Moving to Canada? Everything you need to know about Canada’s health care system | CIC News (2024)

FAQs

Moving to Canada? Everything you need to know about Canada’s health care system | CIC News? ›

The system provides universal access to medical services to all Canadian citizens and permanent residents, regardless of their ability to pay. However, it's important to note that some medical services are not covered by the health care system, such as cosmetic surgery, dental care, and vision care.

In some provinces, new permanent residents will have access to provincial health insurance coverage as soon as they arrive. In others, there is a waiting period of up to three months.

Overall, the Immigration Levels Plan 2024–2026 has permanent resident admissions targets of 485,000 in 2024 and 500,000 in 2025. For 2026, the plan is to stabilize at the 500,000 level. We need immigration programs to align with the needs of employers and the labour market.

Foreigners will receive emergency care, but non-urgent medical treatment won't be covered. To make sure you won't have to pay for all of your medical expenses, you should sign up for an international health insurance plan.

Wait times at emergency rooms often stretch into days rather than hours, surgeries and other necessary procedures are being delayed, and finding a family doctor just keeps getting more difficult. Doctors and nurses, many of whom are suffering from pandemic-related burnout and some low-grade PTSD, are retiring early.

In most situations, Medicare won't pay for health care or supplies you get outside the U.S. The term “outside the U.S.” means anywhere other than the 50 states of the U.S., the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Remember, you can have Medicare while you live abroad, but it will usually not cover the care you receive. Most people qualify for premium-free Part A, meaning you will pay nothing for coverage. If you must pay a premium for Part A, be aware of the high monthly cost for maintaining Part A coverage.

Canada's immigration levels will remain unchanged from its current targets. In 2024, the country will target the admission of 485,000 new immigrants. In 2025 and 2026, Canada will look to welcome 500,000 new immigrants in each year.

Under the Canadian immigration new rules, foreign students will be able to work while they study, and after they graduate. The rules will also allow for more flexibility in terms of where students can work while they study.

Large cities

Most newcomers to Canada settle in one of the country's three largest cities: Toronto, Ontario. Montréal, Quebec. Vancouver, British Columbia.

Can I use my US health insurance in Canada? ›

Canada provides world-class hospitals and top-ranked health care in the event of a medical emergency. However, U.S. government health insurance plans do not pay for hospital costs, medical expenses or prescription drugs for visitors to Canada.

All Canadian citizens and permanent residents receive medically necessary hospital and physician services free at the point of use. This does not mean, however, that healthcare is free in Canada. Most government funds for Canadian Medicare, as their health system is called, come from collected taxes.

Canada fares better than the United States with regard to coverage, cost, and health outcomes. While overall access is better in Canada, patients are sometimes required to endure longer wait times than in the United States.

Major chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer, chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) and diabetes are the cause of 65% of all deaths in Canada each year and are the leading causes of death globally.

The study, an annual survey of physicians across Canada, reports a median wait time of 27.7 weeks—the longest ever recorded, longer than the wait of 27.4 weeks reported in 2022—and 198 per cent higher than the 9.3 weeks Canadians waited in 1993, when the Fraser Institute began tracking wait times.

Once you have Permanent Resident status and are actually in Canada, there is a wait period which varies from province to province. I believe three months is the average. If you are not a Permanent Resident or Canadian citizen you will not qualify for any provincial healthcare plan.

In 2023, physicians report a median wait time of 27.7 weeks between a referral from a general practitioner and receipt of treatment. This represents the longest delay in the survey's history and is 198% longer than the 9.3 weeks Canadian patients could expect to wait in 1993.

Note: You must be resident in Canada for most of the year to be covered by Canadian health care, and stay covered. It varies a bit by province, but typically this means being physically in Canada 6 months in a year at least.