Canada’s universal health-care system (Medicare) is designed to ensure that all residents of Canada have access to health care. All Canadian citizens and permanent residents may apply for public health insurance.
When you have public health insurance, you do not pay directly for most health-care services. Instead, all Canadians share in paying for them through taxes. When you use public health-care services, you must show your health insurance card to the hospital or medical clinic.
Instead of having a single national plan, Canada’s health-care program is made up of provincial and territorial health insurance plans. All of these plans share certain common features and standards. Prospective immigrants take note! Certain Provinces (British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec) and all Territories (Yukon, New West Territories, and Nunavut) impose a waiting period of up to three months before new residents become eligible for public health coverage.
For links to the health plan websites for each Canadian Province and Territory, and for consumer advice for buying interim medical insurance visit the ‘Canadian Medicare’ webpage on this site.
To get a quotation for interim medical coverage options for a three-month Medicare waiting period, from a broker representing the market of Canadian insurance companies: http://david-cummings.com/documents/QuotationRequest_ForCanada.pdf