Canada’s Healthcare System Explained 

Canada’s Impressive Healthcare System

The Covid-19 pandemic showed just how important good healthcare is when dealing with a crisis. Millions of people were affected by unemployment, changes to their financial situations, and the virus itself, which made paying for healthcare exceedingly difficult. Access to affordable or free healthcare has never been more important.

The countries that coped well with the pandemic could do so because they provide affordable or free healthcare. One of those countries is Canada. If Covid-19 or other recent experiences have led you to reconsider a change in your life, Canada offers many immigration pathways, such as Express Entry Canada and the Provincial Nominee Program that will allow you to do so.

Read on to find out why Canada’s healthcare system is a major reason to migrate, and how you can do it.

“Medicare” – Canadas Healthcare System

“Medicare” gives permanent residents and citizens access to public health insurance called “Medicare”. This means that you won’t have to pay for most healthcare services out-of-pocket, as they will be paid for through taxes.

This is excellent news for people who are eligible for “Medicare” because they don’t have to pay to get the medical attention they need. I’m sure you have heard about people leaving the hospital owing thousands and thousands of dollars in other countries. As a permanent resident or citizen of Canada, you won’t need to worry about paying outrageous sums of money for medical treatment.

With “Medicare”, you will get a health insurance card to use at the hospital or medical clinic. This already makes the process straightforward and easy. What if you show up to an appointment without a health insurance card? You will still have access to emergency medical services, free of charge! I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel a lot better about needing medical care in an emergency.

How “Medicare” Works in Canada 

Each of the 13 provinces and territories has its own public healthcare plan, so it’s important to check exactly what your plan covers; the healthcare plan in one province may not cover every service included in another province. For example, midwife services are included in British Columbia’s plan but are not covered by Quebec. Each province and territory decide on the healthcare services needed by people in their region.

Generally, all healthcare plans cover basic and emergency medical needs. The types of medical services included in most plans offer coverage for hospital/medical clinic visits, surgery, emergency medical care, and dental services if offered in a hospital.

Canadas healthcare plans apply to the specific province you live in. But what if your healthcare plan is for one province but you need medical care while traveling in another province? That’s okay! Most medical costs while traveling to another province are usually reimbursed by your home province. So, you will still have access to healthcare even while exploring different provinces and territories in Canada. The public healthcare plans are different, depending on where you are. But as a Canadian permanent resident or citizen, you can breathe a sigh of relief because there will be access to healthcare no matter what province or territory you live in.

Do I Need Private Health Insurance? 

The public health insurance plans funded by the government provide access to all the basic medical services you will need. Depending on the province, the public health care plan may not cover some things like prescription medications, private hospital rooms, and some specialist medical services.

Some people decide to get private health insurance for extra coverage. In Canada universal healthcare is very comprehensive, so you may not need private health insurance at all. This depends on your health needs, but you will find that Canada’s healthcare system offers plans for every situation.

A Brief Overview of the Benefits of “Medicare”

1. The Covid-19 vaccine is available to everyone who lives in Canada. This is an important benefit right now because it offers protection from Covid-19 completely for free! You won’t have to pay a cent to get the vaccine if you live in Canada. Other countries such as the USA are planning on charging up to $40!

2. All permanent residents and citizens of Canada have access to “Medicare”. In Canada universal healthcare offers coverage for everyone. This means that as a permanent resident or citizen of Canada, you have access to publicly funded hospital and doctor services, in all 13 provinces and territories.

3. “Medicare” offers a very high standard of healthcare. Canada often ranks in the top spots of international studies of world healthcare systems. These studies recognize the quality, convenience, and coverage of “Medicare”.

4. Canada’s healthcare system gives comprehensive coverage. In Canada universal healthcare includes the diagnosis or treatment of injuries, illnesses, and conditions. You are covered for a wide range of health situations including emergencies. As a Canadian permanent resident or citizen, if you accidentally injure yourself and need medical attention at a hospital, you would be covered by Medicare and you won’t be left with a huge bill at the end.

A quick comparison between the USA and Canada’s Healthcare Systems

Many people talk about the benefits of Canada universal healthcare in comparison to healthcare in other countries, like the USA. The table below shows some of these benefits:

Which Visa Should I Choose?

By now you should be convinced of the benefits of Canada’s healthcare system. You must be wondering how you can migrate. Thankfully, there are many different visa types and categories to choose from.

One visa program that can get you into Canada and give you access to its amazing healthcare benefits is called Express Entry Canada. Like the word ‘express’ suggests, Express Entry Canada gives you a ‘fast-track’ immigration pathway into the country. Applications are usually processed in a few months, so you won’t be waiting years and years for a decision.

Express Entry Canada is an ideal pathway for immigrants with specific skill sets, knowledge, and experience that can benefit the Canadian economy. The particular system Express Entry Canada uses is called a ‘pool and points’ system. You can score a certain number of points depending on factors such as age, language skills, education, work experience, job offer, and sponsorship. The aim is to score as many points as possible. This way, your application has higher chances of being selected from the pool.

If you are interested in Express Entry Canada, you’ll be applying for one of its 3 visa types: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Canadian Experience Class.

• Federal Skilled Worker Program – apply for this visa type if you have skills and experience in an occupation listed on the National Occupation List (NOC).

• Federal Skilled Trades Program – this visa type is best suited to applicants with a specific trade.

• Canadian Experience Class – if you’re a temporary worker already in Canada, and you want permanent residence, this is the visa for you

There are many other visas that can help you migrate to Canada. Express Entry Canada is just one example from a list of many different visa options.

How to Apply for Canadian Visas 

The application process for a Canadian visa varies from one visa type to another. However, the steps are pretty much the same:

1. Get a visa eligibility assessment to determine your options to immigrate
2. Meet visa-specific requirements, such as providing medical and police clearances, IELTS and WES
3. Submit your visa application and await an ITA (Invitation to Apply)

The team at Great North Visa can provide you with these services and more. Using an in-depth eligibility assessment, we can direct you towards the most suited immigration path, whether it is through Express Entry Canada or other available programs.

Some of our services include immigration profile optimization (mainly for work visas, where you are required to achieve a certain point score), document collection, access to IELTS and WES, C.V optimizers, job searching tools, legal assistance, and more.

Contact us today via the button below so we can figure out the right visa for you and your family. You will all be enjoying Canada universal healthcare and a new life as a whole in no time