Universal Healthcare System in New Brunswick, Canada

You can obtain New Brunswick medical care with possible low expenses if you get your New Brunswick health care card. After getting a health card, you can receive emergency care right away. Hence, you would not be responsible for out-of-budget medical expenses.

The essential healthcare facilities of New Brunswick are referred to as New Brunswick Medicare. The application process for health insurance is quite simple. But, still, you have to wait three months for its approval. The best action is to acquire your private health coverage during the waiting period.

Acquiring a private insurance card and enrolling in it is simple and easy if you choose an appropriate carrier. We will go over everything a newbie to New Brunswick needs to learn about health care and demonstrate how to get a card. 

So, let’s jump into every aspect of it.

How Does New Brunswick Health Care For New Immigrants Work?

New Brunswick Medicare provides primary medical aid to all its residents. These medicare services are divided into two areas based on your location:

• Horizon Healthcare Network.
• Vitalite Health Care Network.

Even though service zones may vary within the province, each health network offers similar medical programs. This covers the majority of doctor-performed, medically necessary services and some particular dental procedures that may be conducted in a hospital. 

What Is Covered

New Brunswick Medicare covers:

• The majority of hospital services.
• Nursing.
• Medication while being hospitalized.
• Radiation.
• Anesthesia.

What Is Not Covered

New Brunswick Medicare does not cover the following:

• Medicines.
• Ambulance facilities.
• Infant mutilation.
• Annual examinations.
• Fake teeth surgeries.
• Innovative procedures.

If you need to perform those mentioned earlier ‘uncovered services,’ you may pursue any other province where you can get these treatments. Moreover, you can cover these treatments and medications under employer-provided or private health insurance coverage.

Eligibility Criteria For New Brunswick Medicare

If you are here in New Brunswick for a week, a month, a half year, or on a temporary base for any reason then you can not get this Medicare. 

Eligible Individuals

The primary eligibility criteria coverage is the following:

• You must be present here in New Brunswick lawfully and desire to make it your home province.
• All the under-graduate and graduates, the students having any diploma or course certificate along with valid transition documents are eligible for New Brunswick Medicare coverage.
• Students should have proof of full-time academic presence in the respective educational institutes.
• Spouses are eligible to attain New Brunswick Medicare coverage.

Non-Eligible Individuals

• If you are a New Brunswick student and due for any reason you have to complete your studies online in other provinces, cities, or countries then you are not eligible for NBM coverage.
• Postgraduate-permitted students are not eligible for NBM coverage.

Here’s a tip!

Always try to attach the photocopies of your original documents, as there is no guarantee of supporting documents to be in safe hands.

How To Apply for New Brunswick Health Care as New Immigrant?

After being here in New Brunswick, the primary and crucial step is to apply for your New Brunswick health care. There are two methods that you may follow for the submission of your application:

• Applying on-site at the New Brunswick service office.
• Mailing your entire application material.

Following are some basic steps that you must follow while applying for an NBM card.

• You must submit an application along with the documentation of your Canadian citizenship.
• Also, submit the paperwork, proof, and copies of your transition to Canada.
• Attach your passport entrance stamp with it.
• You must present your identification and residency evidence along with the application form.

The office employees may place an objection on your application form if you miss any document with the application form. The office workers will analyze your application within ten weeks. Right after processing your application, you will get a letter stating the precise commencement date of your health insurance.

What Does New Brunswick Health Care Cover?

Check out the following covered treatments under the New Brunswick Medicare card:

Medicines On Prescription

The New Brunswick Drug Plan provides medical services to those registered with this plan or with valid Medicare. You can avail of this service if you do not have a private health insurance card. You can get your enrollment in this plan easily by finding your eligibility criteria.

New Brunswick Prescription Drug Program (NBPDP) offers you the following services:

• If you are a newbie and are not holding your health insurance. 
• If you need medical aid for a serious ailment.
• 65 years old or above seniors having Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS).

