private heath insurance card

[ekaterina1984]

Hello everyone !


Does anyone one where you I can purchase a private health insurance card in Ontario to cover my pregnancy related costs?
I 've been searching in the Yellow pages but no success. Not all insurance policies cover pregnancy related costs.
I haven't landed yet in Canada but I'm going to on May 2 , I'm 18 weeks pregnancy and planning to give birth my baby in Canada. My due date on september 2 .
I know that I have to live in Canada up to 3 months before I get goverment health insurance.

Does anyone have a similar situation ?

 

[BeShoo]

Do a web search for "canada travel health insurance". Many options are available but you will have to look at them carefully to see if they will cover pregnancy-related expenses when you know you are already pregnant. I think you will have to ask for a specific quote to cover your situation.

 

[Rob_TO]

I haven't landed yet in Canada but I'm going to on May 2 , I'm 18 weeks pregnancy and planning to give birth my baby in Canada. My due date on september 2 .
I know that I have to live in Canada up to 3 months before I get goverment health insurance.

Does anyone have a similar situation ?

You won't find an insurance policy that covers regular pregnancy related costs like check-ups, ultrasounds, etc. Insurance companies usually only cover pregnancy costs if you bought the insurance policy BEFORE you became pregnant. Why would insurance company offer a policy, when they know for sure you will be making claims on it? To them it doesn't make financial sense.

Even finding a general insurance policy that will cover only emergencies due to pregnancy, may be tough to find since it is a pre-existing condition.

If you are landing on May 2, then if you wait 3 months you will have health coverage on Aug 2. So at least your delivery in Sept should be covered. You will just need to hope there are no incidents during the 3 months.
I assume you are landing in Ontario or somewhere with a 3 month wait. Other provinces (like Alberta) have no waiting time.

 

[ekaterina1984]

You won't find an insurance policy that covers regular pregnancy related costs like check-ups, ultrasounds, etc. Insurance companies usually only cover pregnancy costs if you bought the insurance policy BEFORE you became pregnant. Why would insurance company offer a policy, when they know for sure you will be making claims on it? To them it doesn't make financial sense.

Even finding a general insurance policy that will cover only emergencies due to pregnancy, may be tough to find since it is a pre-existing condition.

If you are landing on May 2, then if you wait 3 months you will have health coverage on Aug 2. So at least your delivery in Sept should be covered. You will just need to hope there are no incidents during the 3 months.
I assume you are landing in Ontario or somewhere with a 3 month wait. Other provinces (like Alberta) have no waiting time.

I'm landing in Ontario. I have my regular medical check ups in my home country. My gynecologist says I must be due in time so I just hope there will no be any complications during delivery. I would like to have prenatal check ups in Canada of course thats why we want to buy a private helath insuranse. Me and my husband are also considering midwifery option but I think I must recieve my PR card first .
Thank you

 

[scylla]

You should be able to find a midwife before you have a PR card (but you'll have to cover the costs yourself).

You're not going to find a plan that covers your pregnancy check up / delivery costs. Think about it from the insurer's standpoint. They are in it to make money and they will certainly lose money if they cover your costs (unless they charge you more for that coverage that the cost of the treatment - in which case it would make more sense for you to pay for the treatment yourself). I would stop looking for insurance companies and focus on finding a midwife.

Good luck.

 

[Rob_TO]

I'm landing in Ontario. I have my regular medical check ups in my home country. My gynecologist says I must be due in time so I just hope there will no be any complications during delivery. I would like to have prenatal check ups in Canada of course thats why we want to buy a private helath insuranse. Me and my husband are also considering midwifery option but I think I must recieve my PR card first .
Thank you

As Scylla mentioned, a midwife is probably your best option. The services of a midwife are actually free, even if you don't have OHIP coverage: http://www.ontariomidwives.ca/midwife/q-a . There may just be some out-of-pocket expenses for any specific tests you need to do, and obviously if you need to see a doctor.

The problem you will have with a midwife, is finding an available one. Their services are in very high demand, and many people wait several months before getting one, while others can't get access to one at all. Typically you need to request a midwife very early in your pregnancy else there will be no availability based on your delivery date.

You will not find a private health plan anywhere that will cover regular prenatal check-ups. And if you did find one, it would probably be more expensive than just paying for regular check-ups yourself.

