Hi all, weve been living in BC for a couple of months now, and we love it!
My question is this... if we were to have an accident, break a limb etc... what do we do? Insurance doesnt kick in for a while, and no idea of what the costs would be for xrays, doctors fees, examinations, etc. Do we go to the nearest hospital and face huge bills? Is there any help financially etc?

Any idea's, just in case of an emergency?
Thanks all,
Purps xxx :-)

Can't you just get private insurance coverage?

Sorry, I should have mentioned... we have filled out the private med forms etc, but what if something happens in the meantime? Was just curious as I havent heard of anyone going through this before.

Oh sorry I thought you where waiting for the provincial healthcare to kick in. Not sure what the answer is hopefully someone else will know

No problem Elaine, thanks for your help... im just curious lol hopefully someone will know more on the subject and the info may be of use to someone at somepoint, its just been on my mind when the cogs have been turning... nothing on tv over here so the old grey matter has more time to quesiton these things ;-)

Purps :-)

if you have been here over two months already - won't your MSP kick in on Thursday? (In BC you need to be here for two full months and the remainder of the 3rd month, so if you land on the 29th of a month you only have a day or so of that month to complete).

Anyway, what you do if you need medical treatment is pay. A trip to the doctors will cost between $50 and $150 dollars, a broken bone is around $500 etc.

Keep healthy!

Clare

Thanks Clare :-)
Was just curious as to the fee's etc. We've been here two months on the 1st May. It was just a rhetorical question, and the advice may come in handy for someone in the future... I hope no one needs it lol but you never know!
Purps :-)

Hi, not sure if this will help. You can get Blue Cross Ontario insurance cover until your health care kicks in, as you have already landed, you just need to wait 72 hours for coverage to begin. It would be classed as " Visitors Travel Insurance" you just put in your province, then it will list the different options eg waiting for health care etc

Hi Lee, many thanks for the input... its something ive been curious about, and just wondered what the options were - if any.
Purps :-)

There are lots of option, If you browse their web page, go to travel insurance tab. Put in your province and it explains the options. (search google - Blue Cross - Ontario ) Any probs let me know.

My partner doesn't have health insurance. She's been here for around five years and eligible for the provincial plan for a year or so but hasn't got around to going to enroll. We just pay cash at the hospital and claim it back on income taxes.

On our last trip last year our son was only 8 weeks old and became ill. We took him to a walk in clinic on Vancouver Island and the doctor was the most professional and thorough medic I have ever seen............a full head to toe, internal and diagnosis for $40 well worth it. (The doc was the spitting image of jennifer anniston and when I suddenly came over all faint and reached for my $40 my missus cured me.........a spot of fresh air outside! )

My husband was rushed in for emergency surgery 2 or 3 weeks before our Alberta Health care kicked in. Alberta healthcare coverd our bill for us.

Ooer, I would enroll, I really would. A lovely lady I met through a yahoo immigration group was involved in a car crash (black ice near Kelowna, and she was the passenger), so far she owes over a Million dollars for her medical expenses, and no, she was not enrolled in MSP

I do nag from time to time but I don't want to seem to be bleating constantly. The thing is, national health care, free health care, is something people from the UK expect and value but people from other countries don't get worked up about; in most countries people expect healthcare to cost and evaluate physical repairs against, say, house repairs.