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I really haven’t had the time to look into this carefully yet but I’ve received a couple of frantic emails from Canadians living in Costa Rica …
Their concern is that Canadian law requires expats in Costa Rica who live in Ontario to spend 153 days per year in Canada, or they will lose their health care coverage in Ontario.
Supposedly if a Canadian living in Costa Rica (or any other country) stays out of Canada for more than 212 days in each year (even though they hold a Canadian passport), they will be treated as if they are immigrants or visitors to Canada and must re-apply for health care coverage and go through a THREE MONTH waiting period for coverage.
[b]Can any of our Canadian VIP Members please confirm if this is correct? [/b]
[url=http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/travel.aspx]The Canadian Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is here.[/url]
I don’t belive that this is a new requirement.
Provincial Health Insurance eligibility has always been based on a minimum physical residency period per year in the Province where the Insurance is granted.
The physical residency period may vary slightly from Province to Province.
If you are a Non-Resident Canadian for Tax purposes, with a requirement to live outside of Canada for at least 183 days per year, you are ineligible for Provincial Health Insurance.
Note from Scott: ‘WatchDog’ is the username for my friend and attorney Richard (Rick) Philps who is a Canadian citizen, naturalized as a citizen of Costa Rica. Rick practiced law in Canada as a member of the Law Society of British Columbia, for fourteen years, prior to moving to Costa Rica in 1998. Mr. Philps the earned his Bachelor of Laws and Licensing Degrees (Civil Law), and a Post-Graduate Degree in Notary and Registry Law, from the Escuela Libre de Derecho University, in San Jose, is a member of the Costa Rica College of Lawyers, and practices law in Costa Rica in the areas of real estate and development, corporate, commercial, contract, immigration, and banking with the Law Firm of Petersen & Philps.
To speak with Attorney Rick Philps or Attorney Roger Petersen about hiring them as your Costa Rica attorneys, please contact them using the information below:
Lic. Rick Philps and Lic. Roger A. Petersen – Attorneys at Law, San Jose, Costa Rica Tel: 506-2288-4381, Ext. 102; Email: rpetersen@plawcr.com Email: rphilps@plawcr.com Website: http://www.plawcr.com or http://www.costaricalaw.com
It differs slightly from province to province, but has been that way since I can remember. They obviously didn’t research this at all, as it’s common knowledge amongst Canadian expats.
I’m quite sure that your health care is reinstated after three months once you’ve returned to Canada if you’ve exceeded the limit for time out of country.[quote=”Scott”]I really haven’t had the time to look into this carefully yet but I’ve received a couple of frantic emails from Canadians living in Costa Rica …
Their concern is that Canadian law requires expats in Costa Rica who live in Ontario to spend 153 days per year in Canada, or they will lose their health care coverage in Ontario.
Supposedly if a Canadian living in Costa Rica (or any other country) stays out of Canada for more than 212 days in each year (even though they hold a Canadian passport), they will be treated as if they are immigrants or visitors to Canada and must re-apply for health care coverage and go through a THREE MONTH waiting period for coverage.
[b]Can any of our Canadian VIP Members please confirm if this is correct? [/b]
[url=http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/travel.aspx]The Canadian Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care is here.[/url][/quote]
I think this has been in effect for quite some time. I remember a lot of conversation in the mid-late 90’s when the Florida condo and 2nd home market took a big hit when the Canadian buyers disappeared from the market, reportedly for precisely this reason
I’m not a “Canadian member” but I think I am remembering this accurately.
I really don’t get why there’s a big panic, surprise or sensationalizing this subject for that matter. If you no longer live in Canada, why would you expect free medical care?
No, this has been the requirement for many years, although Ontario allows a longer time period ‘out’ than the other provinces! For Ontario residents it is 212 days, while some other provinces the ‘time out of country’ is 183 days.
In every provinces, one must reside in the province for 3 months before one can access [u]THEIR[/u] healthcare.
