Birth
 

Hi myself and my wife will be moving to kelowna bc as soon as the sale of our home goes through. My wife is currently pregnant and will end up having the baby once we have arrived in kelowna. Can anyone shed any light as to the cost of having a baby in kelowna or at least does anyone know if our health insurance will cover it.

Many thanks

Mark

Re: Birth
 

Pretty sure it's covered under the provincial health insurance. I think that it's similar to Ontario though where you would automatically be covered for a hospital birth under OB care, but if you want a midwife, they're in short supply (they can assist you at home or in the hospital), although the cost of this is also covered. You can also hire a private birth assistant (doula) to supplement either of those, but they're not clinically trained, they can be a real godsend for emotional and practical support though, particularly if you don't have family around.

Re: Birth
 

Definitely NOT covered on health insurance - My two babies are still costing me a fortune at the ages of 23 and 19

Hahha

Enjoy it - Regardless - babies are wonderful
:thumbsup:

Re: Birth
 

Haha! That's a really good point ;) In the longer term, birth is the cheapest bit!

Re: Birth
 

MSP starts after the balance of the month you arrivein plus 2 successive months, so you could be without medical coverage for up to 3 months. If you have to pay it could be very expensive, especially if there are any complications. Good job you are selling your house!

You may be able to get private coverage, but preexisting conditions are not usually covered. If you wait until the baby is born before moving, much easier in that regard, so long as one of you is a Canadian citizen. If not, you would have to sponsor it. The alternative is PAYG medical care for the first three months or move to AB where you are covered right away.

Re: Birth
 

New residents or persons re-establishing residence in B.C. are eligible for coverage after completing a wait period that normally consists of the balance of the month of arrival plus two months.

For Ontario it's 3 months.

@ the OP - Once you qualify for healthcare, prenatal, birth and postnatal care would be covered. You will need health insurance for the period before you qualify.

More here: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/infoben/eligible.html

:)

Re: Birth
 

Ok.....so if we had to pay ...what are the costs like......only want a rough figure so I can calculate it in before the move.

Many thanks

Mark

Re: Birth
 

As already noted you are not covered when you arrive. As also noted, if you buy private coverage for the interim period, it may not cover a 'pre-existing condition' including pregnancy. Read more here:
https://www.google.ca/#q=immigrant+t...alth+insurance

In regards to a 'rough figure' if you were to pay for the delivery yourself, I would be very careful about thinking that way. Assuming it will be a simple birth with no major complications you could end up paying from $5k to $20k. Read here: http://www.david-cummings.com/docume...ital_rates.htm

But if there are complications, the cost can go through the roof. Read this nightmare: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...e-1m-1.1197529

Bottom line. You need to be sure that you are insured when the baby is born.

Re: Birth
 

It can go way over $20k, if there is a need for ICU, it can run into hundreds of thousands. Anyone coming here knowing they will be paying for medical treatment should see a psychiatrist first, it would be way cheaper.

The nightmare article concerns a non resident couple, who could bail on the debt at any time with little or no repercussions. Residents of Canada racking up a huge bill can be hounded by collections agent, taken to court, lose pretty much everything. A colleague in the UK whose [uninsured] son was injured in a road accident in the US ended up selling their house to pay the bill.

Re: Birth
 

Thank you all so much...... so it could be possible to get insured....or not? Im still a bit confused

Re: Birth
 

Why not ask an insurer?

Re: Birth
 

I thought about it but the forum's were saying that health insurance wouldnt cover pregnancy and was hoping that people have had experience of it.

Re: Birth
 

Getting an answer from the horse's mouth is more useful than conjecture from forums.

Re: Birth
 

It probably would be the best option...just hard trying to get 5 minutes to phone them....I will give it a try this week

Re: Birth
 

Quick question - when is her due date? Some policies will cover pregnancy but only up to 9 weeks prior to the due date and exclude pre-natal standard appointments or tests.

From the results I got when I googled this, I think you will find it impossible to find one that will cover the actual birth.

It's a shame you are not going to one of the Provinces who give health cover from day one.

:)