300x85.png)
Hong Kong
Singapore
China
Dubai
Thailand
United Kingdom
Mexico
All Canadians can use hospital and physician services for free under the publicly funded public healthcare system. However, to gain access to more prescription, specialized treatment, dental, and eyecare services, private health insurance is necessary.
Discover the world’s top
health insurers.
Compare quotes with
a click of the button.
While this is a personal choice, expatriates are recommended to take out private health insurance to ensure comprehensive coverage of all their needs. This will enable them to rely less on the public healthcare system and protect themselves in the event of hefty costs stemming from rare treatments.
In this Pacific Prime article, we’ll go into detail on the Canadian public healthcare system and its advantages, private healthcare in Canada, why people use private healthcare, and how a broker can help you find the best private health insurance plan to suit your needs.
Public Healthcare in Canada
Medicare is Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system under the universal system, which provides residents with free access to medically necessary hospital and physician services. It operates through collaboration between territorial and federal governments.
The Advantages of Public Healthcare in Canada
The advantages of the public healthcare system are universal coverage, shared responsibility, domestic portability, accessibility, and supplemental coverage. The system ensures equitable access to care and protects individuals from any financial burdens stemming from medical treatments.
Below is a list of the advantages:
Universal Coverage
Under Medicare, all Canadian residents have access to medically necessary hospital and physician services without having to pay out-of-pocket. This ensures that essential healthcare services are available to everyone, regardless of their income or employment status.
Consolidated Delivery of Services
The management and delivery of medical services are shared between territorial and federal governments, ensuring that healthcare solutions meet the specific needs of people within each territory or region.
Domestic Portability
When Canadian residents travel within Canada, they will receive coverage for all the necessary medical services. If they decide to relocate to a different province, they’ll be given a grace period and provided with a new plan and health insurance card.
Accessibility
Medicare provides all Canadian residents with convenient access to the necessary medical services, all based on medical need, without requiring payment. This applies to every healthcare service point across the country.
Supplemental Coverage
Certain provinces and territories provide supplemental coverage for seniors, children, and social assistance recipients. Medicare covers essential services. This supplemental coverage helps cover services like vision care, dental care, prescription drugs, ambulance services, and home care.
Exclusions Under Canadian National Health Insurance
While each territory has varying rules about which medical coverage types are included and excluded, the main areas that are excluded are ambulance services, dental care, massage therapy, medical equipment or devices, outpatient prescription medicine, physiotherapy, and private hospital room stays.
For a more exhaustive list, see below:
- Ambulance and emergency medical technician (EMT) services
- Dental care
- Prescription eyeglasses
- Physiotherapy
- Psychological services
- Outpatient prescription medications
- Medical equipment, such as crutches, leg braces, and wheelchairs
- Massage therapy
- Private hospital room stays
Private Healthcare in Canada
Canadian law only permits clinics and optometry offices to operate due to private healthcare being illegal. This is enforced to facilitate equality, as opposed to promoting disparities caused by wealth.
While the public healthcare system is good, the level of service cannot compare to that of private healthcare clinics and optometry offices, which offer cutting-edge treatment, dental, vision, special prescription medicine, psychotherapy, and more without long wait times.
Despite this, private healthcare in the form of clinics continues to thrive due to its demand.
The Key Advantages of Private Clinics in Canada
Private clinics offer faster services and more personalized treatments in comparison to public hospitals, which are streamlined to offer the most fundamental treatments, with other specialized treatments being given based on necessity and queuing.
For better perusal, a table of the pros and cons is shown below:
|
Pros of Private Healthcare |
Cons of Private Healthcare |
| Faster Services: If you need urgent surgery or other medical attention, private health care is more immediate than public health care. | Expensive: Private health care can cost two to three times more than public health care. This can cause individuals to go into debt to obtain medical attention. |
| More Personalization: The public health care system provides the same level of service to all Canadians. Private health care is more personalized for the individual. | Technically Illegal: It is not yet legal for private healthcare clinics to operate in Canada, yet they still do. For this reason, the onus is on the individual to do their research on the practice and key individuals to make sure everything is legitimate. |
Getting Private Health Insurance for Canada
To get health insurance in Canada, it’s important to discuss your pre-existing conditions, budgetary constraints, and length of stay with an insurance broker. They’ll provide you with the best advice and recommendations on which insurer to choose.
Additionally, a broker will ensure that you receive the following:
- Personalized Coverage: Brokers can assess clients’ pre-existing conditions, budget, and coverage needs, saving expatriates time and effort in finding the most suitable insurance options for them.
- Specialized Guidance: With a broker’s assistance, you will gain comprehensive knowledge about the limitations and entitlements of your health insurance policy, ensuring that you maximize the value of your investment.
- Policy and Claims Assistance: Brokers handle the cumbersome process of filing insurance claims, providing convenience, and ensuring timely reimbursement with a guarantee.
- Post-Sales Assistance: Once you purchase a health insurance plan, brokers remain dedicated to serving and supporting you throughout the entire duration of your insurance coverage, regardless of your location.
The Main Reasons for Taking Private Health Insurance in Canada
Under the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, the main reasons for taking out private health insurance coverage in Canada are, covering payments not covered by the national health insurance policy; and supplementing income in the event of serious injury or illness, domestically or abroad.
In summary, the reasons for taking out health insurance in Canada are as follows:
- Covering medical expenses when receiving treatments and services is not included in Canada’s national health insurance coverage.
- Supplementing your income in case of a significant injury or illness that hinders your ability to work.
- Providing financial protection for medical expenses incurred while traveling abroad and falling ill or getting injured.
- Covering dental treatment, which is not included under the national health coverage policy.
Looking Ahead to Your Expatriate Journey
Living in Canada requires you to take into account the public healthcare system, which may provide you with the fundamental treatments and services you require but may not be adequate to treat special conditions that, more often than not, require special prescriptive medication.
Pacific Prime’s experts and brokers have decades of experience in international health insurance and employee benefits. If you’re an expat looking for advice on how to navigate the realm of health insurance in Canada, our experts are ready to assist you at every step along the way.
While you’re at it, you may also read about U.S. health insurance for Canadians or the cost of health insurance in the U.S. in our blog section.
Contact us today to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
What services are covered by the publicly funded public healthcare system in Canada?
The publicly funded healthcare system in Canada provides free access to hospital and physician services for all Canadians. This includes medically necessary treatments and services.
Why would expatriates need private health insurance in Canada?
Expatriates are recommended to have private health insurance in Canada to ensure comprehensive coverage beyond what is provided by the public healthcare system. Private health insurance covers services such as prescription medications, and specialized treatments.
How can an insurance broker help with private health insurance in Canada?
They provide personalized coverage recommendations, specialized guidance on policy entitlements and limitations, assistance with policy and claims management, and post-sales support throughout the insurance coverage period.
Upon graduating from Mahidol University International College’s International Relations program, he spent his career in marketing and business development, working for an international subcontractor, a marketing research firm, an international news agency, a software development company, and a creative agency. His journey now continues at Pacific Prime, where he hopes to make an impact by simplifying insurance and writing a gargantuan amount of SEO articles to draw in billions of leads.
In his free time, Piyanat is an avid martial artist and musician, spending most of his time at boxing gyms in Nakhon Pathom and music studios with his friends in the music industry.
- Chiang Mai Travel Insurance: A Comparison Of The Top Providers – August 22, 2025
- Last-Minute Travel Insurance: How to Get Covered After Departure – August 18, 2025
- Childbirth Coverage in Singapore: Maternity Health Insurance Explained – August 18, 2025
