Expat Healthcare Advice for Halifax
You cannot get any health care without having permanent residency card which takes over 4 years and retired people are not even considered if you register online, as everyone is told to do. You can pay exorbitant out of pocket fees though. Over $500. Just to have your eye pressure taken by an ophthalmologist. The only health insurance you can get is travel insurance and emergency insurance at high prices. A small bottle of aspirin that costs less than $2. In the US, costs over $10. In Canada including 15 per cent tax. Although you can buy prescription medication while in the US cheaper in Canada through the mail, if you are living in Canada, it is difficult to even find a lot of medications because they say there is a big shortage here!
Emergency Medical Care in Halifax
About 10 minutes by car. I do not know about the services because I never had to use them, but since I do not have a health care I do not know what the cost would be. Everything is public, but I hear a lot of complaints from natives that they have to wait to be assigned to a doctor because there is big shortage here.
Quality of Healthcare in Surrounding Area
Would not have to travel. Since Halifax is the center of this province, everyone else would have to come here for the best care available.
Prescription Medicines
Again, if you do not have a health card, everything is out of pocket and very expensive. There is no maintenance type of insurance you can buy. Only travel and emergency in other words, if you are retired, Canada does not want you. Only marriage to a Canadian would make things easier, but for the majority of retires, this is not an option.
Quality of Healthcare Compared to Home
[ ] Better
[ ] Somewhat Better
[ ] Same
[ ] Somewhat Worse
[x] Worse
Availability of Medical Care Compared to Home
[ ] Better
[ ] Somewhat Better
[ ] Same
[x] Somewhat Worse
[ ] Worse
Primary Method of Payment for Medical Care
[ ] International Health Insurance
[ ] Insurance Purchased in the Country I Live Abroad In
[x] Out of Pocket
[ ] Social Program (Medicare, Nationalized Health Insurance or Similar)
[ ] Other