Health care in Canada is often regarded as one of the best systems in the world, giving Canadian citizens universal and free access to emergency care and regular doctor visits.
But not everything is covered by the health care system – and each province or territory also may have slightly different regulations.
It’s important to know why you may need to pick up some supplemental private health insurance – and how to save money on the rest of your health needs.
How health care works in Canada
Canada’s health care system – sometimes referred to as Medicare – provides universal access to care that covers about 70% of our health needs.
The remaining 30% needs to be paid out of pocket or covered by supplemental private insurance.
What’s covered by health care in Canada?
At the basic level, you can expect all medically necessary services to come free of charge with Canada health care, no matter what province you live in.
This includes things like:
- doctor and hospital visits,
- diagnostics and examinations,
- surgeries and treatments,
- standard accommodations in the hospital (including care, food, and prescriptions),
- dental surgeries that happen in a hospital, and
- eye examinations for people under 18 or over 65.
What isn’t covered by health care in Canada?
But it’s important to keep in mind that there’s still a portion of your health care needs that aren’t covered by your Canadian health care.
This includes, but isn’t limited to:
- most dental services (except those deemed medically necessary),
- regular eye exams for people between 18 and 65,
- cosmetic and elective surgery,
- prescription drugs given outside of the hospital, and
- non-standard hospital care (like a private room when not necessary).
Your provincial and territorial health care coverage
The management of the Canadian health care program is on a provincial or territorial basis, which means you need to register with your province or territory in order to be covered.
In most cases, if you move to a new province, your coverage starts 3 months after you become an eligible resident and register – and usually your previous coverage lasts 3 months after you leave the province.
Here’s an overview of what each province or territory calls their health care services, plus the eligibility criteria. Click the province or territory name to see more information on what’s covered.
| Province/territory | What the coverage is called | Eligibility criteria (not including citizen/resident status) |
|---|---|---|
| Alberta | Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) | Committed to living in the province for at least 183 days in a year |
| British Columbia | Medical Services Plan (MSP) | Be physically present in BC at least 6 months a year |
| Manitoba | Manitoba Health Services Insurance Plan (MHSIP) | Live in Manitoba for 6 months in a year |
| New Brunswick | New Brunswick Medicare | Make your permanent and principle home in NB |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Medical Care Plan (MCP) | Make your home in NFLD |
| Northwest Territories | NWT Health Care Plan | Permanent residents who are physically present at least 153 days a year |
| Nova Scotia | Medical Services Insurance (MSI) | Present in Nova Scotia for at least 183 days a year |
| Nunavut | Nunavut Health Care Plan | Make Nunavut your primary place of residence |
| Ontario | Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) | Be in Ontario for at least 153 days in a year – all of which need to be done in the first 183 days when you first move to Ontario |
| Prince Edward Island | PEI Health | Stay in PEI for at least 6 months plus a day every year |
| Quebec | Régie de l’assurance maladie du Quebec (RAMQ) | Be present in Quebec for at least 183 days during the first year |
| Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan Health | Live in the province at least 6 months a year |
| Yukon | Yukon Health Care Insurance Plan (YHCIP) | Be present in Yukon for more than 6 months (can get a waiver) |
Alberta health care
If you live in Alberta, you have access to a long list of covered medical services through AHCIP – including medically necessary hospital stays.
Canadian citizens are eligible to get an Alberta health care card if they’re committed to live in the province for at least 183 days in a year.
Here’s a brief list of what’s covered by Alberta:
- Medically necessary services, including diagnostic services, nursing care, hospital stays, and routine surgeries.
- Psychiatrist visits.
- Transfer between hospitals in Alberta.
- Medications given out during your hospital stay.
You’ll only get partial coverage for oral, vision, and foot care.
Examples of things not covered by Alberta includes:
- Cosmetic surgery.
- Services not provided by a physician.
- Prescription drugs outside of a hospital.
- Vaccinations for travel purposes.
- Private and semi-private hospital rooms (unless deemed necessary).
Overall, it’s a pretty standard list. You can read everything here.
British Columbia health care
If you live in BC, it’s mandatory that you enrol with MSP.
This will give you coverage for standard health care needs, like:
- Medically necessary services provided by physicians and midwives.
- Dental and oral surgery at the hospital, including some orthodontics.
- Eye examinations (if medically necessary, or if under 18/over 65).
- Diagnostic services, including X-rays and lab work.
Click here to see the list of services covered by BC’s MSP.
