Re: Cost for braces
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Re: Cost for braces

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Posted by Captin Cannuck on December 31, 2009 at 16:20:23:

In Reply to: Re: Cost for braces posted by westernjoe on December 31, 2009 at 07:12:11:

No problem. I will tell you everything you want to know.

What is covered?
Only medical costs are covered. Medical costs means any doctor bills or hosptial bills. When we say that hosptial is covered, you get a room shared with three other people (no private rooms). Drugs given to you in the hosptial are also covered. Medical devices such as CPAP, orthopedic shoes, etc. are covered.

Pharmaceutical drugs are not covered. They are however subsidized by the gov't, and generic drugs are available. Drugs are cheaper in Canada than they are in USA. In fact many American seniors come to Canada by bus to have their prescriptions filled.

What is not covered?
Dental, pharmaceutical drugs, accupuncture, natropaths, massage therapy and eye glasses are not covered.

Supplemental Plans:
Some Canadians (a rough guess would be about 40% of us) carry additional insurance, mostly from Blue Cross which covers the things that the universal plan does not cover. If you want to get more than the basic care, you can do so. Blue Cross offers three plans to Canadians. They are called Basic Blue, Blue Choice Balance and Blue Choice. There are various private insurance plans available. Because the universal plan covers the most expensive costs, these additional plans are quite affordable (in my opinion). These supplemental plans cover eye glasses, pharmaceutical drugs, rehab and occupational therapy, death, travel outside the country, private room (up to 200 dollars), psycholgists, home nursing costs, etc.

How much?
For a 40 yr. old guy, the costs of these supplemental plans are as follows:

Supplemental Plans:
83.00 Basic Blue Choice
88.00 Blue Choice Balance
Blue Choice - Various plans ranging from 16.10 to 153.63 per month depending on the things you want to have covered. This plan lets you specify the different things, e.g. just drugs, or just hospital.

So, the bottom line is that it is NOT true that everything is covered in Canada. I don't know about some European countries, but not in Canada's case.

As for private insurance, I could spend about an extra grand if I wanted to be covered for drugs, braces, glasses, etc. It might be an idea. You never know what could happen to you. I am planning to buy that insurance soon. For one thing, I could use a new pair of glasses soon.

Happy new year to all of you.

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