How strict are BC MSP residency obligations

[tweedledum08]

Hi,
I did a soft landing in Vancouver in April and am planning to move to Vancouver last week of October. To make matters a bit complicated I had some health issues in May which require me to have a medical infusion every 8 weeks. I'm currently employed in Los Angeles with health benefits and planning to work remotely on my H1B at least till the end of the year. Since MSP takes 3 months to kick in, if I start my application end of Oct I should be eligible for health benefits starting 1st Jan. The online application has a question:

Will you or anyone in your immediate family (included on this application) be away from B.C. for more than 30 days in total over the next six months?

I'm going to have to make multiple trips between LA & Vancouver which could result in being out of BC for over a month in total. So my question is how strictly is this rule enforced?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi,
I did a soft landing in Vancouver in April and am planning to move to Vancouver last week of October. To make matters a bit complicated I had some health issues in May which require me to have a medical infusion every 8 weeks. I'm currently employed in Los Angeles with health benefits and planning to work remotely on my H1B at least till the end of the year. Since MSP takes 3 months to kick in, if I start my application end of Oct I should be eligible for health benefits starting 1st Jan. The online application has a question:

Will you or anyone in your immediate family (included on this application) be away from B.C. for more than 30 days in total over the next six months?

I'm going to have to make multiple trips between LA & Vancouver which could result in being out of BC for over a month in total. So my question is how strictly is this rule enforced?

MSP doesn't have a 3 month waiting period. It is 2 months plus the balance of the month of arrival. This means if you arrive Sept 30th, you will have coverage Dec 1st.

Residency requirements are strict and if they determine afterwards that you didn't qualify, they can claw back for any care you received during that time.

 

[canuck78]

Would mention that it will take some time to organize infusions. You can’t just show up at an infusion centre. You may have to go through various doctors to set these things up. If you want to receive care you need to make a decision about whether you are willing to comply with your residency obligations. You must be declaring a US address if your company is saying you are working in LA on an H1B. If you are spending a significant amount of time in the US you should really be keeping your US health insurance especially if you have a chronic condition.

 

[tweedledum08]

thanks for the inputs canuck_in_uk, canuck78. My plan is do my upcoming two infusions in LA which would be till end the year. After that the next infusion would be in late Feb so as I'll be eligible from Jan 1st it should be enough lead up time.

 

[canuck78]

thanks for the inputs canuck_in_uk, canuck78. My plan is do my upcoming two infusions in LA which would be till end the year. After that the next infusion would be in late Feb so as I'll be eligible from Jan 1st it should be enough lead up time.

As long as long as you are sure you meet the residency requirements you should be fine. You will have to keep that in mind while make any plans. You will need to plan for padding time to get into the medical system. Not quite sure what kind of infusions you are receiving but you can’t just go to a walk-in clinic or ER and have them prescribe medication and make an infusion appointment. That is especially true if what you are receiving is expensive. 1 month is not a ton of time especially since the beginning of January is still holiday time and things have been delayed from Christmas/New Year closures. When switching employers to a Canadian employer having one with good extended benefits may be important dependent on your medical condition.