In one province At least you pay monthly fees to obtain care, the other province, are ‘free’ but you pay [b]hefty[/b] taxes.
[b]Many services are not covered[/b]Everyone responding to this thread is correct. There is an “in-country residence” requirement for Canadians to maintain their provincial health care coverage. And it’s been mentioned in this and other online forums on a number of occasions over a period of several years.
If this is a panicworthy matter, the panic arises from a failure to have done one’s due diligence. That’s too bad, but who’s to blame?
The bottom line is that a Canadian cannot stay in Costa Rica for more than 212 days in any 365 day period without losing their health care in Canada “and that is a major concern for many people”. The only solution is to rely on the Costa Rica health care system with Pensionado status, and then purchase health care coverage when they go back to Canada for a visit.
It’s just a strange feeling for a Canadian to give up their health care coverage, which they pay a high price to have, through excessive personal income tax.I want to change my answer!!!:roll:
In BC, Alta & Québec, one [b]must not reside[/b] ‘out of country/province’ for [b]6 consecutive months/183 days[/b], to have continued coverage.
[u]Ontario [/u]residents are permitted [b]212 day[/b] out of country rule and this also must be their primary residence.
I don’t have information on all the other provinces.
To be considered a Non-Resident Canadian for Tax purposes, one must reside out of the country for more than 183 days.
This is a totally laughable situation.
While living in the U.S. we refused to be enrolled in Medicare while I was employed. Immediately on retirement we moved to Costa Rica and found that we could use the Caja.
We have been totally satisfied with the service that we have received through the Caja. We do not wait in line at 5 in the morning to ask for an appointment and we do not wait until the last moment to get preventive health care. We go to the clinic in the afternoon to ask for a preventive health care appointment and are given an appointment time that is within two days.
The cost is much less than we would have to pay for Medicare in the U.S. and one tenth the cost of medical insurance.
Canadians incur the cost of flying to Canada when they need medical services which in itself is more than paying for Caja.
Any Canadians with even the most minor bad health history will pay a huge premium for private visitors health care when they return to Canada, should they stay in Costa Rica for more than 212 days. The strange thing is that immigrants to Canada receive immediate health coverage “from the moment they arrive” in the country, and yet an elderly Canadian who paid taxes in Canada for his or her entire life will be required to buy private health care coverage for a period of three months, just because they stayed out of Canada for more than 212 days.
Comical thread. I’m Canadian coming to Costa Rica again this weekend for a couple of weeks. Health insurance in Canada is laughable and not worth keeping in my opinion. Very expensive through taxes and you are NOT guaranteed treatment despite the coverage. MANY international comparisons if you’re ever so inclined to read and learn a little 🙂 Once you’re in Costa Rica you should stay…now if I could learn to follow my own advice.
All that, and yet idiot Americans want to make their health system like that in Canada. Obamacare? BAH! My husband sometimes complains that we paid medicare premiums for years in the US and now can’t use it. I say, “So what?” I am so glad to be out of the States and living in CR 😀
but you are going to take advantage of the Obamacare we have here in Costa Rica when if you ever get residency?????? and i suppose you think it’s okay that America is the only first world nation that has NO health plan for its citizens and that 50,000,000 are uninsured and to get even basic coverage for two people, not even a big family, costs upward of $500 a month and that’s if you’re healthy!!! it’s truly scandalous. and of course, if you aren’t living in country and paying taxes, why SHOULD you be entitled to healthcare in that country? people can’t have it both ways. they move here because they want the same life they had up there for half the cost, but they still want a toe-hold in those countries just in case they get sick? sheesh.
Mara, you just make me tired. You know that CAJA is required with a cedula. As for Obamacare, Pelosi said it herself – you have to enact it before you will know what’s in it – and the fools did. Thousands of pages that no one understood when they voted for it? And now we are getting bits and pieces of the facts? People losing healthcare? Millions still not covered? Skyrocketing costs? When will people like you stop getting the wool pulled over your eyes?
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