Manitoba health care
Manitoba health care is called MHSIP – Manitoba Health Services Insurance Plan.
You’re eligible for the standard list of health services, including:
- Physician services that are medically required for you and your dependents, including surgery and diagnostic services.
- Eye exams, when medically necessary or if under 19 or over 65.
- Chiropractor services (a maximum of 7 visits a year), including adjustments of spinal columns, pelvis, and extremities.
Seniors in Manitoba may also be eligible for standard accommodation at a personal care home.
You can see the full list here.
New Brunswick health care
New Brunswick’s Medicare is available for any Canadian citizen or resident who makes NB their permanent home – though they don’t specify how often you need to be physically in New Brunswick to qualify.
Those who are eligible will receive coverage for the following practitioner and hospital services:
- Most medically required services by a physician.
- Specific dental procedures when done in a hospital.
- Standard hospital accommodations.
- Necessary nursing services.
- Prescription drugs when in the hospital.
- Diagnostics work, including lab work and X-rays.
- Therapies like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and audiology.
Newfoundland and Labrador health care
Newfoundland and Labrador health care is called the Medical Care Plan or MCP.
They list the general categories of coverage on their site, which are:
- Visits to the doctor or hospital.
- Surgical, diagnostic, and therapeutic procedures.
- Required care before and after surgeries.
- Maternity care.
- Radiology services.
- Medically necessary dental surgery that’s performed in a hospital.
They even link to the full 329 PDF on that page, so you can get all the details easily.
Northwest Territories health care
Your Northwest Territories health care card covers you for any basic and necessary medical treatment. This means you can walk into a hospital or medical clinic for treatment and can expect not to get billed for the services.
Any extended health benefits, like prescription medicine, glasses, dental services, and medical supplies aren’t covered by your care, so you’ll need to seek out supplemental coverage.
Click here to read more.
Nova Scotia health care
Nova Scotia’s Medical Service Insurance (MSI) will provide residents with coverage for the following medically required services, with some restrictions:
- Hospital.
- Medical.
- Dental.
- Optometric.
Nunavut health care
The Nunavut Health Care Plan covers the following services for permanent residents of the territory:
- Diagnosis, treatment, and surgery.
- Obstetrical care, including pre and postnatal care.
- Eye examinations, treatment, and operations provided by an ophthalmologist.
- Standard hospital accommodations and nursing services.
If you have to leave your home or community for a treatment, you could be covered for airfare up to $250.
Ontario health care
Ontario’s health plan is called OHIP – which stands for Ontario Health Insurance Plan.
It covers most of what you come to expect, such as:
- Doctor visits.
- Hospital visits and stays.
- Medical or surgical abortions.
- Podiatry.
- Ambulance services and other travel if you live in Northern Ontario.
- Eligible dental and eye surgery.
They also have a familiar list of uncovered services, like prescriptions (outside of a hospital), cosmetic surgeries, and dental services in a dentist’s office.
The OHIP site is written in a way that’s easy to understand. Get the full list of covered services here.
Prince Edward Island health care
Being registered for a PEI Health card will give you access to free medical testing and treatment at publicly funded health facilities on the island.
In order to be eligible, you have to live on the island for at least 6 months and a day, every year.
Some residents may be able to have their prescription medication covered under PEI Pharmacare, but only specific drugs are covered.
Click here to read more.
Quebec health care
Quebec’s health care plan offers a wide range of covered services, including all that are medically necessary and done by a general practitioner (like examinations, surgery, diagnostics, and more).
Some dentist work, optometry, and pharmacy services are also covered in Quebec.
You can read more about the full list here.
Saskatchewan health care
Saskatchewan Health provides fully covered services for the following:
- All medically necessary services.
- Physiotherapy or occupational therapy.
- Screen mammography for women between 50 and 69.
- Immunization services.
- STI treatment and HIV testing.
- Addiction and mental health services.
- Some supplemental care, like dental, prescription, medical supplies, emergency transportation, and more.
You can read more about what’s offered here.
Yukon health care
The Yukon Health Care Insurance Plan covers eligible residents for required hospital and medical services, plus some dental surgeries (but only if they’re necessary).
You can read more about their services here.
The pros and cons of health care in Canada
It’s undeniable that Canada’s health care system provides a lot of good for Canadians – but there’s at least 2 sides to every story. After all, nothing is ever really free.
3 benefits of health care in Canada
The fact that Canadian health care is free and available to everyone is its major advantage.
1. It’s universal
As a universal health care system, all Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible for health care.
