Flavours of health care (Canadian Content)

[Audrey]

ETA: Aussies and others with some form of UHC are very welcome to comment as well. Just call it "Aggressive sharing" if you like... ;)

 

With all the hoopla about health care reform abounding... I have learned there is a great deal of difference from province to province regarding coverage.

 

So, I'm wondering if the other Canucks would share what, if anything, you pay in your province.

 

Do you have a co-pay?

A deductible on services?

A premium?

Do you get dental or optical, in whole or in part?

Do have have a provincial drug program?

If so, do you use it?

What is your deductible, if any, on that?

Oh, and how many people in your family does all that cover?

 

I'll go first. We're a family of 3 in MB and this province has no co-pay or deductibles. Dental & optical are not covered, except that children receive one eye exam per calendar year free. Glasses would not be covered. I don't know many people who go for additional private coverage, but some people seem to like either a Chamber of Commerce plan through their workplace or BCBS for dental/opto.

 

We have a provincial drug plan, but our family doesn't use it. We're rarely ill, and the only regular thing is bc pills, which don't amount to much (less than $10/mo.) If we had a drug-intensive condition to deal with, we would probably use it, though.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Audrey

[WishboneDawn]

Yours sounds pretty much like ours in NS so far. Dental and eye exams are only covered for one visit a year and just for kids. I'm not sure how much difference there is between provinces but mostly because I hadn't thought about it.

 

I think the last time I paid money at the doctor's office was a couple of years ago when I spent $4 for a flu shot. I haven't even paid for those the last couple of years because, lucky me, I've had two relatives going through chemo during those years and the province covers the cost in that case. Before that I think there was a small fee ($35 maybe?) at the hospital when Harry was born.

 

We have insurance for dental, drugs, eyes, etc. through my husband's union that covers %80 of most dental, eye stuff and glasses and drugs. Although I recently switched from Depo to a patch for BC and though they covered the shot they DON'T cover the patch. The stinkers. Ah well, my body loves estrogen too much to go back to the Depo. :D

 

I should mention that ambulance costs aren't covered. A friend recently had to call one and I think the bill was around $200.

[Colleen in NS]

I should mention that ambulance costs aren't covered. A friend recently had to call one and I think the bill was around $200.

 

We also have Family Pharmacare and Pharmacare for children in low-income families here in NS, and it all depends on your income. We get Rx for the kids at $5 apiece for covered drugs. We've had to get a Dr. approval for it to cover Twin Jects for allergies. Dh and I have a deductible each year for Rx, but I can't remember what it is - I think it's under $200, and I can't remember if it's for each or both of us.

 

And guess what, Dawn, I found out two weeks ago that sometimes ambulance *are* covered. We took dd to the CHS for a swallowed ring incident, and after a few hours there, they didn't have someone to do a procedure they thought might need to be done, so they arranged for an ambulance to the IWK - they weren't comfortable sending her by car because the ring was still sitting in her throat. I was thinking we'd have to pay for it, but when I called EHS the next day, they said hospital-to-hospital transfers arranged by doctors are covered - yay! Otherwise it would have been $134. The province would have covered the rest of the $700 bill. But the whole thing was paid for.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Colleen in NS

[Heather in the Kootenays]

We pay a premium but low income people can apply to have their premiums waved - ours is $108/family of 4 I think - but correct me if my memory is off. I'm too lazy to dig out a bank statement.

 

We have no pharmacare but again low income people do get some coverage. Same with dental. The kids get one eye exam a year - glasses aren't covered. There is no deductible or copay. Ambulance service isn't covered.

 

We do have extra coverage through dh's job which covers dental, drugs, etc. We pay dearly for it though.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Heather in the Kootenays

[Audrey]

We also have Family Pharmacare and Pharmacare for children in low-income families here in NS, and it all depends on your income. We get Rx for the kids at $5 apiece for covered drugs. We've had to get a Dr. approval for it to cover Twin Jects for allergies. Dh and I have a deductible each year for Rx, but I can't remember what it is - I think it's under $200, and I can't remember if it's for each or both of us.

 

And guess what, Dawn, I found out two weeks ago that sometimes ambulance *are* covered. We took dd to the CHS for a swallowed ring incident, and after a few hours there, they didn't have someone to do a procedure they thought might need to be done, so they arranged for an ambulance to the IWK - they weren't comfortable sending her by car because the ring was still sitting in her throat. I was thinking we'd have to pay for it, but when I called EHS the next day, they said hospital-to-hospital transfers arranged by doctors are covered - yay! Otherwise it would have been $134. The province would have covered the rest of the $700 bill. But the whole thing was paid for.

 

 

I forgot about ambulance! That isn't covered here either, except if they transfer you hospital to hospital. I've heard it can be pretty expensive to go in to the bigger hospital from out here. We have a small hospital about 15 miles away, and for the most part, people go there first, then if they're transferred it's covered.

[Melissa in Australia]

can an Australian comment about their coverage?

we pay when we go to the doctor, around $45 I think, and can claim most of it back, paying a total of around $10. hospital is free.

dental isn't covered at all unless you are very low income, then you can go on a long waiting list, here it is 1 year.

