My wife and I are flying to Ottawa on the 14th June to begin our new life in Canada. I've been looking at the Ontario Health Insurance Plan online and note that there is a three month waiting period before we will be eligible.

What have other people done in these circumstances? Is there any health insurance policies that will cover us while we wait? I don't really want to have to buy a whole year of insurance. Is it advisable to register with a doctor before we become eligible for OHIP?

Cheers

Russ...

You need to get interim medical insurance from a specialist. This can be obtained for ANY length of time. Try www.icecoldnorth.com.

Try Canadasure - they will sell you a 3 month policy.

No, you won't have OHIP cover for 3 months, although you should apply asap. Take all the paperwork you have to the local OHIP office and tell them your situation. They are quite used to that. In the interim, it's up to you if you want to take out private insurance. Some would say don't bother. I did bother. I rang Blue Cross (on the advice of mates in CIC London). It took about five minutes. They got my credit card details; I got a reference number, followed by a policy in the post. I think it cost a couple of hundred dollars.

I would start hunting for a GP now. They are in short supply in Ontario and it may take a while to get accepted. Don't forget walk-in clinics.