NBPDP covers treatments for several diseases:

• HIV 
• Cystic Fibrosis.
• Organ Transplantation.
• Growth Hormone problems.
• Multiple sclerosis.
• Dental

New Brunswick Medicare (NBM) does not cover ordinary routine dental checkups, which may include:

• Tooth filling.
• Extractions.
• Cleaning of teeth.
• Teeth covers.

This means you must pay for these routine checkups and examinations with a dentist. Moreover, NBM provides you with benefits if your doctor prescribes you a mandatory dental surgery. 

Optical Care

Suppose you do not have any optical coverage under any health programs in Canada but are still qualified for optical health care. In that case, you can avail yourself of the Health Services Vision Program. Prescription, scanning, and frame treatments have a 30% prescription charge.

You cannot avail yourself of your routine optical checkups like eyesight analysis or buying contact lenses or glasses.

Hearing Services

You may get Health Services Hearing Aid Program services only if you are eligible. This program assists in helping pay part of the costs for different hearing aids, tools, and maintenance. 

This program only covers maintenance and adjustments of hearing tools if your insurance runs out.

Medical Equipment

Canadian Red Cross Society provides a program known as the Seniors’ Rehabilitative Equipment Program. This program is for seniors the age of 65 or more; you can get medical equipment free of cost through this program.

Hospital

If you get hospitalized in New Brunswick, you can avail of some of the services under New Brunswick Medicare. In New Brunswick, medical professionals can either accept the hospital bills via New Brunswick Medicare or charge you directly for covered treatment.

It usually occurs when the treatment expenses succeed the coverage limit. But don’t worry! Because the professionals will inform you beforehand if they plan to charge you more than Medicare would pay.

In this case, you must sign a consent form acknowledging that New Brunswick Medicare won’t pay you anything back. The hospitals would never make a bill for the treatments under insurance health coverage.

The following covered hospital services are available to you if you have a Medicare card for New Brunswick:

• Standard lodging and food in a hospital.
• Prescribed medications.
• Mandatory nursing.
• Anesthesia facilities.
• Operation theatres and labour rooms.
• Lab and x-ray services.
• Necessary diagnostic services.
• Physical and speech therapies.
• Surgical equipment.
• Radiotherapies. 
• Ambulance

If you are a resident of New Brunswick, then you can easily avail of ambulance service under the New Brunswick Medicare program. Ambulance service is available only if you have to transit from one place to another or from one hospital to another within New Brunswick.

Paramedics

You may not get stylostixis and paramedical treatments under a medicare card. You must pay for it even if any psychiatrist, optical professional, or other physiotherapist prescribes these treatments.

Benefits For Nurses And Home Care

Until and unless you are not satisfied with your home care and treatments, you can continue to avail home nurses with the right medicare coverage. You may get the service under Extra-Mural Program (EMP).

Accidental Mutilation And Death

The New Brunswick Medicare does not provide coverage or insurance for accidental deaths.

Travel Insurance

New Brunswick Medicare covers the following:

• The services you got prior to clearance include a written statement showing that the treatment wasn’t available in New Brunswick and the patient needed it urgently.
• For urgent hospital visits with a maximum daily charge and the out-patient emergency, rate is $50. 
• The emergency services of your doctor at New Brunswick rate, if the patient admits to a hospital via emergency, then $100 is for in-patient services.

You may get travel insurance based on a medical emergency out of Canada. Otherwise, you have to pay the whole bill in the case of a non-emergency situation.

Benefits Of Personal Insurance

A personal insurance card can assist you in enhancing your existing coverage. The following are some benefits of personal insurance:

Cover Unforeseen Expenses

Provincial cards usually do not cover some treatments, which may be expensive. So private health insurance is the one that protects you from paying the medical bills from your wallet.

Canada offers expensive health care if you do not have a health card. Hence, a private insurance card is mandatory if you ever face unforeseen medical expenses.

Think About The Future

Making sure of having provincial health coverage that you may need can be made easier by being aware of the shortfalls in provincial health programs and workforce coverage you may have.