1 free eye examination every 2 years, you pay for glasses.

you pay for your own drugs, unless you have a pension card, then you pay $4.80 per packet.

things like podiatry, physiotherapy, chiropractors ,etc. are not covered. If you need crutches etc. you can hire them from the hospital

ambulance isn't covered unless you have a pension card. and is very expensive $1000 of dollars per short trip.

we have ambulance insurance only, it costs around $120 for a family a year.

[Audrey]

can an Australian comment about their coverage?

we pay when we go to the doctor, around $45 I think, and can claim most of it back, paying a total of around $10. hospital is free.

dental isn't covered at all unless you are very low income, then you can go on a long waiting list, here it is 1 year.

1 free eye examination every 2 years, you pay for glasses.

you pay for your own drugs, unless you have a pension card, then you pay $4.80 per packet.

things like podiatry, physiotherapy, chiropractors ,etc. are not covered. If you need crutches etc. you can hire them from the hospital

ambulance isn't covered unless you have a pension card. and is very expensive $1000 of dollars per short trip.

we have ambulance insurance only, it costs around $120 for a family a year.

 

 

Absolutely, you are very welcome to comment (I edited my original post to reflect an extended invitation)!

 

Interesting about the podiatry, physio and chiro... those are covered in my province IF you have a referral from your GP or other physician. If it is something elective, you pay. Same with dermatology. I had a couple of moles on my neck that I didn't like. My GP didn't think they were serious, and referred me to a derma for 2nd opinion. He concluded that they were normal. I still wanted them removed, but that had to come out of my own pocket since it was considered "cosmetic elective" surgery.

[fivetails]

There are members from Alberta who are likely better for commenting, as we have only been here since just before Christmas, but I can tell you this much: we don't pay anything, monthly premiums or such. They *used to* have that here, I was told, but it stopped as of.. January, I think. So by the time we got off our old health cards and onto the AB ones, the change had already taken place.

 

Far as I know, we pay for everything else like dentists and eye care, which is normal. Dh has benefits through his work that apply to that sorta stuff, but I'm not sure how much or anything, as we haven't had to use them yet - oh, except for prescriptions, we used the cards for a couple of things there.. I think it paid 80% of the cost or theraabouts.

 

I'm assuming there are programs here for drug coverage, dental, etc for low income families - pretty much every province has something of that sort. We don't qualify here, so I don't know about them.

 

Back on PEI where we used to live -- No monthy premiums (like AB used to have, and it seems that BC does have) and we did qualify for the low income programs there. (dh's job was very diff) Our prescription drugs were covered, one eye exam every two years (and glasses/contacts if required at those 2yr intervals, but only up to a certain cost and it was pretty low, so you normally had to come up with the difference yourself)...for adults, through the low income program, the only dental covered was extractions. If you got a cavity, you got the tooth pulled. No checkups, cleanings, fillings, or such. They did start a new program before we moved, with dental students I think, where you could pay a reduced fee and get some work done, but there were a lot of qualifiers for that program and a massive wait list - and the reduced fees were still beyond what some low income families could afford.

 

Children on the island, on the other hand, are covered from 3-18 for dental, regardless of parents income. You can view that program here...

[WishboneDawn]

They did start a new program before we moved, with dental students I think, where you could pay a reduced fee and get some work done, but there were a lot of qualifiers for that program and a massive wait list - and the reduced fees were still beyond what some low income families could afford.

 

There's a dental college around here that a lot of families I know have gone to because it's much cheaper. Generally they do good work. My MIL's not a fan though. She went in with my husband when he was young to get, she thought, some cavities filled. He came out with a mouthful of silver caps like Jaws from one of the James Bond movies. :D

 

Children on the island, on the other hand, are covered from 3-18 for dental, regardless of parents income. You can view that program here...

 

Kids here must be covered earlier because Harry started having problems with his teeth at 18 mos (riddled with cavities. The dental surgeon thought it was night time nursing but his enamel was a mess as well. Who knows) and all the extractions and surgeries were covered.

[Audrey]

There are members from Alberta who are likely better for commenting, as we have only been here since just before Christmas, but I can tell you this much: we don't pay anything, monthly premiums or such. They *used to* have that here, I was told, but it stopped as of.. January, I think. So by the time we got off our old health cards and onto the AB ones, the change had already taken place.

 

 

 

 

Ah! That's good to know! I was thinking of a couple of posts I thought I remembered about premiums from people in BC & AB.

 

So... you're on the extra-commie plan, too, now, eh? :D

[Colleen in NS]

If you got a cavity, you got the tooth pulled. No checkups, cleanings, fillings, or such.

 

Couldn't you opt to pay for fillings, though, if you really didn't want a tooth pulled just for a cavity? What a tough choice to have to make though if you're on the low-income program, eh?

