or is it a least cheaper then the US, for US citizens? I know it's a silly Question but I figured since health care is free to Canadians then maybe it's really cheap for outsiders. I live in the US right on the border and my doctor wants me to get an MRI, but my deductable is $1000 and I don't have that much.
2006-12-22 06:34:37 · 5 answers · asked by Anyone 4 in Travel ➔ Canada ➔ Other - Canada
How this place is legal here is the topic of some debate, but:
http://www.ottawavalleymri.com/Patient_Info/Fees_Schedule.php
...private MRI clinic just outside of Ottawa; note that that $725 is CDN$725. It might make for a pleasant day trip.
2006-12-26 06:27:55 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The short answer is yes, you do have to be a Canadian citizen (or landed immigrant or refugee) to avail of the free healthcare. At any hospital, you'll be asked for your healthcare card - every province has its own medicare system, and the cards are different and province-specific. In cases of emergencies, I'm sure they wouldn't demand your hospital card before admitting you after a car accident or something, but to make appointments with specialists and such things, you do need the card. For MRIs, you also need to be referred to one by another physician (and so the referral is in the medicare system and all), thus you can't just walk in off the street and get one.
Although I'm writing from the point of view of the Newfoundland system - which as a US citizen, you won't be crossing the border to visit (we're an 8 hour ferry ride from Nova Scotia). I assume the same general principles apply in all the other provinces, that you need your medicare card to get access to such specific services. Also, there are long waiting lists in some provinces for such services as MRIs (in the neighbourhood of weeks), so they might be reluctant to let a non-resident avail of the system when taxpayers are in line.
2006-12-23 04:06:48 · answer #2 · answered by Greg 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes -- they went about it in a much more intelligent method than the U.S., where anyone and everyone can just show up at their local emergency room, regardless of what country they came from, and get free health care, driving up the cost for everyone who IS a legal citizen.
2006-12-25 17:47:20 · answer #3 · answered by Joe B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
or a landed immigrant. or of course a refugee. float into any port on a raft, and viola, $2000 per person per month plus free health care. Type into your search bar MRI, city; for example, Calgary has some private clinics, one is Mayfair Diagnostics www.mayfairdiagnostics.com.
2006-12-22 18:09:24 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES
2006-12-22 13:18:11 · answer #5 · answered by nbjess 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