Aid In Cost-saving

It would be best if you took care of yourself to avoid an attack of any serious disease. But if you have any, use your private health insurance to save your money as much as possible. If you are planning to shift to New Brunswick, then do not forget to prepare yourself for applying for Medicare.

Health Care System in New Brunswick

You have a right to fundamental and public health care as a newbie in New Brunswick. The government of New Brunswick offers health insurance coverage that may cover the majority of medically necessary procedures.

As a bonus, many firms provide their employees with extra insurance. No pharmacy, clinic, hospital, or doctor can provide you with medical services until and unless you do not present your health card to them. 

Following are some healthcare systems in New Brunswick:

Medicare Card

Having a valid medicare card in New Brunswick is essential to meet your medical expenses cheaply. It is an important form of identification and can provide all the necessary medical services to its residents. 

Medical Clinics

You can receive immediate treatment at neighbourhood walk-in clinics in New Brunswick. You can not make appointments at walk-in clinics immediately because medical offices open after several hours and can let you schedule an appointment.

You can find a list of nearby medical facilities:

• In the phone book.
• By dialing Tele-Care.
• By phoning regional immigrant helping organizations.

You can get care at the nearby hospital’s ambulatory division if there isn’t a clinic in your area.

Tele-Care 811

Telecare is a free, private line that provides health counselling and details. You can access multilingual registered nurses 24/7 by dialling 811. The nurses will provide the information whenever you call regarding any issue like an ailment, an accident, or any other health issue.

The nurse will evaluate your circumstances and offer guidance and information to assist you in making a decision. If you have a medical emergency, then you have to dial 911 or go to the nearby emergency medical center.

Emergency Service 911

911 is an emergency service that can further assist you in deciding whether you want a fire brigade, police, ambulance, or any other service. It’s a 24 hours active service; you can avail of it in any part of the day, week, or month.

Family Doctor

A Canadian or Canadian-to-be individual must know that family doctors are your initial port of call for medical aid. It is crucial to begin looking for one as soon as possible. Don’t hold off until you feel well. 

Medicare beneficiaries in New Brunswick enjoy free access to family physicians and hospitals and do not need to pay for routine visits. If you are a resident of New Brunswick without the main healthcare provider, you can avail ‘Patient Connect NB‘ service.

This service is a multilingual patient registration administered by the provincial government. Patient Connect NB is open to everyone who qualifies for New Brunswick Medicare. If you are planning to shift to New Brunswick from any other province of Canada, then you can register yourself for this service.

But for registration, you have to present a valid health card from your previous province. You can register yourself via online method or by calling 811. For new immigrants, a serious ailment needs to be known to doctors, and in this way, they must be identified as patients to physicians.

If you are not recognized as a patient in Canada yet, then you can avail daily care for light health issues via walk-in clinics or medical offices.

Mental Health Services

Your mental health is quite important to you as well as to us. Canada takes care of its immigrants and citizens to be in a calm and comfort zone. For this purpose, the country does whatever is necessary for your fresh mind.

But still, if you ever feel low, sad, depressed, or overwhelmed by stress due to any reason, then don’t hesitate to contact and speak to a doctor. There are many mental health centers, and many additional programs are available for immediate mental health assistance. 

Dental Care

In New Brunswick, you can have your family doctor as well as family dentists. Because you must be very possessive about your smile and teeth, so you may have your personal dentist to avoid any dental issues.

You can discuss your dental coverage with your employer or medical coverer. If you face difficulty finding any dentist in New Brunswick, then consult the New Brunswick Dental Society. 

Check Out These 5 Things You Should Know Before Moving to New Brunswick

FAQs

Final Thoughts

It would help if you did many critical things before moving to New Brunswick. But getting health care in the city should be your priority as a newbie.

One factor that attracts so many overseas to Canada is the nation’s continued dedication to providing subsidized health care to all eligible inhabitants. You can avail many facilities via this health coverage in New Brunswick.

For more information about healthcare or any immigration problem, please explore OnTheMoveCanada. You can surely find complete guidance about immigration to Canada there. Stay healthy stay safe!