Is healthcare free in Canada?

Indeed, there is free healthcare in Canada, and Canadians get no invoice for accessing essential medical services at the point of use. Health services also cost considerably less than would’ve been expected because of the government’s stronger bargaining power with providers of services, drugs, and equipment.

Nonetheless, private insurance is popular across Canada because of the shortcomings of the public healthcare system.

Some have argued that Canadian healthcare isn’t free because people pay for it through taxation, but the truth is that there is no specific tax placed on healthcare. Taxes are paid in Canada just as they are paid anywhere else.

So is there free healthcare in Canada? The right answer should be a yes that is unambiguously stated though recent studies suggest Canada’s universal healthcare system may be lagging behind its peers.¹ SSRN. (scholarly source) visit source 

How the healthcare system works.

In Canada, most health services you expect from a hospital or general practitioner are covered by government health insurance. This is such that it’s illegal for private insurance companies to cover services offered by the government to its citizens.

Though the Canadian government provides health insurance, it doesn’t directly employ healthcare workers or own health facilities. The workers are employed by the private sector but the government negotiates their charges and pays for their services. This is thought to be the reason for cheaper healthcare costs in Canada.

However, the central government doesn’t have absolute powers over healthcare delivery as the provinces and territories are left to modify the system and extent of coverage as it suits them. In other words, the healthcare system is practically decentralized.

Seeing a specialist requires referrals from general practitioners (GPs). Any specialists that provide services without a GP referral could be fined. Furthermore, accessing healthcare will usually require the presentation of a health card obtained from the government.

With these health cards, you could access free medical services deemed to be essential² Taylor and Francis online. (scholarly source) visit source  and walk away without getting billed a dime. Essential services that are covered by government insurance are usually basic and don’t include areas like dental, physical therapy, and some prescription drugs. For this reason, Canadians resort to private insurance for coverage in these areas.

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What is covered?

Government insurance in Canada covers only not-well-defined medically necessary health services, leaving the provinces and territories to decide for themselves what can be considered to be medically necessary. This gave room to slight variations in coverage among the provinces.

Most of the covered services are what you do expect from a normal visit to a health facility or personal physician such as:

• Emergency room services,
• Diagnostic tests,
• Physician appointments,
• Necessary surgical operations,
• Pre- and post-natal health care, etc.

The free healthcare system covers many more items than was listed above, for:

1. Children,
2. Canadians above 65 years of age,
3. The low-income earners.

What isn’t covered?

More than half the populace is covered by private insurance and the reasons become obvious when you look at what government insurance doesn’t cover. These include but are not restricted to the following:

1. Dental services,
2. Rehabilitative or habilitative services like physiotherapy and occupational therapy,
3. Eye health and aids like lenses,
4. Services rendered by psychologists,
5. Majority of the prescription drugs,
6. Ambulance services except those in Yukon,
7. Medical equipment like crutches and hearing aids.

These services are usually covered by private insurance often provided by employers, however, the government insurance program covers some of them for children, the poor, and Canadians above 65 years. Nonetheless, the extent of coverage differs among the provinces or territories.

How Canada pays for free healthcare.

Canada’s healthcare is a single-payer system established by the Canadian Health Act in 1984³ The government of Canada. visit source  meant to ensure:

1. All medically necessary services are accessible to all Canadians on a prepaid basis
2. Uniformity in the terms and conditions health care services are offered.⁴ The government of Canada. Visit source 

The healthcare system is prepaid probably because it’s funded entirely through taxes but that is not to state there are specific taxes Canadians pay for healthcare.

The tax system is such that high-income earners pay more on taxes and I think it’s not only a fair deal but one that is working beautifully well.

Today, almost all Canadians are covered by either public health care (government), private insurance, or both. This is unlike in the US where quite a significant population of Americans doesn’t have health insurance despite the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise called Obamacare.

Who is eligible for Canada’s free healthcare?

It is solely designed to serve the healthcare needs of Canadian residents excluding visitors and tourists. The criteria for recognizing you as a resident and by extension, qualifying you for the free healthcare system is set by the provinces.

Most of them will demand you are physically present for up to 183 days in a year including evidence of your plan to return to the province.

Tourists.

Tourists are usually people on tour, who are not residents of Canada and, therefore are excluded from the Canadian healthcare system. This system is meant only for residents. If therefore you are a tourist, except you’ve got pretty deep pockets, it may make sense to obtain private health insurance otherwise every penny incurred on medical services during your tour will have to be fully paid out-of-pocket.

Immigrants.

As an immigrant you are eligible but there is a waiting period of about 3 months after arrival in some provinces. This makes it wise to obtain a form of short-term private health insurance coverage for the period unless you are prepared to pay out-of-pocket for even emergency services as tourists do.

International students.

Health insurance is available for certain international students in some provinces but the conditions differ among these provinces. In some, it could be free whereas in others you may have to pay a monthly premium.

Regardless of your province, you’ll be required to obtain health insurance as an international student for the period of your stay.

Foreigners and work permit holders.

This will depend on your status as a foreigner. Firstly, you don’t stand a chance if you are not legally staying in Canada. Any attempt to get free healthcare could get you discovered and you do find yourself back in whichever country you came from, in the blink of an eye.

Work permit holders who meet their provincial requirements can apply for that province’s health coverage. This may take three months to get approved in some cases, so buying private health insurance during the waiting period is advisable.

Permanent residents.

Permanent residents and citizens are eminently qualified for Canada’s free healthcare system. Workers who fall in this group can also get additional private insurance coverage from their employers. Insurance plans from employers usually cover areas of health needs that are not covered by the government’s insurance program.

Accessing Canada’s free healthcare.

Accessing Canada’s free health care system requires you to apply for a health card in your province. For this you’ll need the following documents:

• A birth certificate,
• A permanent resident card or confirmation of permanent residency,
• Your passport.

The health card application forms are available at various places where you can obtain health services such as hospital facilities, pharmacies, and physician’s offices. It can also be gotten at settlement service agencies.

Health cards are things you carry with you at all times just in case you end up in an emergency. For this reason, you must reach out to your provincial health ministry for a replacement if you lose your card.

Conclusion.

The Canadian free health care system is one of the best in the world, however, Canadian households who are not on any private insurance struggle to fill prescription drugs. Click To Tweet This is because the government’s insurance doesn’t cover such items.

It has been said Canada is the only developed country whose universal health care system fails to cover prescription drugs. As a result of this, Canadians are believed to pay one of the highest costs of drugs in the world.

Be that as it may, the overall cost of health care in Canada remains considerably lower than in the US without compromising the quality of care, though its sustainability remains a thing of debate.⁵ Europe PMC. (scholarly source) visit source  ⁶Norteamerica. (scholarly source) visit source  Being affordable is very important as healthcare costs are known to be a leading cause of bankruptcy.⁷ National Library of Medicine. (governmental authority) visit source On the downside, waiting times for health services in Canada leaves much to be desired.⁸ The Canadian College of Health Leaders. (scholarly source) visit source 

You may also be interested in knowing something about deductibles for health insurance or affordable health insurance in Michigan.