- Joined
- Feb 8, 2016
Question about Candian healthcare: I've heard that healthcare in Quebec is always strapped for resources, so I would assume that there are rules in place to prevent people from simply going to another province when the fancy takes them. Is that not the case? Or perhaps it doesn't apply in this case because she got a referral to a highly specific program?
There is a complicated answer, but generally, yes.
Ontario- as a rule- can take QC health care insurance in specific circumstances. There are reciprocal arrangements between provinces to deal with health care (since it's a provincial responsibility) and cost recovery of the same. Some examples are here. I agree she is likely gaming the system by using an Ontario address (her mother or grandma) to keep Ontario services active. I wouldn't say it's a common practice, but there is a certain sector of people who do this kind of thing for taxation purposes/health care. If she gets caught residing in QC and doing this, there will be fallout, as the gubmit doesn't like to be scammed.
The NCR (National Capital Region) is a bit strange, since it's between two provinces: often walk-in clinics in Ottawa will accept QC insurance. But this is not universal. Ditto for hospitals: there are services, like specialty hospitals for kids/cancer care/heart that take referrals also.
That being said, I doing think being a great big fatass plague carrier counts as a referral or emergency though; but her CT scan thing might be out of the bigger Ottawa hospitals since they'd have the expertise.
*edited for word embiggenment