Anyone thinking of remaining a resident somehow?

[Sprailenes 47]

I am sorry to hear about your friend and her problems with CDN Healthcare. This is why I will always prefer US Healthcare. If you can pay for it, you can get it done nearly immediately.

Yea its nice to know we will get good health care because we can pay for it.

But my only problem with the US system is that there is people who can't afford it. I think its a great system if you can afford it. But there are a lot of people in this Country who live well below the poverty line.

It's just sad. The one thing I liked about Canada is that I knew I was getting the same health care as everyone else (for the most part). I wasn't being given a shorter straw based on income or insurance.

[Sprailenes 47]

PS: I wouldn't let a movie Michael Moore made scare you, he has a way of giving you only one side of the story to make his point. I agree the man is talented but I would look further into things yourself. Don't let him tell you what to feel. Sicko was a great film, but I take everything Moore has to say with a grain of salt.

[Cassie 8]

the argument over which is better aside, it is illegal in Canada to continue to use provincial healthcare insurance if you are no longer permanently residing in Canada. Yes, people do it all the time, however, if they get caught, they will be financially liable to pay back, and/or could serve time in jail.

aye -- it isn't cheap to pay back! I had to go to the emergency room for a gall bladder attack while home during Christmas and I had to pay $400 up front to get looked at because I was no longer a resident of Nova Scotia, and then another bill came when we got back to the US. 4 days later (after the gall bladder attack) I fell and hurt my arm, but I refused to go have it looked at because of the cost. Turns out I had fractured it.

The US system has its good points, but if you don't have insurance, you're screwed.

[Caladan 19]

I am sorry to hear about your friend and her problems with CDN Healthcare. This is why I will always prefer US Healthcare. If you can pay for it, you can get it done nearly immediately.

Yea its nice to know we will get good health care because we can pay for it.

But my only problem with the US system is that there is people who can't afford it. I think its a great system if you can afford it. But there are a lot of people in this Country who live well below the poverty line.

It's just sad. The one thing I liked about Canada is that I knew I was getting the same health care as everyone else (for the most part). I wasn't being given a shorter straw based on income or insurance.

And unfortunately 'people who can't afford it' is a pretty sizable amount of Americans.

[dearheart 0]

Hi Dearheart,

My husband is an Australian and a PR in Canada, has lived here for 8 years. We recently applied for his Canadian citizenship (takes 12-15 months btw according to the letter we received). In the course of doing this I then read that he would have still maintained his PR status as the fact that he is living with the Canadian citizen - even in another country - it's still considered 'residency'.

Now this does not equate to health care coverage, as already mentioned, as you must be physically living in the province for x number of months to be eligible.

What it does mean though is that you won't lose your PR status in Canada (from my understanding). You might want to drop them a quick email just to confirm

trailmix - wow! I will definitely look into it. Thanks to the others answering my questions. I in no way want to do something illegal. I understand how it works now. I found an interesting link for immigrant insurance. I know when my husband and I were first considering moving down, health care was an issue first on my list. We are a single income family. I specifically emailed my cousins who live a similar lifestyle to see how they do it. In the end, what they said was, God provides. So, I won't worry. We will look into our legal options and trust that the God who is bigger than health care and insurance companies will care for us. (Now, I know I may have started a whole new controversial thread in itself with that statement.) Thanks to those who have answered my questions....

[dearheart 0]

I just called Immigration Canada and trailmix, you're right! I won't lose my PR status! Wa-hoo! I am so excited. So if we should want to move back to Canada I will not have to go through immigration again this way. Wa-hoo! I am so darn excited! Thanks, trailmix!

[trailmix 77]

I just called Immigration Canada and trailmix, you're right! I won't lose my PR status! Wa-hoo! I am so excited. So if we should want to move back to Canada I will not have to go through immigration again this way. Wa-hoo! I am so darn excited! Thanks, trailmix!

You're welcome!

[misa 2]

trailmix, great info for Canadian PRs!

[thermophile 0]

ok jumping in on this late because I've been too busy to check VJ the past few days. The same 3 out of 5 year rule applies to all Canadian PR's, however those of us lucky enough to be married to Canadian Citizens get to count the time we spend with our spouse as "time in Canada". Kind of cute that our loves are our own personal piece of Canada.

US health care sucks-we spend nearly double per capita than Canada yet fewer people are covered AND the US ranks near/at the bottom of the developed world in basic metrics like infant mortality (Lativa is the only developed country with higher infant mortality than us) and survivorship with chronic diseases. If you have some rare cancer you are better off in the US, but if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or that uterine parasite (I love the Onion) known as a baby you are better off in any developed country other than the US. The only reason that we STILL don't have universal health care is because the very powerful insurance lobby has convinced Americans that they deserve 40% of our health care money-that if we deny them that money we would be beholden to that oh so scary "government bureaucracy" which for some reason is worse than the insurance bureaucracy whose only goal is to maximize premiums and minimize payments for treatment. This is a case where true adherents of capitalism should be on the side of universal healthcare-the better product for less money, instead of what the US has a more expensive system for much poorer results.