So you should be prepared to pay out-of-pocket for any regular check-ups. At least your OHIP will have started by your actual delivery date, which is the most expensive part. I would budget at least a couple thousand dollars though for prenatal care before you get OHIP, just in case.

 

[ekaterina1984]

I think we start looking for a midwife in Ontario. I hope I will not giving birth by C-section or something like this. I 'm not sure if a midwife will be able operate me . We were even thinking about having baby in my country but I lose my visa then and we have to start the sponsorship process again . My husband wants me to give birth our baby in Canada . Somehow we will manage it

 

[scylla]

I think we start looking for a midwife in Ontario. I hope I will not giving birth by C-section or something like this. I 'm not sure if a midwife will be able operate me . We were even thinking about having baby in my country but I lose my visa then and we have to start the sponsorship process again . My husband wants me to give birth our baby in Canada . Somehow we will manage it

Good luck!

You're right - if you end up needing a c-section then the birth will have to take place at a hospital.

 

[Alurra71]

I think we start looking for a midwife in Ontario. I hope I will not giving birth by C-section or something like this. I 'm not sure if a midwife will be able operate me . We were even thinking about having baby in my country but I lose my visa then and we have to start the sponsorship process again . My husband wants me to give birth our baby in Canada . Somehow we will manage it

Just to throw my 2 cents in here ...

If you leave the country again after you have officially landed as a PR in Canada, you will NOT loose your visa. You are officially a PR and Canada will not be taking your visa away from you for going back to deliver a baby. The thing you need to think about is, would your child, if born in your home country, be a Canadian citizen? I would answer this question FIRST before making a decision. If your child would not be a Canadian citizen, then it would be pointless to travel back to your country of origin to deliver as you would then have to sponsor that child as a PR to get to Canada. If your child would be a Canadian citizen, citizenship passed on to baby from dad, (some exceptions apply so don't assume child is Canadian) then you would only need to apply for child's citizenship certificate and wait for that before returning to Canada with the child.

 

[ekaterina1984]

Just to throw my 2 cents in here ...

If you leave the country again after you have officially landed as a PR in Canada, you will NOT loose your visa. You are officially a PR and Canada will not be taking your visa away from you for going back to deliver a baby. The thing you need to think about is, would your child, if born in your home country, be a Canadian citizen? I would answer this question FIRST before making a decision. If your child would not be a Canadian citizen, then it would be pointless to travel back to your country of origin to deliver as you would then have to sponsor that child as a PR to get to Canada. If your child would be a Canadian citizen, citizenship passed on to baby from dad, (some exceptions apply so don't assume child is Canadian) then you would only need to apply for child's citizenship certificate and wait for that before returning to Canada with the child.

Hello Allura 71,

My newborn child must be a holder of foreign passpost and canadian visa as well to leave the country I live in so I think it would be a problem for us . After giving a birth We have to apply for my new born baby's travel passport if I diliver my baby in my country .My husband has already told me about the option you described above .He is canadian by birth . I do not mind to give birth the baby in my home country. I'm not sure about leaving the country after .So we decided to try I land in Canada next wensday.
We will apply for a health insurance and wil try to find a midwife .
I just have a question Do you know how much roughly would it be cost to deliver a baby in a hospital in Canada ? I know they may charge whatever they want . But if tell them How much money I have so they set thier fees . Is it possible ?

 

[Rob_TO]

.So we decided to try I land in Canada next wensday.
We will apply for a health insurance and wil try to find a midwife .
I just have a question Do you know how much roughly would it be cost to deliver a baby in a hospital in Canada ? I know they may charge whatever they want . But if tell them How much money I have so they set thier fees . Is it possible ?

You should prepare that you will not be able to get a mid-wife, since usually you need to ask for one very early in the pregnancy. They are booked up very quickly. But maybe you will get very lucky.

If you had to deliver the baby in hospital with no OHIP coverage, I would budget at least $5000. And if any complications, that could skyrocket to much higher price. You can't negotiate or bargain with hospitals. They price is the price, and if you can't pay upfront you will owe them the money after.

However if you are only 18 weeks now, and will land next week, then you will have full healthcare in 3 months, meaning you should be covered for the delivery and it will be completely free. Assuming there is no early delivery.

You also need to consider about the 3 months you don't have OHIP coverage. You will need to pay out-of-pocket for any doctor check-ups, ultrasound, blood check, etc. These can range from around $100 a visit, to several hundred depending on the test done.