Medical advice for Canada
#16
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Medical advice for Canada
Siouxie is quite right.
The question is whether you have the money to pay for the drug. I think few medical plans would pay the full amount.
I'm not sure how common it is for such benefits to be part of employment as we were lucky, but private medical plans are available. You have to pay a monthly premium, and many of those have a lifetime limit.
We are retired and have an Extended Health Plan that has a yearly deduction of $1000 before it pays out, plus a $200,000 lifetime limit ................ that wouldn't go far with a medication costing as much as Xolair.
Just so you know ............. the premiums for that plan cost us just over $175 per month, or over $2100 per year.
The question is whether you have the money to pay for the drug. I think few medical plans would pay the full amount.
I'm not sure how common it is for such benefits to be part of employment as we were lucky, but private medical plans are available. You have to pay a monthly premium, and many of those have a lifetime limit.
We are retired and have an Extended Health Plan that has a yearly deduction of $1000 before it pays out, plus a $200,000 lifetime limit ................ that wouldn't go far with a medication costing as much as Xolair.
Just so you know ............. the premiums for that plan cost us just over $175 per month, or over $2100 per year.
#17
BE Enthusiast
Joined: May 2019
Posts: 386
Re: Medical advice for Canada
Siouxie is quite right.
The question is whether you have the money to pay for the drug. I think few medical plans would pay the full amount.
I'm not sure how common it is for such benefits to be part of employment as we were lucky, but private medical plans are available. You have to pay a monthly premium, and many of those have a lifetime limit.
We are retired and have an Extended Health Plan that has a yearly deduction of $1000 before it pays out, plus a $200,000 lifetime limit ................ that wouldn't go far with a medication costing as much as Xolair.
Just so you know ............. the premiums for that plan cost us just over $175 per month, or over $2100 per year.
The question is whether you have the money to pay for the drug. I think few medical plans would pay the full amount.
I'm not sure how common it is for such benefits to be part of employment as we were lucky, but private medical plans are available. You have to pay a monthly premium, and many of those have a lifetime limit.
We are retired and have an Extended Health Plan that has a yearly deduction of $1000 before it pays out, plus a $200,000 lifetime limit ................ that wouldn't go far with a medication costing as much as Xolair.
Just so you know ............. the premiums for that plan cost us just over $175 per month, or over $2100 per year.
#18
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Medical advice for Canada
#20
Banned
Joined: Apr 2009
Location: SW Ontario
Posts: 19,879
Re: Medical advice for Canada
The first thing to ascertain is if the OP's wife is already a PR / Citizen or whether they are Excessive Demand Exempt. If not they will have to show proof of sufficient savings / income to fund the excess costs involved (without any costs being born by Provincial Health Care). Otherwise the OP's wife is unlikely to be approved for Permanent Residence in Canada, due to Excessive Demand.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...-services.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...-services.html
#21
Re: Medical advice for Canada
The first thing to ascertain is if the OP's wife is already a PR / Citizen or whether they are Excessive Demand Exempt. If not they will have to show proof of sufficient savings / income to fund the excess costs involved (without any costs being born by Provincial Health Care). Otherwise the OP's wife is unlikely to be approved for Permanent Residence in Canada, due to Excessive Demand.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...-services.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...-services.html
#22
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Medical advice for Canada
From the OP's first 2 posts, I've been assuming that they are NOT either Canadian citizens or PRs .......
and in response to FL's question as to whether they would qualify to live in Canada for a few years ...........
My wife and I live in the UK. We are thinking of living in Vancouver for a few years. I am trying to figure out whether we can get the same treatments in Canada that we do in the UK on the NHS.
The short answer is i haven't looked into it fully yet. The longer answer is I don't think that I would have any issues getting a working visa. I work in IT and am fairly well qualified. I have a masters degree and numerous professional certifications. I did take a quick look on the jobs listed as desirable for immigrants and I seemed to tick the boxes.
#23
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2013
Location: BC, Canada
Posts: 3,874
Re: Medical advice for Canada
You will also pay for an ambulance, opiticans, dentists ... unless you have Extended Health Benefit programme.
You will NOT pay for visits to a Family Doctor, for a specialist as long as you have been referred to him/her by the Family Doctor, for an operation in hospital or day surgery, nor for any drugs prescribed or given to you in hospital (even if they are ones that you would normally be taking in "normal" life).
You will be asked to pay an amount for the bed and room if you have to stay in hospital, the amount varying as to whether you want a private room, a semi-private (2 bed) or a larger.
This is what happens in BC ..........all will vary from province to province
If you earn less than the minimum stated by the government or are on disability allowance, many if not most/all of your costs will be covered by Pharmacare. This also applies to seniors on pension ......... if they are receiving only the minimum OAS (Old Age pension) or CPP (Canada Pension Plan), costs are covered. NOTE:- OAS and CPP are paid from your salary, either wholly by you, or in some form of shared division between you and your employer.
If a senior has other retirement income, then Pharmacare determines how much of a deduction you will have to pay before being covered . Until that deduction limit is reached, you pay the whole cost ......... except you get a discounted opticians appointment once a year.
I would point out that OH does have an additional private pension, and we have neve reached the deduction limit in 17 years, even though my prescription drugs cost around $2000 a year.
You also have to count in the cost of Dental treatment, for opticians, physio etc ......... none of those are covered.
#24
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Medical advice for Canada
If your on provincial disability in BC many medications are indeed covered, but many are also not covered, just depends what your prescribed but there can still be a fair amount of out of pocket expenses even when receiving PWD extended benefits.