Since applying for my Alberta health card, I’ve discovered that unlike my native province of Ontario, Alberta wants me to pay $44 a month for the priviledge of health care.
Unfortunately I was taught to believe that Canada had universal, tax-paid health care. Is this just a lie that we tell to Americans to make them feel bad, or am I missing something here?
I thought Ontario brought in premiums for their health care (is it still called OHIP?) a while back, not long after the relevant politicians promised they wouldn’t?
Anyway, it’s still universal in the sense that everyone gets it unless they explicitly opt out (in which case since no one else can sell the basic coverage, they have no health insurance). As well, if your income is low enough you don’t have to pay the premiums.
I think some of our American friends here might be envious of only paying Cdn$44 per month for healthcare!
You have to remember that Ralphie was a wannabe Texan. The massive Heritage Fund is to be kept for - I dunno - maybe more cigars for politicians or something. Alberta’s rolling in dough and could easily absorb medical premiums for its citizens but it’s a money-loving province.
However, if you have limited or no income, you can have the premiums paid for you.
The public health care system is paid for by taxes. So it really doesn’t matter which of your pockets they take the tax from. I find the health taxes a pain in the ass, but they do remind us that healthcare is not free, and hopefully not to run to the Dr. each time a person has a sniffle.
You may be interested to know that up until about 1988 or 1989 or so, Ontario had the same deal. I well remember getting and paying OHIP’s quarterly insurance premium bills, unless I had a job where my employer paid them for me (as a taxable benefit, I might add).
I’m another who was under the impression Ontario brought back OHIP premiums. Did they? Or did they decide they could manage to get by on the EHT still?
Medical Insurance BC (the new handle for MSP) charges premiums too- $54 for singles, max $108 for a family . There are discounts for low income folks. Not free medical, but pretty freak’n decent-in town at least. If I lived in Fort St. Nowhere and had lousy access to specialists (because F.St.N has a population of 5000 for 500km sq), I’d be wanting a discount.
Well, technically I moved to Ontario in November 1988, so maybe I missed that one too.
Hey, I live in Ft. St. Nowhere, and there’s no discount for the medical up here, we have to pay our $108 like everyone else. We do get a northern resident tax credit which is supposed to cover increased expenses like that one, but I’d rather get a break on my MSP bill.
In Quebec, we pay up to $1000 a year for health insurance, depending on income. (At around $100,000, I pay something like $850). This is paid through the income tax return. The essence of medicare is not that it is provided by the government (it isn’t), but that there is a SINGLE insurer that answers to the public, is automatically available to every resident, and does not arbitrarily deny benefits. They cannot cherry pick the healthy. Conservatives will decry the fact that it is obligatory and not subject to competition. Even if you use private health care, you have to pay the premium. I am satisfied that the trade-off is worth it, but others may disagree. One thing is certain: even Ralphie could not get away with changing it. And given that Alberta is the only province without income tax, quit belly-aching.
Hmmm, as far as I know they do pay (low) income tax. They have no sales tax.
Correct.
The $44 charge for a health card is quite obviously designed mostly to filter out some fraud. It doesn’t make any difference to the province if they charge the $44 there or just tax it away.
If I remember correctly, NWT, Yukon, Nunavut and Saskatchewan are free. Ontario was free when I lived there ca 99-2000. Alberta charged me $80/month for my family coverage. Here in the US, we pay about $350/month for family coverage.