pregnant without OHIP

[ashina]

i am here canada to live wid my husband n he is sponsoring me n i m pregnant nw..... n hav no health insurance ... m frm the United States....the health expenses here r very expensive n i was wondering if thr is ne organization or nethin tht helps such ppl.

i dont knw wat 2 do as i m really worried n tense... plz help me out!

 

[SAM6]

i am here canada to live wid my husband n he is sponsoring me n i m pregnant nw..... n hav no health insurance ... m frm the United States....the health expenses here r very expensive n i was wondering if thr is ne organization or nethin tht helps such ppl.

i dont knw wat 2 do as i m really worried n tense... plz help me out!

My wife has the same situation , except she is out of Canada .... we did not do the OHIP .... how much does it cost to have a baby in toronto ? is there a solution like running to emergency room hospital?? would be still charged for delivery??

 

[Leon]

I think it's at least 5,000. If she went to an ER, I am sure they would charge her too. Have you asked OHIP if she can be covered under your OHIP as your wife or if they make exceptions to the 3 month wait for pregnancy?

 

[SAM6]

I do not have OHIP and we are not currently in Canada.
We did our landing and got PR cards last summer..
With the current economic situation we are reluctant to do the final move...

 

[Leon]

Up to you, if you do decide to move to Canada before the baby is born and be aware your wife may not be allowed to fly for the last 2 or 3 months of the pregnancy, go to a province where you've made sure that you can get healthcare from day 1. If you decide not to go, you will still keep your PR until you've been outside of Canada more than 3 years total. If you decide to move to Canada before then, you can sponsor the baby for PR when you get there.

 

[SAM6]

Dear Leon

Thanks again

I remember you mentioned Alberta , but don't you need to be covered from another Province in order to get the Alberta coverage from day 1 ?

In Ontarion it's like this as per their ammendment of 1st April 2009


Regards

 

[Leon]

No, I will explain. It is and has always been for every province that if you come from another province, you are covered by the last province for the first 3 months and then by the new one. Say with OHIP, if you have OHIP and move to AB, OHIP will cover you for 3 months, then you get AB health. If you move from AB to ON, AB health will cover you for 3 months until you get OHIP.

If you move from another country, in most cases, it still takes you 3 months to get health care. That means you have no health care for 3 months and have to buy insurance.

Some provinces are nice enough that they do not want you to be without insurance for the first 3 months when you move from another country so they will offer you to cover you from day 1. Alberta is one of them and that is only if you are moving from another country and have no healthcare from another province.

 

[SAM6]

OK I got it Leon

Do you happen to know if Montreal or nova scotia is one of the nice ones as well ?

Regards

 

[Leon]

I think Quebec still has a 3 month waiting period but is nice enough to cover pregnant women and childbirth during the waiting period, see http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/citoyens/assurancemaladie/arriver/ext_can.shtml

It looks to me that Nova Scotia will have 1st day coverage for everything, see http://www.gov.ns.ca/health/msi/moving_travel.asp#2

Better contact them to make sure though.

 

[Chinaconnection]

Leon,

What is the Procedure for having a familly doctor ?. Is there any maximum amount to buy health insurance?

Thanks

 

[Leon]

Leon,

What is the Procedure for having a familly doctor ?. Is there any maximum amount to buy health insurance?

Thanks

To have a family doctor, you have to look for one. You can ask friends who they are seeing or you can call around to doctors offices and ask if they are taking new patients. You may be able to find an internet search for doctors in your area who are taking new patients. Some areas have a shortage of doctors so it may be hard to find one. In Alberta and I assume in other parts of Canada as well, there are also walk-in clinics where you basically register at their desk and wait until it is your turn. They often have more than 1 doctor on duty so you may get in fast or have to wait up to 2-3 hours if it is busy. If you were to go to the same clinic all the time, they would have your file so it's almost like having a family doctor even though there are different ones.

I do not know what you mean by maximum amount to buy health insurance. Health care in Canada is based on living somewhere. If you move to Canada, you register for health insurance in the province where you live. Each province has their own rules. They may have a modest monthly fee or they may not, they may not cover students, they may have a 3 month waiting time until you are covered etc. Some provinces do not have a 3 month waiting time if you are moving from a different country. If you are moving to a province that does, it would be advisable to at least have emergency insurance in case you have an accident or a sudden illness. You may be able to buy something like that in your homeland, like a simple travel insurance and it will probably not be expensive. If you need more coverage, you can check when you get to Canada. Ask at the health care office when you register.

 

[Chinaconnection]

Leon,

thanks. I mean how much can one buy security insurance before waiting to be covered? I read somewhere , somebody bought insurance for 300dollars for a 3 months period for himsef, wife and kid.Is that possible ?

Next Question, as a Canadian PR can one transit via New York to Canada without a transit visa ?

 

[Leon]

How much does it cost to buy insurance? Completely depends on what kind of deal you get. If you insure only for emergencies, it may be cheap. Last time I travelled, I got travel insurance for $25 for 3 weeks.

The US does not care if you are a Canadian PR or not. If you need a visa to go to the US normally, you will also need a visa to go to the US as a PR. Here is your information on visas for the US: http://www.consular.canada.usembassy.gov/canada.asp

 

[Chinaconnection]

Leon,

Thanks alot for the info. Ofcourse i would be buying insurance for emergency purpose i.e during the waiting period of 3 months before being covered by Quebec Government.So i thought buying insurance for that period of time may have a Min. and a Max. amount.

Thanks

 

[SAM6]

Would this cover delivery of a baby if it's precondition ??