 

There's a dental college around here that a lot of families I know have gone to because it's much cheaper. Generally they do good work. My MIL's not a fan though. She went in with my husband when he was young to get, she thought, some cavities filled. He came out with a mouthful of silver caps like Jaws from one of the James Bond movies. :D

 

Eek!! Dh goes there, and we took our kids there once (need to go back again). I sat with one kid while dh sat with the other, and we watched everything for the whole three hours. We made sure we knew what was recommended and why, because of previous bad experiences while on dental insurance a long time ago in Ottawa. It's kind of a pain to have to spend 3 hours there, but worth it for the lower cost. The students like to have someone to practice on, too. :D

[fivetails]

Couldn't you opt to pay for fillings, though, if you really didn't want a tooth pulled just for a cavity? What a tough choice to have to make though if you're on the low-income program, eh?

 

 

Oh you could opt for anything you wanted, if you found a way to pay for it...

[fivetails]

 

So... you're on the extra-commie plan, too, now, eh? :D

 

Apparently so. :D

[swellmomma]

I'm assuming there are programs here for drug coverage, dental, etc for low income families - pretty much every province has something of that sort. We don't qualify here, so I don't know about them.

 

 

 

YEs there is for the kids only though. We are low income so the kids dental check ups, cleanings and basic work are covered (basic as in fillings, stainless steel crowns for pulpotomies, dental surgery like dd had a few months ago) once per year, as are prescriptions(most but not all meds are covered) and their glasses(if they needed them), eye exams are free for all kids under 18 once per year.

 

My own dental, eye care and prescriptions however are not covered, so I do my dental at the college for $30, my eye care only when I notice my prescription has changed, and 9/10 the dr gives me samples to cover prescriptions for me if I need one(very rarely need them maybe 1-2 times per year if that). When we were still charged premiums each month mine were waived do to income.

 

The big kids are one my ex's health insur to cover things like psych testing, med's not covered on their plan (such as their adhd meds). I do plan on getting blue cross to cover the family, particularily because dd needs braces and our other insur does not cover them.

Edited July 23, 2009 by swellmomma

[Sarah CB]

We pay a premium but low income people can apply to have their premiums waved - ours is $108/family of 4 I think - but correct me if my memory is off. I'm too lazy to dig out a bank statement.

 

We have no pharmacare but again low income people do get some coverage. Same with dental. The kids get one eye exam a year - glasses aren't covered. There is no deductible or copay. Ambulance service isn't covered.

 

We do have extra coverage through dh's job which covers dental, drugs, etc. We pay dearly for it though.

 

That's right - low income people can have their premiums waived. Plus, many employers pay the premiums. There is a new Fair Pharmacare program and it is available to those with low incomes. I have no idea if there is a deductible or not (I'm assuming there would be).

 

BC medical also covers the cost of a midwife if that's the route you want to take and (I'm pretty sure) that it covers some chiropractic as well.

 

We have some services that are covered up to school age as well. For instance, speech therapy is covered by the province until the child reaches school age.

[Alice]

I just have to say that the "Canadian Content" in the subject line made me smile.

 

That's all I have to post being "south of the border". :)

[Laura Corin]

There are charges in the UK for a few services, but they are waived for children, old people and some on very low incomes. I don't know how much we pay personally in taxes for the NHS, as it's not separated out. The average government spend on the NHS per capita is around £1,600.

 

In the UK, we pay £4 or £5 for each prescription, although you can pay an annual fee instead in order to reduce the charge if you regularly use a lot of medicines. There is no co-pay for visiting the doctor or going to hospital. Glasses are not covered, except for the exempt groups. Dental visits cost, for example, £16.50 for a check up, although it can be hard to find an NHS dentist. Orthodontics don't cost if there is judged to be a medical, rather than a cosmetic, reason for the treatment. Calvin's front teeth sit outside his lips, so his braces don't cost us anything.

 

Laura

[Colleen in NS]

I just have to say that the "Canadian Content" in the subject line made me smile.

 

That's all I have to post being "south of the border". :)

 

I laughed, too, when I saw that!

 

And I just want to say I have enjoyed reading yours and Catherine's POV as doctors on the other threads. Very eye opening for me.

 

(I'm diverting back to the thread now :D) Interesting learning how it works in other provinces and countries. I was surprised to hear that people have to pay premiums in some provinces!

[Colleen in NS]

There are charges in the UK for a few services, but they are waived for children, old people and some on very low incomes. I don't know how much we pay personally in taxes for the NHS, as it's not separated out. The average government spend on the NHS per capita is around £1,600.

 

In the UK, we pay £4 or £5 for each prescription, although you can pay an annual fee instead in order to reduce the charge if you regularly use a lot of medicines. There is no co-pay for visiting the doctor or going to hospital. Glasses are not covered, except for the exempt groups. Dental visits cost, for example, £16.50 for a check up, although it can be hard to find an NHS dentist. Orthodontics don't cost if there is judged to be a medical, rather than a cosmetic, reason for the treatment. Calvin's front teeth sit outside his lips, so his braces don't cost us anything.

 

Laura

 

Thinking it might be time to move to England, as dh has wanted to do! Wow!