Diabetes
 

Hi, I wonder if anyone here can advise me? My husband Mark and I had been intending to make the move out to Canada until last October when we had a bit of a set back. Mark was diagnosed as being diabetic 2 weeks after we returned from a fact finding mission to BC and AB.

I've been trying to find out how this might affect our chances and if there were no issues there, how we would go about getting healthcare.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Tiffany

Re: Diabetes
 

I'm fairly sure this has been discussed before, either on this forum or the Canadian Immigration forum (you'll see a link to that in the drop-down at the bottom of the page). You can trying entering diabetes into the search function towards the top right of the page.

I am also fairly sure that being diabetic won't go against you. I know a couple from London, both diabetics, that had no problem getting their visas. You will probably have to pay for all your own medication, though. That could be costly.

Re: Diabetes
 

Thanks for your help :) I found the search function just after I posted this :rolleyes: though I didnt think of checking the immigration forum as well :)

Do you have any idea of where I might be able to find out the medication costs? His medications seem to be pretty standard for Canada, I just cant seem to find anything to do with costs!

Cheers!

Tiffany

Re: Diabetes
 

I couldn't tell you, I'm afraid. The couple I know, I'm not in contact with at the moment. However, if you can take some time to do the search, I believe that there are some diabetics posting on here. You could ask them directly using the private mail option.

Re: Diabetes
 

Welcome to the forum, M and T.
I agree with Souvenir that it would be a good idea to PM forum members who are diabetics or have close family members who are diabetics.

However, it's probably a good idea to do independent research as well. Apparently the costs of diabetic supplies vary a great deal from province to province.

A December 2005 Diabetes Report published by the Canadian Diabetes Association and Diabète Québec compares costs across the provinces for a hypothetical Type 1 patient and a hypothetical Type 2 patient. According tothe report, the Type 1 patient's annual costs vary from C$0 in Nunavut to C$3,639.33 in Newfoundland. The Type 2 patient's annual costs are C$40.15 in Nunavut and go up to C$3,894.68 in Newfoundland.

You will find that the answers to many questions vary from province to province.

Re: Diabetes
 

Hi Judy, thanks for the welcome :) Thanks also for that link, its very interesting reading. There are also more posts on here that mention diabetes than I thought there would be so the whole forum has been very helpful.

I'm going to have a read through them all over the next few days and pop off a couple of pm's too :)

Cheers!

Tiffers

Re: Diabetes
 

Would your drugs be covered by any form of medical plan ???
We have cover as part of my husbands package through his job and they pay 8o% of any drug costs, aswell as 80% dental etc etc. The company is Manulife.
It was just a thought, as if it was covered, the expense wouldn't be too bad. :)

Re: Diabetes
 

Surely no insurance plan covers conditions already known about? That would make no commercial sense.

Re: Diabetes
 

We never had to inform the comapny or their insurers of any existing medical conditions or any repeat drugs that we needed. (Not that we have any.......but it has never been asked) I really don't know....It was just a thought that maybe they could look into.

Re: Diabetes
 

You may well be right but surely you can see my point. Insurers cover people in the hope of not having to pay out.

Re: Diabetes
 

In the case of some employer-sponsored health care insurance plans, conditions like diabetes might be covered on the basis that the employees who make few/small claims make up for employees who make many/large claims. I don't know that. I'm just guessing.

On the other hand, when I've applied for jobs in the past I've sometimes been asked to undergo medical exams. I passed those exams and got the jobs. I don't know what the outcomes would have been if I'd had a medical condition.

Re: Diabetes
 

I think there is a difference with employee health care plans and pre-existing conditions.

I don't believe it was ever an issue with any of the plans I had while working.

Insurance companies are much more interested in pre-existing conditions and denial of coverage when it comes to life insurance.

As an aside I honestly don't know how the plan I belong to makes money for the insurance company. As a retiree I pay about $26.50 per month (or $318 per year) in premiums and collect for prescriptions an average of $4,800 per year.

Cheers
Steve

Re: Diabetes
 

When I made the point about not paying out, I should probably have added "overall". Your insurance company is making a loss on you but making more back on, dare I say it, younger and fitter people that don't make claims.

Actuaries, the bookies of the insurance world, are paid bundles. And with good reason. There is some serious maths behind those premiums.

Re: Diabetes
 

Sure you can say it. :) I make no bones about it I'm older and certainly not as fit as I once was and come with a small list of medical issues these days.

Thank goodness for insurance plans both prescription type and provincial health care. :D:D

If it wasn't for them I'd be dead already. :eek:

Cheers
Steve

Re: Diabetes
 

I don't know anything about the cost. I do know that in Saskatchewan if you need expensive drugs to stay alive, the Province will pay for them, but I believe you have to apply first. Not entirely sure.

One thing I will tell you and that is that we seem to be far ahead of the UK in treatment. I was in England last year with my son and his wife, who is a diabetic. She has an insulin pump, which in case you don't know is a little device that looks like a tiny wallet that she wears on her belt and its essentialy an insulin reservoir so she gets one needle every 6 days or so (not sure exactly how many) instead of every day.

When we went through the security check here, the people knew it was an insulin pump and just checked through her bag of additional "goodies".

When we went to London for the day, on the train there from Kent she discovered that she had a problem. She thought the needle was plugged and had left the spares in Kent as she didn't want to carry a load of stuff all day. So, we thought we would try Boots at Charing Cross. They had never heard of an insulin pump. Next we took at taxi to St. Thomas's - we went to the Diabetic Clinic there. They admitted they had heard of an insulin pump but didn't know anything about them. They suggested we go to Guy's.

Well, forget it. We went back home and got the problem fixed there.

At Heathrow coming back - anybody would have thought we were from Mars! The first guy had heard of an insulin pump but he had to call his supervisor, who had never heard of one. She dusted the whole bag of needles and stuff as if it was anthrax or something.

I guess an insulin pump is not exactly a well known commodity over there.