making drastic changes in life

[Helene2013]

We're so close as countries but yet so not the same.

Unless I am mistaking, our Canadian plan covers you no matter where you stay in Canada as it is a universal system paid through taxes. The new insurance takes effect 3 months after moving into the new province (for Ontario anyway). For instance, if I move from Quebec to Ontario, I get my new health card 3 months later, but still covered through my other province until then. It may mean that I might have to pay the doctor if I see him. But my Quebec plan will reimburse me until the new Ontario plan kicks in. Coverage varies from one province to the next.

In Quebec, most prescribed drugs are paid by government (no wonder our taxes are so high), if you have no work plan, etc. It has something like a deductible (not too sure how it works as I have a work plan and I don't use provincial one). But in Ontario, no drugs are covered at all. So I suppose someone has to make sure they have other insurance to cover this if needed (may be an Ontarian can confirm this).

Anyway, true that when you make some moves, you still have to do all the homework you can to avoid surprises. At least minimize it. And health is a biggie to think about.

[rebeccaC]

We're so close as countries but yet so not the same.

Coming from France the whole health care system in the U.S. actually bothered me in the way it works….especially with the better examples of universal health care systems and national health insurance programs in other countries, France in particular. I wish more Americans would be thinking about and working for something better for themselves and others. Always being under a universal plan I guess I don’t see the value in the insurance/ pharma profit part etc. etc. and the states that are so uncaring for political and or religious reasons.
….'so it goes' vonnegut

eta..then there is this way of finding a new home despite/through ‘urbanist scolds and bike share doctrinaires’