And no, I've never seen Sicko-the stats that I've quoted can be found in the annual UN World Health Report

[misa 2]

the very powerful insurance lobby has convinced Americans that they deserve 40% of our health care money-that if we deny them that money we would be beholden to that oh so scary "government bureaucracy" which for some reason is worse than the insurance bureaucracy whose only goal is to maximize premiums and minimize payments for treatment

This is true. My husband works for a health insurance brokerage and you should see some of the bullshit presentations that the carriers present. Total lies, inaccuracies, data skewing, implied cause and effect when one has nothing to do with the other, scare tactics, etc.

I've been happy with the Canadian health care system. I've used it for minimal and moderate care and surgery but friends and family have used it for much more dire surgeries (i.e, complicated, life threatening, etc.) without delay. I suppose it all depends on physical access... if you live in a big city (like Toronto) then there are more surgeons and specialists available. Also, I've never equated any "waiting" to be because of "the system" but because of the number of doctors/specialists available and the way the country is populated. Not saying it's "perfect" but I think it's way better for a variety of reasons which many here in this subforum have already stated.

[Caladan 19]

I just called Immigration Canada and trailmix, you're right! I won't lose my PR status! Wa-hoo! I am so excited. So if we should want to move back to Canada I will not have to go through immigration again this way. Wa-hoo! I am so darn excited! Thanks, trailmix!

You're welcome!

That is so smart of the Canadian government.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

As I have mentioned before, I have had reasons to use both the US and the Canadian health, hospitalization and emergency care systems - and I will take the Canadian one anytime. I do have a chronic health concern and I know that some of the copays cost more than the actual prescription did back in Canada - for the exact same product, same packaging, everything except the French labeling. For a medical emergency last year, it took me 6 hours before I saw a doctor after I was admitted at emergency - and saw only one nurse 3 hours after I was put into the examining room - and all she did was take vitals. Once I saw the doctor things happened quickly, I was diagnosed with a stroke and admitted (it turned out not to be a stroke but the symptoms were virtually identical). Upon arrival at emergency It took an hour going through emergency admissions doing the financial paperwork while sitting there with half my body numb and unfeeling, unable to use my arm and barely able to shuffle while dragging my one leg. My emergency visit in Canada with a severe kidney infection had me through admissions and to a doctor within 15 minutes where I was immediately admitted and getting an iv inserted within half an hour. My brother just last week in Ottawa was rushed to emergency and within 2 hours was in surgery for a perforated bowel. (he is still there for another few days as well). He would have died if he had been in the US because the doctor would not have seen him in time - in fact, there have been several highly publicized news stories in the US media about people with perforated bowels dying while waiting to see a doctor in hospital - or being turned away, in one case, because she didn't have insurance.

Anyway, a private buagaboo - and sorry for somewhat hijacking the topic.

Edited September 18, 2007 by Kathryn41

[vanee 13]

...my husband (USC) and I intend to move back to Canada and for him to become a Canadian citizen when we retire. That way, we can choose to live in either Canada or the U.S. anytime we want.

for you to be covered by a provincial healthcare program, you have to be a resident of Canada.

...he would have still maintained his PR status as the fact that he is living with the Canadian citizen - even in another country - it's still considered 'residency'.

Now this does not equate to health care coverage, as already mentioned, as you must be physically living in the province for x number of months to be eligible.

Trying to put all this together...for those of us who aren't planning to have both of us have dual citizenship, is there a way for the USC to have permanent PR status in Canada? For example, if after the Canadian got US citizenship, the Can/Am couple moved to Canada for X months and then returned to the US, would the USC continue to have Canadian PR status? And then be able to return to Canada and get health care after X months even if s/he had a pre-existing health condition? And if so, how many months are X?

Just "what if" thinking.

[trailmix 77]

Trying to put all this together...for those of us who aren't planning to have both of us have dual citizenship, is there a way for the USC to have permanent PR status in Canada? For example, if after the Canadian got US citizenship, the Can/Am couple moved to Canada for X months and then returned to the US, would the USC continue to have Canadian PR status? And then be able to return to Canada and get health care after X months even if s/he had a pre-existing health condition? And if so, how many months are X?

Just "what if" thinking.

Hi vanee,

Your thinking above is correct.

The U.S. citizen moves to Canada with their Canadian Citizen spouse and applies for PR status. Once the U.S. citizen has their PR status approved (not sure how long this currently takes and it will vary of course) their 'residency' for Canadian PR status is still considered to be ongoing, as long as they are living with the Canadian Citizen spouse - even if they are living in Istanbul together.

The health care scenario you give is true also, X months depends on the province.

Edited September 18, 2007 by trailmix

[trailmix 77]

I tried to edit but it wouldn't let me, to add this:

As far as pre-existing conditions go, if the condition is deemed to be a condition that will unduly cost the health care system - when applying for PR status - the person can be denied if they consider that treating that condition will be unduly costly to the healthcare system (I assume this is in place to dissuade people from trying to get PR status only to receive treatment for a condition).

This doesn't apply, obviously, if you are already a PR.

Edited September 18, 2007 by trailmix