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How does COVID healthcare for visitors work?
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Amandolin Posts: 1
Posted On: 8/11/2020
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I am an American and have been in the country for 5 months under a visitor visa, living with my boyfriend due to the border closures. I have travel insurance but they will not cover COVID. (So yes I have been very careful.)
Since the border will be closed indefinitely, and now it looks like the U.S. is going to prevent citizens from returning home if they are "suspected" of having or being exposed to COVID, I need to find out how emergency healthcare for COVID works for visitors in Canada so I can weigh the new risks of staying.
Can anybody tell me what happens if a visitor has to be treated or hospitalized for COVID? Is there any coverage at all? Does anybody know what the out-of-pocket expenses would be or who I could contact to find out?
Or does anybody know of an option to get coverage in Canada for visitors that would cover it?
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Moderator Moderator Posts: 4141
Posted On: 8/28/2020
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Hello There,
Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.
The Ministry of Health is also taking measures to ensure access to medically necessary services to uninsured individuals to address the COVID-19 outbreak. According to the Steps to Justice article, I don't have status in Canada. What should I do if I think I have COVID-19?:
You don’t need OHIP coverage to be tested or treated for COVID-19 at assessment centres in Ontario.
The Ontario government announced uninsured people should not have to pay for testing and treatment for COVID-19 and other medically-necessary services. This includes medical services in hospitals and services by other healthcare providers in the community. You should not be charged for testing or treatment of COVID-19. But some healthcare providers outside of hospitals might decide to charge money for other services.
Visit the Healthcare Access Ontario website to find a walk in-clinic that provides medical care without charging fees.
This means that everyone, insured and uninsured, will receive medically necessary care.
Tourists, transients or visitors may not be eligible for OHIP coverage. But, as a person without OHIP, you also have other options for healthcare. Learn more about the many ways you can access healthcare in Ontario, including low-cost care and private health insurance.
We hope this information is helpful. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.
Sincerely,
Your Settlement.Org Team
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