Auld Yin

I agree with JerseyGirl, I don't understand how any country can claim to be civilized, and yet deny people basic health care.

I would suggest that every civilized country does provide basic health care for all of its citizens, including the US, but anyone traveling outside their own country is foolish to travel without appropriate insurance. I have an excellent employer plan along with Ontario Government coverage but I would never, under any circumstances, cross the border into the USA or travel into Europe without purchasing additional coverage. If one has no assets then there is nothing for the US hospitals/doctors to seize so it becomes a non-issue.

startwin

Oh boy - and therefore no one would bother to purchase insurance. And your taxes would hike up to cover the costs. It's not free.

I'm finding it interesting that several of the moderators on this forum who can decide to ban people for whatever reason are so active in arguing with posters on this board. Guess I'm about to be banned now for saying something bad about a mod.

AmyDavid

Jerseygirl isn't a Canada mod...and I don't think either she nor Ray are "arguing" with posters...now behave or I shall make you eat cheez wizz (or is it Cheez Wazz?!)

Jerseygirl

Firstly I am not a moderator on this forum. Secondly no-one is arguing...we are having a discussion. Thirdly please don't use me to try to support whatever personal issues you have.

ray1968

moderators can 'discuss' with members of this forum and I defy you to find one instance where someone has been banned on the Canada forum for "arguing" with a mod.

windward

The working holiday visa you get through the BUNAC program to Canada from the UK prohibits you from access to Canada's healthcare system, emergency or otherwise. You can't leave the UK without proving to BUNAC that you have adequate insurance to cover any activity you might hurt yourself in.

It's different to the working holiday visa you can get as a Canadian coming to the UK in a load of ways (it's one separate to BUNAC), allows up to two years stay (not BUNAC's one), and we're supposing, 'does' give you access to free treatment in the country you're headed to.

If it wasn't for the ability to work wherever you want in the EU I'd think Brits seriously lost out in the passport/immigration/visa stakes. Especially now we're not considered anything special by the Yanks.

Interestingly enough, while the mrs was in England on her WH visa she was entitled to vote in the local election. Again, I'm assuming, because it makes sense for someone who's resident, pays tax, uses the services and is affected by Government policy to have a say.

I wasn't able to do my bit for my local NDP member last year here in Toronto though. Makes you wonder.

Have to agree with the rest of the OPs, healthcare is a human right and should be financed by society for society. Private interests should be kept out of it too. The videos you can see on youtube of US hospitals dumping uninsured patients by the side of the road in their gowns is pretty harrowing.

Novocastrian

The answer to the OP's question (and I note the OP has contributed nothing further) is "No, except emergency care"

What has astonished me in reading the whole thread is nooka's mention of hypothecation in post 70. What a disgusting mangling of language that is.

Apparently in the UK it has recently been adopted by idiots as a concatenation of "hypothetical dedication", but that has nothing at all to do with it's real meaning.

Country. Dogs.

Maedros

I've seen similar stories of foreigners in emergy situations in my country, Portugal, and nobody was charged anything (or at least only paid a small fee). I suppose it would be the same all over the Europen Union. I spent New Year's Eve in Montreal with a couple of friends that came for a visit, and the boy complained of unbearable abdominal pains, just like your friend. We were charged around 800 dollars at MacGill University Hospital Emergency, and made to wait in apalling, miserable conditions for 24 hours, until someone bothered to help. Each time the shift changed, a different doctor would come and the first thing he would do would be to charge 80-100 dollars more, first, then ask if he was insured (he was, but had to pay all expenses from his own pocket first), before he did anything. The final doctor forgot to charge and seemed to be the most humane person we met in that miserable place, and concluded, after requesting an X-Ray, that it was an "apendigitis", which did not require immediate surgery, but strong pain killers. I suppose if he needed immediate surgery and couldn't afford the expensive hospital bills he would be left to die. My experience with the Canadian Health System (I'm PR and should be covered by OHIP sometime) has left me very disappointed so far. It seems people here are as terrorised with the idea of having nobody to care for them in an emergency situation as in the US. I'm filled with horror each time I remember what happened, or picture this building in my mind.

BristolUK

But the question I asked was when would a non UK resident who was resident in Canada not be able to access Canada's healthcare (aside from the provincial qualifying period.

The person on the working holiday is not resident in Canada and would still be UK resident....just away for an extended period.

nooka

I agree, in general I would never travel anywhere without health insurance, especially in the US and we usually have annual coverage. However many many people in the US have no healthcare insurance for one reason or another, and many of them find that their insurance doesn't actually cover their care. For example, my dh has an problem with one of his ears. In the UK he sees a consultant every now and then (but hasn't for two or three years). Every now and then (maybe three times in the last 15 years or so) he gets an infection, needing antibiotics, and his ear cleaned. During our stay in the US this occurred, and off he went to the ENT specialist recommended by the insurer. He paid the co-pay, and $180 towards the prescriptions. The insurer is now saying it was a preexisting condition, and asking for $1500. So you can be covered, and still have to pay. You can also get caught in a position when getting insurance is very difficult - so we couldn't extend our annual travel insurance to cover the period we had no insurance (even though for three weeks we were traveling), because we were no longer resident in the UK, so the policy wouldn't have been valid.

startwin

I believe that if the moderators want to participate in the discussions they should do it under another user name and not as a moderator. And how is anyone supposed to know which mod belongs to which forum, anyway? Personal issues? You lost me there, I'm afraid.

Jerseygirl

Take a look at the bottom right hand side of the Canada forum index page...the mod's names are listed there.

http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=56
http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=98

Auld Yin

I suppose if he needed immediate surgery and couldn't afford the expensive hospital bills he would be left to die. It seems people here are as terrorised with the idea of having nobody to care for them in an emergency situation as in the US.

Absolute balderdash.

windward

'fraid not. I live here, I have a permanent job here, I pay taxes here, I filled out my P80 when I left England. I have been a Canadian resident for 8 months, as will everyone else who comes out on BUNAC this year, whether they like it or not

The Mods trawl the forums all day and we should expect them not to participate?

Maedros

Well, perhaps if he was really dying (not just in unbearable pain) they may have done something, without saying "Cash, cash first!". You could be right. My opinions are just that, opinions, based in what I've seen and experienced so far. Anyway, just hope you dont find yourself in a similar situation someday. Its usually good medicine for balderdash, all sorts of it, whatever that is. The amount of advertisement I've seen regarding private health insurances that cover for medical costs which the State won't (people are literally bombarded with it), in the US and in Canada; the way people are constantly reminded that each province runs its own program and will not necessarily cover for costs of non-residents, even if they are citizens, when travelling, does tell something about people's concerns regarding this issue. I've seen nothing of the sort in Europe.