Can I be added to my husband's health insurance before PR.

[Snowisland]

My husband has health insurance including prescriptions through his job. I am going to visit for six months and want to know if he can add me to his insurance even though we just mailed our sponsor application for my PR. If not I will try to get my US insurance to give me six months of prescriptions but they usually only give me three months at a time.

 

[SamHom]

My husband has health insurance including prescriptions through his job. I am going to visit for six months and want to know if he can add me to his insurance even though we just mailed our sponsor application for my PR. If not I will try to get my US insurance to give me six months of prescriptions but they usually only give me three months at a time.

Didn't work for us.

 

[o6ocpaka]

My husband has health insurance including prescriptions through his job. I am going to visit for six months and want to know if he can add me to his insurance even though we just mailed our sponsor application for my PR. If not I will try to get my US insurance to give me six months of prescriptions but they usually only give me three months at a time.

Same here, I have tried to add my wife to my benefits from my work, and it was declined. As for health insurance, we just keep buying Bluecross while waiting for health card (takes about 3 months after you land).

 

[Snowisland]

Thanks. I will keep my insurance in the US until I move which I hope will be this summer. We just mailed our packet this month.

 

[kisaki]

It worked for us, with Great west life, but it was not an outland sponsorship...

 

[screech339]

Most insurance companies offered through work benefits requires that the applicant be on provincial health coverage in order to be added on spouse's work benefits.

So you can get on your spouse's work benefits before PR so long as you have provincial health coverage.

 

[MrsHBKelly]

I am currently on my husbands Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage through his job and I am a dependent on his Alberta Health Services coverage. The only requirement was that we had a pending PR application, it had passed the SA stage and we had a marriage certificate to show an addition to my passport (with a stamp and written exit date) when we went to the registry. It's really easy in Alberta, but I'm not sure about the rest of Canada. I also applied for a Visa Extension when we found out we were pregnant and that was just approved so I can extend all my health coverage at the registry to the new expiry date on my extension.

 

[Gemini020]

I'm not that far in the process yet so no experience but looks like in BC you can get health care after sponsorship is approved as well. I would like if someone could confirm this though.

 

[Snowisland]

When we got married he made me beneficiary on his life insurance but now we want to be able to add me to everything since I will be visiting for six months. We will give it a try and see what happens once we get SA. We just sent our application for SA this month. Thanks for your responses.

 

[Ponga]

I'm not that far in the process yet so no experience but looks like in BC you can get health care after sponsorship is approved as well. I would like if someone could confirm this though.

Technically...In BC, a person is eligible for enrollment in BC MSP as soon as the PR sponsorship application has been accepted by CIC, because they are then considered to be (under the Medicare Protection Act) a `Deemed Resident', which is long before any approval stage for sponsor or applicant.

Unfortunately, only a small percentage of those that have fought for coverage has been successful.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

When we got married he made me beneficiary on his life insurance but now we want to be able to add me to everything since I will be visiting for six months. We will give it a try and see what happens once we get SA. We just sent our application for SA this month. Thanks for your responses.

As said above, insurance companies generally require people to have provincial coverage first. If you get on his plan without having provincial coverage and the insurance company later finds out, there is the possibility that they can come after you for anything you claimed.

Also, you do realize that extended benefits don't cover regular things like doctor visits or hospital stays; these plans are only a top-up to provincial healthcare and cover things like prescriptions, PT, dental etc.

 

[Gemini020]

Canuck, I'm assuming you're from Vancouver area. Do you have any input on the MSP after sponsorship is accepted/approved? That would be provincial coverage right?

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/are-you-eligible/applicants-for-permanent-resident-status

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Canuck, I'm assuming you're from Vancouver area. Do you have any input on the MSP after sponsorship is accepted/approved? That would be provincial coverage right?

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/eligibility-and-enrolment/are-you-eligible/applicants-for-permanent-resident-status

You will have to fight for coverage. Regardless of what they post on their website, MSP staff have no clue about the situation. I was given so much wrong information over several months, it was ridiculous. I wrote a 2 page complaint letter highlighting every single mistake they made and emailed it to the Minister of Health; a few hours later, I got a phone call from an MSP manager apologizing and giving my partner coverage.

 

[Gemini020]

Thank you for your reply. If more people would be as persistent (or even know about it), the people at MSP would maybe learn about this faster. I do not plan on giving up either, especially knowing that your partner did get coverage. Do you know if there is a difference for outland applicants?

 

[screech339]

Thank you for your reply. If more people would be as persistent (or even know about it), the people at MSP would maybe learn about this faster. I do not plan on giving up either, especially knowing that your partner did get coverage. Do you know if there is a difference for outland applicants?

As far as i know, only those on "inland" application get the benefits of being on provincial coverage.