Who is Eligible for the Cover?
Healthcare system in Canada covers everybody. The program is usually administered through provincial and territorial governments for all the Canadian residents. In accordance with the Canadian Healthcare Act, the federal government has to support public programs via fiscal transfers. The five criteria of Canadian Healthcare Act followed in the procedure includes:
- Diagnostic
- Universal coverage for medically necessary hospital
- Physician services
Each province and territory is tasked with establishing its specific residency need by analyzing:
- Undocumented immigrants
- Denied refugee claimants
- Those who overstay beyond the legal permit
- Those who enter the country illegally
In such cases, the aforementioned groups of individuals are not covered under the federal government Medicare in Canada although sometimes the provinces and territories may provide limited coverage.
Additionally, the federal government integrates other healthcare benefits for hospitals services and physicians for some specialized groups. These services are provided to:
- Members of Royal Canadian Mounted police
- Canadian forces
- First Nations and Inuit
- Veterans
- Refugee claimants
- Inmates in federal penitentiaries
Statistics show also that over two-thirds of the Canadians have private health insurance to supplement the Medicare program.
Why Should you have Private Healthcare Insurance?
It is imperative to realize that Medicare in Canada is offered in provinces and territories as stipulated by the Canadian Health Act and it varies from one region to another. Therefore, when travelling to other regions, you may not be covered and these time private health insurance can really come in handy.
More importantly, private health insurance covers services that are not available in public health insurance, for instance, long-term care, prescription drugs, and private hospital rooms just to mention a few.
What is Covered?
It is stipulated that every Canadian should receive:
- Diagnostic tests
- Hospital care
- Required doctor’s visitations
All this should be funded by the government via taxes paid by the Canadians.
What’s not covered?
As we have mentioned earlier, prescription drugs, eye exams, dental care, hearing aids, private hospital rooms, psychologists, long-term medical needs, and counselors just to mention a few are not covered by health insurance in Canada.
