10/7/2016
Topic:
Moving to Ontario from the States - OHIP
geekyknitter
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First, I apologize if this is here somewhere, I tried to search for it but couldn't find the information I was looking for.
Second, a little background. I am a dual US/Canadian Citizen currently living and working in the US with insurance coverage provided by my job. I am considering my options for a move to Ontario in the spring and one of the things that I would like to have a plan for is insurance coverage. In moving I will keep my job but lose my employee status and will be come an independent contractor so I will need to figure this out on my own. I have three topics two of which comes with a lot of sub questions.
1) What premiums does a self-employed person pay to OHIP?
2) I travel a lot for work and will continue to do so after I move. It is unlikely that I will be able to meet the 153 days of physical presence in the first 6 months for instance although as a rule I would expect to have no trouble being in Ontario for the 153 days annually. I know that there is an exception for mobile workers but I can't seem to find any information about what you have to do to apply for it. Is this something that you do in advance? What kind of documentation is required? How is the 153 days calculated? For instance if I am travelling for work and I leave Monday morning and return Thursday evening does that count as 2 days out of the country and 2 days in the country or four full days out of the country?
3) How do pre-existing conditions work?
don't have any big medical problems but I do have a few things, notably a problematic shoulder that requires fairly regular PT in order to stay fully functional. This is covered under my current insurance and I don't expect any gaps in my insurance coverage (I plan to purchase a private policy to cover the three month gap between moving and getting OHIP).
I know that in the US, even before the latest round of reforms pre-existing conditions were covered as long as you had continuous health insurance, is this true of OHIP also?
What about private plans? Also is there a time limit on pre-existing conditions, like if you have been covered for x years then it doesn't matter if a problem was caused by a pre-existing condition?
Any advice you can give will be appreciated, even if that advice in the form of a recommendation of someone to talk to.
Thank you. |