Canadian travel to the US or other countries C-19 What’s up?

[dreamin]

But there is no enforcement mechanism if someone refuses to pay due to not having insurance.

You are right in that there is no enforcement other than multiple billing attempts and an appeal to the patient and family to honour their obligations. But sometimes there is a bigger price to pay. For example, my ex-BIL had dual citizenship, US/Canada, but lived most of his life in the US. While in the process of relocating to BC he had a heart attack requiring open heart surgery complicated by kidney failure. The BC hospital provided the surgery and dialysis even though he had no medical coverage or finances. They then ambulanced him to a hospital in Blaine, WA as he was essentially deemed a US citizen. The WA hospital stopped the dialysis once they confirmed he had no way to continue the treatment. He died a week later. It was a very sad situation for my nieces but sure highlighted the differences in health care systems. I hope that most travellers to our country would ensure they had medical insurance.

Airlines are providing free Covid insurance now when you purchase a plane ticket

Air Canada is providing "up to $200,000 CDN" (or $152,000 USD) for COVID insurance if you book an international flight (including the US) prior to the end of this month for a maximum 21 day stay. I don't feel confident that would cover the costs of a hospital stay in the US if I developed a severe case of COVID.

 

[am1]

Once you start with exclusions, we are on a slippery slope. How about other risk factors, some can be hereditary but in many cases they depend on the life style. Enforcement would be a b.

The world loves slippery slopes. But yes you are right not easy but ideal.

 

[jabberwocky]

You are right in that there is no enforcement other than multiple billing attempts and an appeal to the patient and family to honour their obligations. But sometimes there is a bigger price to pay. For example, my ex-BIL had dual citizenship, US/Canada, but lived most of his life in the US. While in the process of relocating to BC he had a heart attack requiring open heart surgery complicated by kidney failure. The BC hospital provided the surgery and dialysis even though he had no medical coverage or finances. They then ambulanced him to a hospital in Blaine, WA as he was essentially deemed a US citizen. The WA hospital stopped the dialysis once they confirmed he had no way to continue the treatment. He died a week later. It was a very sad situation for my nieces but sure highlighted the differences in health care systems. I hope that most travellers to our country would ensure they had medical insurance.

I'm sorry to hear about your BIL. That sounds like a horrible situation. If he is a Canadian citizen and was relocating to BC, why did they send him back to the US? Returning Canadian citizens have health-care covered as soon as they re-establish residency (unlike moving from province-to-province where there is usually a waiting period).

 

[DannyTS]

Air Canada is providing "up to $200,000 CDN" (or $152,000 USD) for COVID insurance if you book an international flight (including the US) prior to the end of this month for a maximum 21 day stay. I don't feel confident that would cover the costs of a hospital stay in the US if I developed a severe case of COVID.

One can always buy additional insurance. A 70 year old male would pay 106 CAD for an 8 day trip. There is also an option for 10 million dollars of medical coverage. As I said, their numbers are probably telling them a different story.

 

[am1]

I'm sorry to hear about your BIL. That sounds like a horrible situation. If he is a Canadian citizen and was relocating to BC, why did they send him back to the US? Returning Canadian citizens have health-care covered as soon as they re-establish residency (unlike moving from province-to-province where there is usually a waiting period).

My understanding was 3 months to establish residency from out of country. Apparently its sales tax and not income tax that pay health care costs.

 

[jabberwocky]

My understanding was 3 months to establish residency from out of country. Apparently its sales tax and not income tax that pay health care costs.

Nope - I've moved back and we were covered from day one (three months is usually province-to-province). We ended up taking our daughter into emerg after she had a minor mishap about one month after we relocated. We didn't even have her healthcare number yet, but we worked with the hospital and everything got sorted out once I got her HC number (they did send us a bill for $400 in the meantime).

 

[am1]

Nope - I've moved back and we were covered from day one (three months is usually province-to-province). We ended up taking our daughter into emerg after she had a minor mishap about one month after we relocated. We didn't even have her healthcare number yet, but we worked with the hospital and everything got sorted out once I got her HC number (they did send us a bill for $400 in the meantime).

I am frequently away from Ontario, due to my job/studies; am I eligible for OHIP coverage?
If your job or studies require you to leave Ontario frequently and you are unable to be present for 153 days in any 12-month period, you may still be eligible for OHIP coverage as a mobile worker or mobile student. To maintain your OHIP coverage, you should:

• be able to provide acceptable documents that show that your work requires frequent travel in and out of Ontario or that your full-time academic program in Ontario requires travel outside of Ontario; and
• be able to provide acceptable documents to show how you make your primary place of residence in Ontario (refer to Ontario Health Coverage Document List).

New or returning residents to Ontario who qualify as a mobile worker or mobile student are exempt from having to meet the 153-day in the first 183-day physical presence requirement immediately after establishing residency in Ontario.

