Canada Health Insurance

Government Coverage

The Canadian constitution indicates that the provinces are responsible for delivering health care services to all its citizens.

The Canadian Health Act was passed in 1984. It established the criteria and conditions related to insured health care services that provinces and territories must meet in order to receive money from the federal government for proper health care.

In 2003/04 the federal government allotted $38.8 billion to the provinces for health and social services.

While the Canadian government provides medical care for its citizens, coverage for all health care needs is not available.

Each provincial government offers individuals various coverage basics. Medical expenses that are not covered by the provincial plan must either be paid in full by the individual or can be partially paid by a supplemental health insurance plan.

All provinces in Canada offer limited coverage to its citizens. This is the main reason why supplemental health insurance is necessary to cover all the health care needs that provincial plans do not.

The federal and provincial governments fail to provide coverage for the following health care needs:

• Preferred hospital accommodation (i.e. private room)
• Private nursing care
• Cosmetic surgery
• Physician testimony in court

Nonetheless, the provinces do provide partial or full coverage for a variety of services outside of the Canadian Health Act as well:

• Dental services
• Chiropractic and other alternative health care services
• Prescription drugs
• Ambulatory services

The extent of these services varies from province to province.

To discover the details of a provincial government’s coverage plan, click on the name of your province: