Medica HIV insurance in Canada

[Valmont]

I wanted to know if there some private medical insurance in Canada, that cover HIV/AIDS?  In which conditions?

Also, I wanted to know how people with treatment afford it and paid for it in this country?

Thank you (and sorry for bad English)

[le_liseur]

If you are already under a private plan and were infected while on it, they will have to cover your meds. If you are looking for a private plan by yourself, and you already are HIV+, it'd be naive to believe an private company will sign you. But the same applies to people with other chronic conditions...

If you are get a job from a big corporation or from a public institution (school, hospitals, police departments, etc.), you will have the opportunity to sign for private insurances under your group plan, and as far as I know, they do not ask you medical questions once you sign for it. They might or will ask some if you plan to change stuff later on, and you might not be able to modify your plan (so the best is usually to take as much as possible from the start (i.e. dental insurances, life insurance, etc.)

If you can not get a private coverage of your meds, it will be covered by the public insurance (in Quebec). I do not know about the other provinces, it should be similar, but might be different.

And then again, you might be able to get covered from your spouse, or parent's plans.

Which province did you have in mind when asking your questions?

(Just a note : under the public insurance plan in Quebec, only the drugs listed by the government as 'coverable' can be covered by this plan. I believe most HIV drugs are covered, unless maybe the new ones under studies...
I just checked, since the document is available, and Atripla, for example, is covered, and it costs the government 1165,41$ for a 30 pills bottle.)

[Valmont]

Thanks a lot, Le_liseur, I´m thinking about Quebec...  The details you gave me are very useful.  Actually, I´m trying to migrate to Quebec, I have the Selection Certificate for Quebec, but I will have to fullfill Federal gov. requerements (the matter is about my health cost for Canadian system in the next 10 years, my visa will depent of it...).  If I have to take Atripla, sure they won´t give me the visa because of the cost, except if I can finance the medecine in another way than public system...  For now, I have no idea of my numbers, I´m waiting for the results...

Actually, I don´t have private insurance that cover HIV medics, in southamerica where I live, the public system pay for analyses, doc and generic medics.... but I want to leave !!!  I believe this might be quite expensive in Canada and I was not so sure about the couvertures.   

[le_liseur]

Well, if you are not already on meds, and your numbers are good, you could be fine. Usually, you're  considered as expensive burden on canadian health system if you are already on meds, but if you are not, and if your numbers are high, you would still have a few years before starting meds, so this shouldn't be a problem. "Normally".

Now, if you get here, once you are here, it will depend on what you plan to do as a job and if you can get private med-insurance of your workplace, or family/spouse. If not, if you're granted citizenship, well, you'll simply be on public healthcare. No matter what, once you get here, you will have to be on a med-insurance plan, be it private or public. So if you don't have anything and you can't get on none, you'll probably be on the public healthcare, unless there is a specific, special plan for people who just immigrated to Quebec.

Just in case, here is the public healthcare website, which might explain some stuff to you (you can click the English version in the right corner, if you need it) : http://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/fr/citoyens/assurancemedicaments/index.shtml

[Valmont]

I plan to go to Quebec with my familly, they will go 6 months to a year after, time for me to organizate everything and get a good job...  I will have to find insurance for me and my familia.  That is important to know for now that the best is to enter into a corporative plan with my family.

Many thanks for the link...

[karry]

Hi Val
If you do get accepted into Canada by the federal government (if you're test results indicate you wont be a huge financial burden to the government within the first 10 years  and you are not yet on meds), then you only need private insurance for the first three months of your stay in Quebec, and so does any member of your family. After three months, you will be covered by the provincial health insurance, unless you get a job, then you are covered by your work health insurance.

Do not worry so much about it. I keep praying you get good numbers in your cd4 and vl tests so that you can be reassured that when you get here on the health plan you're gonna be fine.

Take care.
p/s I am really sad to learn you had to give up rugby. I feel that was not fair to you at all.
Karry