Exemption from the Waiting Period for OHIP

1. A child under the age of 16, who is adopted outside of Canada by Ontario residents, will be exempt from the three-month waiting period for Ontario health insurance coverage; if they meet the following 2 requirements:
   • The child has an OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration status. OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration statuses are listed in Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act; more information can be found on this topic under the fact sheet OHIP Eligibility.
   • The adoptive parents can provide confirmation that they have received director approval, provided by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, of their international adoption under Ontario’s Intercountry Adoption Act.
2. A child under the age of 16, who will be placed for adoption in Ontario from another country, will be exempt from the three-month waiting period for Ontario health insurance coverage; if they meet the following 2 requirements:
   • The child has an OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration status. OHIP-eligible citizenship/immigration statuses are listed in Regulation 552 of the Health Insurance Act; more information can be found on this topic under the fact sheet OHIP Eligibility.
   • The adoptive parents can provide confirmation that they have received director approval, provided by the Ministry of Children and Youth Services, of their international adoption under Ontario’s Child and Family Services Act (CFSA).
3. A child under 16 years old, who is the subject of an adoption order under section 146 of the Child and Family Services Act , will be exempt from the remainder of the three-month waiting period for Ontario health insurance coverage; if on the date the adoption is finalized, the child is OHIP-eligible and is within their three month waiting period.

Further information on the changes concerning adoptions can be found on a fact sheet entitled International Adoptions and OHIP Eligibility. The above is only a summary of the OHIP eligibility provisions of Regulation 552 for your reference. You should consult the actual regulation for the specific requirements applicable to you. The provisions in Regulation 552 prevail over this summary.

 

[jabberwocky]

I think we’re getting off-course here and I don’t want to get into a discussion of what is required under the Canada Health Act. Some provinces do try to impose a waiting period - especially for pre-existing conditions and pregnancy (see: hospital of, Richmond). Whether that is legal remains a different story. Back to the topic at hand which is travel to other countries by Canadians.

 

[am1]

Just fact checking your mis information. Maybe your province is different.

 

[MULTIZ321]

US tentatively approves Delta, WestJet alliance

The Delta-WestJet joint venture would have a combined 27% share of scheduled air carrier transborder capacity

www.foxbusiness.com

.


Richard

 

[CanuckTravlr]

US tentatively approves Delta, WestJet alliance

The Delta-WestJet joint venture would have a combined 27% share of scheduled air carrier transborder capacity

www.foxbusiness.com

.

Richard

This is a potentially good long-term strategy for WestJet (and Delta). With a huge reduction in even domestic flights right now, it gives it a way to realign its resources, cut its losses on its Swoop low-cost carrier, and eventually eliminate or redeploy those aircraft. It will also give both carriers a shot at a larger percentage of the cross-border traffic.

As to the implementation of the cross-border agreement, in reality it will likely not be seen until there is a viable vaccine for Covid-19 and the withdrawal of travel restrictions into Canada. While Canadians can still fly essentially unrestricted into the USA, no international travellers can fly to Canada unless they qualify under one of the exemptions.

Canadians returning to Canada must also undergo a strict and enforced 14-day quarantine currently. There is a pilot project at Calgary airport that just got underway to use a rapid-result test to reduce the quarantine. However, it will likely be awhile before that is expanded to larger airports like Toronto and Vancouver, assuming it is successful.

 

[DannyTS]

I am curious if this means that Westjet points and vouchers can be used in the future on Delta flights.

 

[easyrider]

I was wondering if Canadians are traveling to Mexico this winter. I noticed many resorts are still taking reservations for February 2021 and this is kind of unusual this late in the game.

Bill

 

[jabberwocky]

I was wondering if Canadians are traveling to Mexico this winter. I noticed many resorts are still taking reservations for February 2021 and this is kind of unusual this late in the game.

Bill

My guess is that very few will be doing so. The government has been actively discouraging international travel, and most individuals would be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon return. It sounds like the Canadian government won't be approving a vaccine until Q1 next year, so this winter will be a write-off for most.

We currently have a trip to Cancun booked for March, but that can be canceled if need be. I have a backup plan for Phoenix (no quarantine on return if I plan flights right - and it may be possible that the US border is opened by then).

 

[byeloe]

My guess is that very few will be doing so. The government has been actively discouraging international travel, and most individuals would be subject to a 14-day quarantine upon return. It sounds like the Canadian government won't be approving a vaccine until Q1 next year, so this winter will be a write-off for most.

We currently have a trip to Cancun booked for March, but that can be canceled if need be. I have a backup plan for Phoenix (no quarantine on return if I plan flights right - and it may be possible that the US border is opened by then).

still planning to be in Cancun for new years. Fortunately I am working from home and will be able to quarantine upon return.

How will you avoid the quarantine?

 

[jabberwocky]

still planning to be in Cancun for new years. Fortunately I am working from home and will be able to quarantine upon return.

How will you avoid the quarantine?

