OHIP ?/dumb question...

[TammyandJosh 1]

I havent totally looked into the whole EI thing but Im wondering since EI is available to Canadians out of country is OHIP? I will be put on Fh's insurance once we get married..but im wondering about the time before the wedding? how do people handle that? and we are debating ttc now as us immigration doenst care my body has a ticking clock..so a pregnancy would be a pre-exsisting health condition..so would ohip cover any preg care in the US..

thoughts anyone..

thanks

[Canadiandggal 49]

I havent totally looked into the whole EI thing but Im wondering since EI is available to Canadians out of country is OHIP? I will be put on Fh's insurance once we get married..but im wondering about the time before the wedding? how do people handle that? and we are debating ttc now as us immigration doenst care my body has a ticking clock..so a pregnancy would be a pre-exsisting health condition..so would ohip cover any preg care in the US..

thoughts anyone..

thanks

The moment you move you are no longer covered through OHIP. However you could use chip or there are a few other problems here. Also my husbands insurance company will take people on if your pregnant, Im pretty sure they all will now. You could get temp insurance for in between as well.

[TammyandJosh 1]

The moment you move you are no longer covered through OHIP. However you could use chip or there are a few other problems here. Also my husbands insurance company will take people on if your pregnant, Im pretty sure they all will now. You could get temp insurance for in between as well.

Thanks I had heard insurance companies were changing that..

Is it just me that thinks its weird you can stuill get EI? lol

[Flames9_RN 358]

Thanks I had heard insurance companies were changing that..

Is it just me that thinks its weird you can stuill get EI? lol

Yep, the EI took me by suprise, and no clue until VJ member Cassie told me!!

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I think you earned your EI fair and square back in Canada. It's a nice bonus

[pocheros 101]

Receiving EI makes sense because it gets taken out of your paycheque while you're working in Canada... Not receiving OHIP makes sense because you don't have to be a citizen to receive it, just a permanent resident... and if someone who was once a permanent resident in Canada but no longer is could still receive OHIP, well then pretty much anyone who lived in Canada for 6 months out of their whole lives could get it forever! Also because you pay for OHIP through taxes.

A lot of people look into buying travel insurance. I sort of gambled and won't be receiving any insurance until January and I got here in September... So far so good. >_>

[Flames9_RN 358]

I believe if you just quit ur job, for no good reason, your not going to be getting EI, even though you paid into it. One has to have a valid reason.

[pocheros 101]

Well, of course you can't get it just for any reason. But in the context of moving to another country on a visa it makes sense that if you worked the required number of hours that you should be able to get some of that money back...

[SF2007 48]

To get back on your insurance question... I did business with a International Medical Group, Inc. between the moment I moved to the U.S. until my wedding. You shouldn't get travel insurance as you are not travelling but establishing residency in a foreign country. Should you have a claim, you might have trouble getting your claim through.

I believe that kind of policy is called "short term health insurance". Many companies offer them. Once married I was added to my husband's.

[TammyandJosh 1]

Thanks SF...There is no way I would risk it on the kids. We will be moving like a week before the wedding bc I want to work up until right before we leave

[Colleens 40]

We ended up getting pregnant just before I got my visa and moved to the US (I had been visiting my fiance for 4 months while I waited for my visa interview, and when I came back from Canada 2 weeks after my interview....surprise!!). I was able to be added onto my husbands insurance and they covered my pregnancy. If you were getting your own personal insurance you would still be covered under the HIPPA laws (since you come from a country with national health insurance it is like having health insurance here and you are just moving to a different policy so they can not reject you for pre-existing conditions). However when I got a quote on insurance (since my husband wasn't able to add me for almost 3 months, it was going to cost me $2450.00 per month (no that is NOT a typo) for maternity coverage. So if you are already pregnant when you move to the US it could be costly for insurance for those first few months. We ended up paying out of pocket for my first few months of prenatal care, and it didn't cost too much. They charge you significantly less when you are uninsured.

As for EI, not only can you claim EI ,but if you are able to time your pregnancy correctly (easier said then done) you can get your full years worth of mat leave. I am not exactly sure on all the rules but I was fortunate enough to have it work out for me (although I only got 6 months since I had received a severance package from my employer when I left Canada). It may be worth a trip to a Service Canada office and speak to an unemployment officer and find out exactly how it all works. It was sooooo nice to be able to have that time with my baby after she was born. Standard Mat leave here in the US is 12 weeks....UNPAID.

[sheeshkabelle 153]

"It was sooooo nice to be able to have that time with my baby after she was born. Standard Mat leave here in the US is 12 weeks....UNPAID. "

And you only get that 12 weeks if you meet the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) eligibility:

"The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. You must work for a covered employer; have worked for the employer for a total of 12 months; have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months; and work at a location in the United States or in any territory or possession of the United States where at least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles."

So really FMLA isn't worth the paper it's written on because the majority of employers aren't 'covered'. You'll get sticker shock at the price of health insurance premiums here, the co-pays, and the fact most insurance only pays 80% of your bill.

[Canadiandggal 49]

"It was sooooo nice to be able to have that time with my baby after she was born. Standard Mat leave here in the US is 12 weeks....UNPAID. "

And you only get that 12 weeks if you meet the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) eligibility:

"The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. You must work for a covered employer; have worked for the employer for a total of 12 months; have worked at least 1,250 hours over the previous 12 months; and work at a location in the United States or in any territory or possession of the United States where at least 50 employees are employed by the employer within 75 miles."

So really FMLA isn't worth the paper it's written on because the majority of employers aren't 'covered'. You'll get sticker shock at the price of health insurance premiums here, the co-pays, and the fact most insurance only pays 80% of your bill.

Having a baby even with insurance can be rather expensive.. lol Ive been getting a bill every other day for the past two weeks. BOOOOOOO!!!!

[Flames9_RN 358]

Having a baby even with insurance can be rather expensive.. lol Ive been getting a bill every other day for the past two weeks. BOOOOOOO!!!!

Make suyre u are checking ur billa!! Hospitals/Insurance are famous for over-charging!! Especially hospitals!!!