It doesn’t matter your age or the condition of your health – as long as you live here and register, you’re covered.
2. Much of health care never has to come out of your pocket
As stated earlier, about 70% of annual health care costs are covered by the government systems.
This includes the once-in-a-while doctor check ups and the life-changing hospital visits.
Imagine having a child in the hospital or battling a life-threatening disease…and being footed with a huge bill afterwards. That’s not a worry for Canadians.
3. Relatively straightforward
Despite being doled out on a provincial or territorial level, the rules are relatively similar no matter where you are in the country – emergency, doctor, and hospital visits are covered, other medical services are not.
This could easily become a convoluted system where major services are covered in some places but not in others – but that’s just not the case with Canada. You simply register for your province’s or territory’s services, and you have relatively similar coverage.
2 drawbacks of health care in Canada
The downsides of a universal public health care system is that it causes higher taxes and longer wait times.
But if that’s the price to pay for free health care for everyone, it doesn’t seem so bad.
1. Pay for it with higher taxes
Nothing in life is really free – so every Canadian pays for the health care system through increased taxes.
This could be neutralized over the course of your life, considering how expensive the costs would be if we didn’t have this health care, but it’s still a downside that exists.
2. Emergency rooms and surgeries have longer wait times
Because more people have access to health care (which isn’t a bad thing – it’s good that people are getting the help they need), you’ll be faced with longer wait times for appointments and non-essential surgeries.
You’ll also likely sit in the emergency room for hours on end.
Why you still need health insurance in Canada
It’s a common misconception that just because Canada has free universal health care, you don’t need to have private insurance. Unfortunately, that’s not true.
There are several expensive and essential parts of health care that aren’t covered by Canada’s system. Here are 3 of the main reasons most Canadians still opt for a private health insurance policy.
1. Dental checkups and most dental surgeries aren’t covered
Though you’ll likely be covered for emergency dental services that are done in a hospital, anything that happens in the dentist office is often not covered.
And tooth extractions in particular are generally not covered – so you’d have to shoulder that wisdom teeth bill yourself.
2. Eye exams are only covered for people under 18 (or 19) or over 65
Most non-emergency eye services won’t be covered by the Canadian system. The one exception is annual eye exams for people under 18 (sometimes 19, depending on the province) and over 65.
Your prescription glasses and contacts also won’t be covered, as well as your laser surgery if you choose that route.
3. Prescription medications outside of the hospital aren’t covered
If you need to take prescription medications, you’ll need to pay that cost out of pocket if you’re not in a hospital setting.
This can be an expensive monthly cost, depending on your prescription.
Looking for the best health insurance in Canada? Check out our comparison between some of the biggest companies.
How to save money on health care in Canada
Though health care is mostly free in Canada – there are still plenty of expenses that will have to come out of pocket. They could be devastating to your budget, depending on your situation.
The best way to save money? Keep yourself healthy.
1. Stay healthy
Okay, so this is a big step that takes a lot of different actions – but you likely know the spiel anyway.
Making sure you exercise, eat right, drink lots of water, and avoid drugs are the easiest ways to keep your body healthy for as long as you can.
2. Save money on medication
Are your prescription medications taking a lot out of the bank every month?
Talk to your doctor about switching to less expensive medications. Usually the newer, brand name meds are the most expensive – switching to a generic brand could save you plenty of money every month.
3. Go for regular checkups
Prevention is key when it comes to your health.
Don’t ignore that nagging feeling about going for a regular checkup. You could catch and prevent the most expensive hospital bills this way.
FAQ
How does health care in Canada work?
Canada has universal public health care that is handled on a provincial or territorial basis. That means Canadians register with their home province or territory to receive free health care that covers most emergency services and doctor visits.
Is health care in Canada really free?
A lot of emergency health care services as well as regular doctor visits in Canada aren’t paid out of pocket by Canadians. That said, many things aren’t covered. Of course, the extra cost of public health care is paid by taxpayers.
Do you still need health insurance in Canada?
Most Canadians still get private health insurance on top of their public health care to help cover things like dentists, optometrists, and prescription drugs.
Do you get health care as a non-citizen living in Canada?
This largely depends on 2 factors: your citizenship status and where you’re living. The rules for health care differ from province to province, but usually you can get coverage if you’re working or studying for at least 6 months.
What’s the Public Service Health Care Plan?
The Public Service Health Care Plan, or PSHCP for short, is an optional health care plan for federal employees and their dependents. This plan acts as a supplement to the standard provincial/territorial plans.
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