Start ohip after pregnancy

[2174Wizard]

Hello

I landed on july 2015. I only stayed for a few weeks and returned to home country. Therefore i was never able to start ohip. I will move to canada permanently on june 2017. My wife is planning to give birth in canada on june 2017. As soon as we land can we start ohip since our initial landing was more than 3 months of wait time. Will there be any issues with starting ohip while pregnant? Will the coverage cover all costs?

Thanks.

 

[Rob_TO]

Hello

I landed on july 2015. I only stayed for a few weeks and returned to home country. Therefore i was never able to start ohip. I will move to canada permanently on june 2017. My wife is planning to give birth in canada on june 2017. As soon as we land can we start ohip since our initial landing was more than 3 months of wait time. Will there be any issues with starting ohip while pregnant? Will the coverage cover all costs?

Thanks.

You must wait for 3 months, so if you establish residency in Ontario in June 2017, you'll get OHIP coverage starting Sept 2017. Waiting time does not count if you aren't actually residing in Ontario. Any medical costs required before having OHIP you'll have to pay out of pocket or using private insurance.

Has your wife been in Canada all this time, or is she with you in another country now? If your wife will be delivering a baby in Ontario with no OHIP coverage, I would budget at least $10,000 to be safe.
Also you better check airline rules about how late into pregnancy you can fly. I doubt an airline would let you board a plane within less than 1 month of your delivery date.

 

[2174Wizard]

She also left with me

can we just visit canada a few months early before birth and just start ohip? Will they complain about starting ohip in the 3rd month of pregnancy?

 

[2174Wizard]

I could always tell them that i never left country anyways right? They have no way of verifing?

 

[Rob_TO]

She also left with me

can we just visit canada a few months early before birth and just start ohip? Will they complain about starting ohip in the 3rd month of pregnancy?

You must reside permanently in Ontario before you can start the 3 month wait for OHIP. You can't be absent for more than 30 days in the first 6 months after establishing residency in Ontario.

The stage of pregnancy is completely irrelevant to when OHIP will start. However the stage of pregnancy is very relevant to if an airline will allow you to fly.

I could always tell them that i never left country anyways right? They have no way of verifing?

Sure, you could try to do something illegal and commit fraud against the Ontario government. If they find out (if they want they can easily verify during what times you were in Canada), you'll be forced to pay everything back plus penalties.

 

[scylla]

I could always tell them that i never left country anyways right? They have no way of verifing?

Don't play games. Yes - OHIP certainly has a way of finding out. We've had a few people try that here. As Rob_TO explained, they were caught, forced to pay back the benefits they received plus penalties (the penalties aren't small). Additionally, at least one person I can remember, then had trouble getting coverage again once they did in fact qualify because OHIP was suspicious they were trying to cheat the system again. It took them several months to get this second issue resolved. It's illegal and fraud.

 

[Leon]

She also left with me

can we just visit canada a few months early before birth and just start ohip? Will they complain about starting ohip in the 3rd month of pregnancy?

Not visit. Move. The eligibility requirements in Ontario is that you live in Ontario at least 5 out of the first 6 months after you establish residency. So you or at least your wife need to move sooner if you want health coverage by the time she gives birth.

If you visit, register for health care and then leave again and do not spend 5/6 months after registering in Ontario, you are actually committing health care fraud. Fraud is a criminal offense. If caught, you would both have to pay back all the expenses that OHIP covered for you and you could be in trouble with the law as well. Also keep in mind that OHIP may be charged more for services by hospitals than you would be if you paid out of pocket so if you have to reimburse OHIP for what they paid for you, it could be a lot more expensive than paying out of pocket yourself.

 

[2174Wizard]

Thank you for your answers.

What are my options for private health insurance?

 

[scylla]

Thank you for your answers.

What are my options for private health insurance?

None if your wife is already pregnant.

If she is not yet pregnant then you need to purchase insurance before she gets pregnant. Make sure you read the fine print on the policy to see what is actually covered and assume you will still have to pay some costs out of your own pocket.

 

[2174Wizard]

She is not pregnant. She will be pregnant next year. Do you have a suggestion for an insurance company?

 

[Leon]

There is one insurance that covers pregnancy and delivery as long as you get it at least a month before your wife gets pregnant, that is due date must be at least 10 months after you got the insurance. In order to buy this insurance, look for a member on here name of haver. He is an insurance broker.

 

[2174Wizard]

Is there a name for this insurance?

 

[Leon]

Is there a name for this insurance?

Do not ask me, ask haver. Here is his post detailing this insurance: http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/how-to-navigate-my-situation-t376634.0.html;msg4759903#msg4759903 and here is a link to his website: https://arbetovinsurance.com/pregnancy-insurance-for-visitors-to-canada/

 

[Ottawa-applicant]

None if your wife is already pregnant.

If she is not yet pregnant then you need to purchase insurance before she gets pregnant. Make sure you read the fine print on the policy to see what is actually covered and assume you will still have to pay some costs out of your own pocket.

I think Cowan insurance can cover pregnancy, I know this for fact someone's wife was in Canada and she was 3 months pregnant. But things might change so confirm and plan ahead of time

Good luck

 

[haver]

There is only one such plan in Canada that covers pregnancy, if the woman is not pregnant at the time of buying the policy. In order to be eligible for that benefit, her due date has to be at least 10 months after the effective date on the policy. They cover up to $10,000 (80% of the cost) for pregnancy expenses. You can email me at arbetov.office@gmail.com for more info on that.