How Canadians In The USA Should Deal With Health Care

In January of this year, the government of the Canadian Province of Ontario eliminated the Out of Country Travellers Program from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) is a government-operated health insurance system for Ontario residents. As the province moved ahead with its plan, it became the first jurisdiction in Canada to eliminate coverage for emergency hospital and physician services received outside the country.

While the move was attacked as being inconsistent with the Canada Health Act, which stipulates that all Canadians are entitled to continue coverage of their provincial health plans when they are temporarily absent from home, the Ontario government proceeded nonetheless. From that moment on, Ontario residents became liable to cover the costs of their health care outside Canada, if they required medical attention while traveling. Canadians from other provinces face similar circumstances.

To address this challenge, the Ontario Ministry of Health recommended that residents get private insurance. The Health Ministry noted that many people already had travel medical insurance coverage through their employee benefit plans, or credit cards. Indeed, many Canadian financial institutions and automobile clubs also offer short-term travel medical insurance. Even Loblaws, the country’s largest supermarket chain, offers travel insurance under its President’s Choice Financial brand.

The matter of health care coverage in the U.S. boils down to your status while being present there. Many immigrants in the United States are eligible to access health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, or what has come to be known as Obamacare. The key criterion is to be “lawfully present.” This includes individuals who are lawful permanent residents, asylees, refugees, foreign nationals admitted under any nonimmigrant visa who are in status, and certain other classifications under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Canadians in TN, L-1, E-2, O-1 and P visa status therefore all qualify. However, visitors and people who are not legally present in the United States do not.