Since we are Alberta residents, if we are able to get an international flight into Calgary we can take a test on arrival and be out of quarantine in a couple of days if it comes back negative. We're going to try this out after Christmas when we return from Palm Springs.

I'll likely have to rebook flights onto United and get a connection from the US (at the moment AC doesn't have any international flights to Calgary, and WestJet doesn't have Cancun availability.)

 

[am1]

Another month. Should have announced it as a closure to a few days after New Years and be done with it till after the holidays.

But you can take a helicopter to a us airport with customs and have a truck bring your car and belonging over the border.

 

[Brett]

New business ventures help Canadian snowbirds circumvent a closed U.S. land border

https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/snowbirds-canada-u-s-border-drive-winter-travel-covid-19-1.5810104

 

[MULTIZ321]

Travellers must take a COVID-19 test before flying to Canada. Here's what you need to know.

Travellers must take a COVID-19 test before flying to Canada. Here’s what you need to know - National | Globalnews.ca

The new rules, which were first announced Wednesday, are meant to further limit the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Canada.

globalnews.ca

Richard

 

[CanuckTravlr]

Travellers must take a COVID-19 test before flying to Canada. Here's what you need to know.

Travellers must take a COVID-19 test before flying to Canada. Here’s what you need to know - National | Globalnews.ca

The new rules, which were first announced Wednesday, are meant to further limit the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic in Canada.

globalnews.ca

Richard

To be clear, nothing else has changed. The Canada/US land border is still closed and air travel is still closed for all non-essential (e.g. tourism) purposes. Returning Canadian citizens and residents, and even most others travelling for essential purposes, are still subject to the 14-day quarantine, even with the test. This is just an additional measure to help control any outside sources of infection due to the rising caseload here.

 

[AJCts411]

"This is just an additional measure to help control..." the citizens. Please do note all of the island hopping trips our elected official hypocrites took abroad already. Intersteing is that these elected elite are saying testing does not work we don't trust it or why quarantine , the vaccine does not work or why would you be forced to test.

 

[Chrisky]

"This is just an additional measure to help control..." the citizens. Please do note all of the island hopping trips our elected official hypocrites took abroad already. Intersteing is that these elected elite are saying testing does not work we don't trust it or why quarantine , the vaccine does not work or why would you be forced to test.

Which Canadian elected elite are saying “ testing does not work we don't trust it or why quarantine , the vaccine does not work or why would you be forced to test.” ?
The Canadian elected people that I am aware of, have all said they quarantined themselves or will quarantine upon arrival in Canada.

 

[AJCts411]

Which Canadian elected elite are saying “ testing does not work we don't trust it or why quarantine , the vaccine does not work or why would you be forced to test.” ?
The Canadian elected people that I am aware of, have all said they quarantined themselves or will quarantine upon arrival in Canada.

Read the news articles. If your tested you still MUST quarantine. Is that a policy that says we trust testing? Not. Tam says still going to need masks and restrictions for a very long time even after you get a vaccine. Is that someone who believe in the vaccine? NO! Those elite.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Read the news articles. If your tested you still MUST quarantine. Is that a policy that says we trust testing? Not. Tam says still going to need masks and restrictions for a very long time even after you get a vaccine. Is that someone who believe in the vaccine? NO! Those elite.

This is how I understand this:

1) the vaccines cause you to develop antibodies. This will prevent you from “feeling very sick / having to go to the hospital; BUT the vaccines do not prevent you from getting Covid-19 and therefore giving it to someone else while you are asymptomatic .

2) Asymptomatic people are known to spread Covid-19 .
Covid-19 is primarily spread by aerosol - (ie) you breath it out / someone else breaths it in.
The nasal cavity is a significant part of this process. Wearing a mask that covers your nose matters.

3) All Medical Tests have a threshold level of accuracy.
(ie) A pregnancy test can be 96 % accurate.I believe the self tests for pregnancy measure hormone levels that change when you are pregnant. If you became pregnant one hour ago such a test is unlikely to detect a pregnancy.

4) - mask wearing -social distancing - vaccination - testing.
are all going to be a part of 2021 / conspiracy theory’s not withstanding.

We are all hoping that these measures can make travel generally safe.

 

[Chrisky]

T-Dot Traveller, thanks for responding. Your explanations are excellent.

AJCts411, if you are tested, you quarantine yourself until you receive a negative result. Then you can go about your business. If the test result comes back positive, you continue your quarantine for the 14 day duration. Then, IMO, after the 14 days ideally you should get another test just to be sure you are ok. But that means when you are out in public you still need to wear a mask, practise social distancing etc.
Of course Dr. Tam believes in the vaccine. The vaccine is not a cure. And until the majority of the population, I believe somewhere in the range of more than 75% get the vaccine, covid 19 will still be around. That is also why we get the flu shot every year because the virus changes. We can read in the news about the new variant, that spreads more easily, which then necessitates wearing masks longer until the world gets a handle on the virus.