The heathcare is free but funded through taxes. You cant get the benefits of free heath care unless you are a citizen or permanent resident of Canada. :) When you apply for a visa there will be a period of time where you will not be covered, but once you get your permanant residancy card you can go get a heath card :3
Almost all services are free however you will probably need to pay for medications and maybe even insulin or at least a portion of it.

Basically any doctors visits/hospital visits/ambulance rides, specialty doctors, shots, pain medication, having a baby etc is all free, however in most cases when you pick up prescriptions they will cost money, prices vary depending on the province and what kind of medication you are taking.

I'm currently going through the process right now to become a resident. I only had to wait until my temp. residency visa got here and I was able to get a heath card. I'm currently in Alberta. My roommate has diabetes. He's from here originally, but he had to wait three or so months before his healthcare kicked in and another two months before his prescriptions were covered (most of them, one isn't).

Do you know what is and isnt covered ??

I know right now ill need 2 types of insulin, blood testing strips and/or a sensor for my libre freestyle, hypostop and other emergency hypoglycemic supplies.

I'll ask my roommate and see if he knows?

That would be amazing <3

Sorry for the delay.. Roomie conjured up this.


https://forum.fudiabetes.org/t/cana.....mparisons/1136


Also, until you get your healthcard, you will have to pay for your things on your own. However..if you keep all your receipts/bills and turn them in, you should be reimbursed. That's what the lady at Plates told me (Plates is like, an all in one provincial/government office and DMV)

This is amazing info! Thank you so much for finding this for me 💜

Welcome! Glad I could help

Previously a canadian resident here, but thought I'd add onto what Aimi and FluxWolf had already said, but because of the cost of medication isn't covered for non-resident/citizen, it's highly suggested to help save some money to avoid living jn Victoria or Vancouver BC, as BC is one of the most expensive provinces to live in for rent and buying a home!

ahahahaits outside vancouver i would be moving to if i was going over there :')

It all depends on the province you are in, like everyone has already stated. Also remember that you will need to know french if you are planning to live in Quebec, also is helpful to know it in New Brunswick as it is bi-lingual province. Having a health insurance also helps in cutting costs for most meds aswell. Just keep in contact with us Canadian furs for any extra info as it helps .

Hey another member of the T1D gang. As for how Canada's health care system works, I'm a (dumb) American and no help. All I can say is that its probably a lot better than the US, where prices for supplies are 10x more expensive. My Humalog can cost upward to $300/vial (without insurance co-pay), whereas it retails in Canada and the UK for around $30/vial . So I'd assume prices for most supplies are probably similar to the NHS, but then again I don't really know for sure.