Expats and Health Care: Canada

From Expat Exchange

Health care is one of the most important aspects of an expatriate adventure. It does not matter if you are working abroad for a corporation or trekking through the Alps writing a novel. It is foolhardy to ignore it.


Telegraph.co.uk has added an article for expats about the Canadian health care system, and British expats in particular will find it useful as it compares it to the British system:

Britons emigrating to Canada do not necessarily need to show evidence of medical insurance at port of entry, unlike many countries. But they are expected to buy temporary private insurance within five days of arriving in their province or territory. If this deadline is overlooked, insurance companies may refuse coverage.

The officially recommended period for which temporary cover should be bought is three months. To avoid a long period before you can use medicare, you should apply on arrival for a state medical card from your province or territory.

This level of specificity is very helpful for expats, and those that take the time to read the article will find a great deal more to get primed for what they’ll need to do to manage their health care in Canada.

We recommend private international health insurance to ensure you receive the care you want when you want.  Call Insurance Services of America at 800.647.4589 or email them at health@worldwidemedical.com for a free international health insurance quote.