Medical insurance needed at landing?

[rgvinson777]

Once I arrive in BC, my wife will be placing me on her BC Medical policy but it takes 3 months before I will be covered.  Will BC or Canada require that I have medical insurance / active coverage at the time of my landing?

[GK]

No, I don't think this is required. But for your own good you probably should. I looked into this as I will move to Ont and it will take 90 days before I have coverage. I got a quote  (co-op) for $300 month which is not too bad (covers the "basics" - no dental, no vision).  It was tailored for newcomers with approved medical exam. I have called hospitals also to get an understanding of what certain routine proceedures would cost if you are a legal PR with no health card (it's more if you are a visitor).

[rgvinson777]

Thanks.  I'll have to do more research on this. 

[practitioner]

hi RG,

i'm no authority on this but here's what i've heard and read: sometimes new canadians have trouble because they have no insurance, suddenly an accident, lose their life's savings; this tells us 2 things - if it's true - 1. yes you can get in without having insurance, and 2. it's better to have insurance!

consider, when insurance-shopping:
-make sure you're covered; tons of people pay for coverage but they've not read the fine print; Co-Op is a reputable company and 300/month is lower than if you bought insurance overseas e.g. in Asia that would cover you that long; i advise buy from Co-Op (or a competitor of your choice) but be careful about insurance procedures which usually work out like this:
1. does not cover pre-existing conditions (or only after a wait-period like 2 trouble-free years) so if you already know you'll need medical attention, be careful
2. tailored for newcomers?  that's new to me;  if it works, great; if a broker's telling you it's "tailored for newcomers" remember not all brokers read the fine print; even if you can do the medical exam in your origin-country, remember many canadian insurance companies require that you first be covered by Canadian health insurance, so they're really designed for Canadians who are just about to leave Canada after having resided there long enough to be covered; Canadian health insurance extensions are low-cost precisely because the companies know the government picks up most of the bill; even some international ones like World Nomads stipulates it won't cover Canadians unless they're first covered in Canada; so don't just ask a broker for an opinion, pin it down - get someone to read you or email you the fine print; sounds like you're on the right track but be careful

remember you have to reside in Canada 3 months to APPLY for health care coverage - no idea how long it takes before you're approved and covered

also some companies sell the right for emergency evacuation to the USA in case needed; canadian health care wait lists mean, depending where you live, you may not find a family doc willing to accept you for months, then when you do there are wait lists for surgery etc, i know of 1 man whose life was saved because he flew to the USA on his own dime and the insurance he bought in china covered him same as it would have in canada; in other words, if at all possible, try to get a policy that gives you that freedom - some overseas ones do, but cost more

best of luck
p

[tamee]

i just landed saturday and there was no question on wether or not i had insurance until i get ohip.

[kohe]

The medical insurance you should buy during the waiting period is "Visitors to Canada travel insurance".  You can get a quote from different companies on this site http://www.travelinsurancequotes.ca

[ThirstyDeer]

Medical insurance is not required.  But as said, highly recommended.