them to buy a temporary medical insurance for visiting relatives after their arrival. Otherwise, if something happens, it could put the inviter in a difficult financial situation.
The third group of people for whom temporary health insurance is appropriate is foreign students coming to Canada to study. Most schools require foreign students to have health insurance while they are studying in Canada, and many even include the cost of health insurance in their tuition fees. However, health insurance arranged by the school, such as UHIP in Ontario, may not always be the most competitive in terms of price. International students can ask if they can choose their own insurance company and show the school proof of coverage to avoid paying for school-arranged health insurance.
Canadian citizens or permanent residents traveling to the U.S. for tourism or short-term (less than one year) work may also purchase temporary health insurance if they are unable to obtain health insurance from their home provincial government while they are away. However, if you are traveling to a country other than the U.S., you will need to buy Canadian travel health insurance, not Canadian temporary health insurance for travel to the U.S. or Canada.
Foreign students are included in the health insurance plans of the following provinces
1. Alberta:
Under Alberta's health insurance system, students must register within three months of arriving in Canada. The cost of health insurance is approximately $34 per month and this coverage is only valid for students with visas of three months or more. A letter from the school certifying the student's intention to stay in Canada for more than twelve months will assist the student in obtaining health insurance.
For more information, please contact:
Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan
PO Box 1360
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2N3 Canada
Telephone inquiries: 3100000 ext. ( 403) 427-1432 (Edmonton Edmonton, AB) or (403) 297-6411 (Calgary)
2. B.C.
Under the B.C. Health Care Plan and the B.C. Hospital Insurance Plan, students must have a student authorization letter to participate in the program. The processing time is three months and the monthly cost of the insurance is approximately $36 Canadian dollars.
For more information, please contact:
BC Medical Services Plan
PO Box 1600
Victoria, BC
V8W 2X9 Canad
Telephone inquiries:
Telephone inquiries:
1-800-633-7100 Fax: 250 -952-3427 Web site: www.hlth.gov.bc.ca/msp/msp.html
3. Saskatchewan:
Saskatchewan's Hospital Services and Health Care Plan requires students to enroll immediately upon mortgaging, and health insurance premiums are valid and free for the duration of the student visa.
For more information, contact:
Saskatchewan Health
Health Insurance Registration
T.C. Douglas Building
3475 Albert Street
Regina, SK
S4S 6X6 Canada
Telephone inquiries: 1-800-667-7551 Fax: (306) 787-3251 or 8951 Web site: www.govt.sk.ca/health
The following provincial health insurance plans exclude international students:
Manitoba New Brunswick
Nova Scotia Ontario
Newfoundland Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Students studying in these provinces must arrange for health insurance coverage through private insurers.
References:
Canadian citizens or permanent residents traveling to the United States or working there for a short period of time (less than one year) may also purchase temporary health insurance if they do not have access to their home provincial government's health insurance while they are away. However, if you are traveling to a country other than the U.S., you will need Canadian travel health insurance, not Canadian temporary health insurance for the U.S. or Canada.
The U.S. has a very good health insurance system, but they have very few hospitals and relatively many clinics. Medical insurance premiums are generally paid once a year, you buy what kind of insurance can get what kind of protection, that is to say, a variety of illnesses are included in the insurance to pay relatively more premiums, such as fever you say that the United States generally go to the clinic for treatment of minor ailments generally have to bear the cost of treatment of 20% (a variety of different policy deductibles are not the same, but most of the 20%), the insurance reimbursement 80 The insurance reimburses 80% of the cost. For major illnesses, say treatment costing more than $10,000, you get full reimbursement.
Theoretically, if you plan yourself well and start buying insurance early, the cost of health insurance for the rest of your life is not a big burden. There are also many workplaces that pay all or part of an employee's premiums. When you retire, you pick up right where the state's free basic medical care program for the elderly leaves off.
Try typing "health insurance in the US and Canada" into Google.