Question on health care coverage once you land

[OntarioBound]

Can someone tell me how health care coverage works in Canada? I read somewhere you have to wait something like 6 months after landing before you can get a health card to be able to visit doctors and get the government discounted rate. So even if your Canadian spouse's employer can give you healthcare coverage, you still have to wait 6 months after your landing to be able to use the company provided healthcare and their discounted rate?

Here is another question. Let's say you land a full time job right after landing, with a company who provides you with health care coverage. Do you get health coverage right away or you have to wait until 6 months have passed?

I am all so confused. I would appreciate it if someone could shed some light on these points.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Different provinces have different rules. OHIP has a 3 month waiting period before a person is eligible for coverage. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/ohip_waiting_pd.aspx

Extended benefits offered by employers generally require a person to first have provincial coverage. There are pretty much no jobs that offer extended benefits as soon as you start. There is usually a 3 month or 6 month wait before employees qualify and again, it is usually contingent on first having provincial coverage.

Understand that extended benefits from an employer DO NOT cover general healthcare services, such as doctor visits, hospital visits, medical tests etc. They cover things like prescriptions, ambulance rides, physio, dental etc. Even if you were to get extended benefits prior to obtaining provincial coverage, this will not give you "health coverage" in the general sense.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Extended benefits offered by employers generally require a person to first have provincial coverage. There are pretty much no jobs that offer extended benefits as soon as you start. There is usually a 3 month or 6 month wait before employees qualify and again, it is usually contingent on first having provincial coverage.

this is of course very employer specific. after i landed, my husband's company issued me benefits without needing to be on ohip (i was pleasantly surprised when we asked). there are other people who report getting benefits as visitors as well. to know for sure, it's important to ask the company about their rules. singing up for company benefits is not one size fits all like ohip is. as canuck mentioned, company benefits are not the same as "health care".

 

[angryrectangle]

Can't comment on employer specific extended health care, but we signed my husband up for Alberta Health care days after he landed. No waiting period whatsoever. That seemed to be because I was "adding" him onto my Alberta Health as my husband.

As mentioned by canuck_in_uk, though, different provinces have different rules.

 

[OntarioBound]

Thank you very much for all your responses. That's what my husband thinks too (that I will be covered straight away since I am his wife) but he will have to check with his company, which he will do Monday.

When you say you were covered by your spouse's company right after landing, was the coverage just for prescription drugs, dental and vision, or it even included doctor's visits? I am asking this because I had to go to an urgent care clinic when I was visiting my husband last December and the first thing they asked me was to hand them my health card and when I told them I didn't have one (I cannot remember if I mentioned if I was from the U.S.), they said I had to pay cash up front.

Thank you!

 

[keesio]

Thank you very much for all your responses. That's what my husband thinks too (that I will be covered straight away since I am his wife) but he will have to check with his company, which he will do Monday.

When you say you were covered by your spouse's company right after landing, was the coverage just for prescription drugs, dental and vision, or it even included doctor's visits? I am asking this because I had to go to an urgent care clinic when I was visiting my husband last December and the first thing they asked me was to hand them my health card and when I told them I didn't have one (I cannot remember if I mentioned if I was from the U.S.), they said I had to pay cash up front.

Thank you!

employer coverage is for supplemental coverage only (dental, drugs, etc). It does NOT cover basic medical care (doctor visits) that is normally covered by OHIP. Employer coverage in Canada is always an extra supplemental coverage for stuff not covered by OHIP. You should purchase some private insurance for that to cover emergencies while you wait for OHIP.

And yes, employer coverage for spouses waiting for OHIP varies greatly with the employer's plan. You need to check first.

 

[bigredmoose]

Different provinces have different rules. OHIP has a 3 month waiting period before a person is eligible for coverage. http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/ohip_waiting_pd.aspx

Extended benefits offered by employers generally require a person to first have provincial coverage. There are pretty much no jobs that offer extended benefits as soon as you start. There is usually a 3 month or 6 month wait before employees qualify and again, it is usually contingent on first having provincial coverage.

Understand that extended benefits from an employer DO NOT cover general healthcare services, such as doctor visits, hospital visits, medical tests etc. They cover things like prescriptions, ambulance rides, physio, dental etc. Even if you were to get extended benefits prior to obtaining provincial coverage, this will not give you "health coverage" in the general sense.

This!

 

[OntarioBound]

This!

Yeah, I know, but my question is for the folks who said they were covered immediately after landing by their spouse's company's insurance, even before they obtained the health card. I would like to know if Dr's visits were covered under their spouse's company's insurance as well as prescription drugs, etc. My husband will be talking to his provider Monday, but I was just wondering about what they meant.

 

[Rob_TO]

Yeah, I know, but my question is for the folks who said they were covered immediately after landing by their spouse's company's insurance, even before they obtained the health card. I would like to know if Dr's visits were covered under their spouse's company's insurance as well as prescription drugs, etc. My husband will be talking to his provider Monday, but I was just wondering about what they meant.

Doctor visits are not covered, as that is something usually paid for entirely by OHIP.

Prescription drugs should be covered since they are not usually paid for by OHIP.

In Ontario you need to wait 3 months until you're covered under OHIP. Make sure you ask the insurance company specifically if they will cover someone under work benefits, during the time they are not covered under OHIP.

 

[keesio]

Yeah, I know, but my question is for the folks who said they were covered immediately after landing by their spouse's company's insurance, even before they obtained the health card. I would like to know if Dr's visits were covered under their spouse's company's insurance as well as prescription drugs, etc. My husband will be talking to his provider Monday, but I was just wondering about what they meant.

My wife was covered by my employer's benefits under my family plan before she qualified for OHIP. But for the routine doctor visits (she needed to get a prescription for some medicine, etc) we paid out of pocket since that is not covered by my benefits (the medicine was covered by my benefits but we needed a prescription from a Canadian doctor first). We also purchased emergency medical in case some medical emergency happens (you don't want to pay for that out of pocket!) before OHIP kicked in.

 

[OntarioBound]

Thank you very much, Rob and keesio. I will wait to see what my husband's benefits cover and go from there, but for the Dr's visits, I will make sure and have some kind of private insurance for the first 3 months until the OHIP kicks in.