We need your help – and the help of your friends – to put pressure on our elected politicians – federal as well as provincial/territorial – that they need to obey the provisions of the Canada Health Act. Please write or e-mail your elected representatives today!

Tips for Writing an Effective Letter

• Target your local federal and provincial representatives. Make sure the elected official knows that you are a constituent as legislators pay the most attention to personal letters from their constituents.
  
  
• Write the letter in your own style, be brief and confine yourself to the issue at hand. Letters that attempt to deal with more than one concern at a time are less likely to be read and receive a response.
  
  
• Explain how the current situation affects you personally and why you would like to see it changed.
  
  
• State your opposition clearly and rationally. Avoid emotional arguments or language that is demanding or threatening. If you disagree with your legislator, say so, but your attitude should be polite and positive. You want him/her to think of you as a potential supporter.
  
  
• Ask for a response. Politely request an answer to a specific question. A well-formulated question will often get a more personal response.
  
  
• Make sure that your name and address are on both the letter and the envelope to ensure a response.

The Issue – Federal Government

One of the five pillars of the Canada Health Act is portability. Sub-paragraph 11(1)(b)(ii) of the Act clearly establishes that portability includes emergency health services provided to Canadian residents while outside the country. The Act states that where emergency health services "are provided out of Canada, payment is made on the basis of the amount that would have been paid by the province for similar services rendered in the province."

The intent and purpose of sub-paragraph 11(1)(b)(ii) are clear. Unfortunately, the federal government has shown an unwillingness to enforce the standard it has set in the Act. Court cases brought by travellers seeking to protect their entitlements under the Act have been told by the courts that it is up to the federal government to decide whether the Act has been contravened and whether to impose a penalty on the provinces. The failure of the federal government to act in this regard is a disappointment to travelling Canadians and undermines the credibility of their own portability principle.

Canadians who embark on long-term travel nonetheless pay a full year of taxes to the federal and their provincial or territorial governments. We must pay for infrastructure and other government services that we do not use for a full year, but one thing we expect and deserve is to have full, equal access to the health care for which we pay taxes. Unfortunately, in many cases we are denied the same benefits as those who remain at home. We have paid our taxes all our working lives, why are we now being discriminated against because we want to travel?

Canadians should not have to choose between exercising their right to travel and having access to the health care they may need.

The Issue – Provincial and Territorial Governments

One of the five pillars of the Canada Health Act is portability. Sub-paragraph 11(1)(b)(ii) of the Act clearly establishes that portability includes emergency health services provided to Canadian residents while outside the country. The Act states that where emergency health services "are provided out of Canada, payment is made on the basis of the amount that would have been paid by the province for similar services rendered in the province."

Canadians who embark on long-term travel nonetheless pay a full year of taxes to the federal and their provincial or territorial governments. We must pay for infrastructure and other government services that we do not use for a full year, but one thing we expect and deserve is to have full, equal access to the health care and drug coverage for which we pay taxes. Unfortunately, in many cases we are denied the same benefits as those who remain at home. We have paid our taxes all our working lives, why are we now being discriminated against because we want to travel?

We are simply asking provincial and territorial governments to reimburse emergency in-patient and out-patient services required by travelers at the same rate per day as that paid for similar services within the province or territory.

We are not asking the provincial and territorial governments to pay the high costs of U.S. hospital stays and our proposed changes will not cost the those governments any more money than if the emergency had occurred while the patient was in their home province or territory.

Provincial and Territorial Reimbursement Rates While Travelling Abroad

Please note only Prince Edward Island and the three territories meet the requirements of the Canada Health Act by reimbursing at the same rate as paid for similar services in-province/territory. What does your province pay?

• British Columbia: $75 per day for emergency in-patient hospital care. This is the lowest rate in all of Canada.
  
  
• Alberta: $100 per day for emergency in-patient hospital care.
  
  
• Saskatchewan: $100 per day for emergency in-patient hospital care.
  
  
• Manitoba: Depending on the size of the hospital, Manitoba reimburses between $280 and $570 per day for emergency in-patient hospital care.
  
  
• Ontario: Emergency in-patient hospital services eligible for OHIP coverage will be paid up to a maximum of $400 per day for "complex" hospital care. For less intensive emergency in-patient care, Ontario reimburses travellers up to $200 per day.
  
  
• Quebec: maximum $100 per day for emergency in-patient hospital care.
  
  
• New Brunswick: maximum $100 per day for emergency in-patient hospital care.
  
  
• Nova Scotia: maximum $525 per day for emergency in-patient care. This is the same rate as for services provided in Nova Scotia and thus satisfies the portability requirement of the Canada Health Act.
  
  
• Prince Edward Island: maximum $959 per day for emergency in-patient care. This is the same rate as for services provided in Prince Edward Island and thus satisfies the portability requirement of the Canada Health Act.
  
  
• Newfoundland and Labrador: maximum $350 per day in a community or regional hospital and a maximum of $465 per day in a tertiary or specialized hospital. The province pays a maximum $705 per day for the same services in the province.
  
  
• Yukon: maximum $1297 per day for emergency in-patient care. This is the same rate as for services provided in the Yukon and thus satisfies the portability requirement of the Canada Health Act.
  
  
• Northwest Territories: maximum $1283 per day for emergency in-patient care. This is the same rate as for services provided in the Northwest Territories and thus satisfies the portability requirement of the Canada Health Act.
  
  
• Nunavut: maximum $1269 per day for emergency in-patient care. This is the same rate as for services provided in Nunavut and thus satisfies the portability requirement of the Canada Health Act.