I was just wondering what is it like to have diabetes in Canada? Do you have to pay for all your own supplies? or is it like here in Ireland where you don’t pay? very curious as i would love to move over there and want to know all i can about it 
Hi Meghan, I live in Canada, and I am an immigrant from Ireland. I remember living in Ireland and having a book that I took to the chemist and got whatever supplies I needed at no cost to me. Here in Canada it is not the same at all, you pay for all your own supplies, most people have medical insurance from there employer, that covers a lot of theses expenses or if your lucky all of them. I have insurance through my husbands company so I pay nothing. The government also in my Province anyway has a program were they help you pay for pump supplies. It is a fantastic opportunity to get on an insulin pump.good look with your decision, it’s the best move I ever made.
Thanks thats really helpful! but someone going over there by themselves like me id have to check the health plans with jobs first?? or check out that program with the pump as I'm going back on it..
It will vary by the province as health care is controlled provincially. If your employer has a group insurance plan, likely 80% to 100% of your supplies would be paid for as mentioned in the previous post. Depending on your age, if you have no group insurance, the provincial health care plan may pay for most of it. I live in Quebec and I have 2 T1D kids. Until my husband got a job with a health plan, the Quebec (provincial) health care plan paid 100% for almost everything until age 18. Things like alcohol swabs were not covered. Aside from the health care questions, I encourage you to investigate immigration to Canada!
Yes I would think finding a job with a good insurance plan would be a great place to start. I forgot to mention that we do have universal health care, which means every visit to a doctor or a specialist or God forbid the hospital is covered. The pump program in ontario, is fantastic. It would cost $900.00 every three months for the pump supplies and the geverment gives you a check for $600 every three months, so you only have to cover $300 of it plus your insulin and strips, but if you have medical insurance they will usually pick up the balance. Mist a great program.
Thanks,that helps a lot i will look into it all :) yous are both very good for helping me!
wow that program sounds amazing! definitely going to look into it:)
I'm in Ontario and all of my prescriptions are 100% paid for with the exception of lancets, alcohol swabs and the ultra-fine needles for my Novopen 4. This is through the province of Ontario, not from work.
Where are you moving to here and where are you in Ireland? My family moved to Canada from Wicklow in a little town named Carnew about 5 generations ago.
I’m in ontario as well, and without my insurance I would have to pay for all supplies.
It is a good deal here. In ontario, its the Assistive Device Program (ADP) that you would go through for this. There are forms that need to be filled out by you, your doctor, Endo (or specialist), and diabetes training team (it’s a bit of a pain but well worth it), then it’s sent off for government approval. Once approved, as Tab says, cheques come every 3 months for $600 (my drug plan at work picks up the other $300). The PDM is also covered entirely by the Province.
Every year, you (and your diabetes entourage mentioned above) need to submit a renewal form to keep the cheques coming. Don’t do what I did and procrastinate, or they stop coming. You see your Dr’s and the rest at least yearly anyway so it can be done in a couple of minutes during one of the visits.
I guess us Canadian diabetics, although I can only speak for Ontario, have it pretty good. Especially if your job gives you benefits to top things off.
Good luck in your pursuit of Canada - it’s a great place to be, diabetic or not.
https://www.diabetes.ca/advocacy/reports-and-information/provincial... hoping you can open the link ...I have to leave the computer for a while ...will check back later
Scroll to the end !
Meghan,
As a general rule the whole of Canada has universal health care, which means that everyone who is legally living in the country has access to required medical services and supplies. However, we have ten provinces and one territory, and rules vary slightly between them.
In British Columbia, where I live, there is a monthly premium with rates that vary depending on income. A person who earns a good wage might pay close to $100 a month while someone on welfare or minimum wage would pay nothing or almost nothing. Likewise the cost of medications and supplies is graded, though for diabetics they are all free, including test strips and insulin. In some provinces there are no monthly premiums, while some are slightly higher than BC. In addition, the Canadian government has been aggressive in granting approval to generic medications, making meds in general more affordable for everyone than in our neighbour down south.
Tor
im not sure where i want to move to as it depends on available jobs.. hopefully moving from dublin
ah ok so it depends on where i go,thanks for the information :D
Meghan ...I would recommend to ASK the Canadian Embassy in your part of the world for detailed information and guidance relating to your question on " diabetes issues " .Good luck !!
Not to be alarmist but like most countries Canada has a screening process for new immigrants - a process aimed at getting as many people who will contribute productively for years to come and as few as possible who will be a burden on society in general or the health system in particular. Consequently you may want to consider how much information you wish to exchange with Canadian embassy officials who in the near future may be determining whether to recommend your application to be accepted as an immigrant. It has already become next to impossible to get past the Canadian immigration process unless you are from Asia, and health issues could potentially further decrease the odds. In other words, getting into Canada today as an immigrant is not a given for everyone like it used to be.
I recall the process starting in 1962 emigrating from the Netherlands to Canada and needed a medical ...had to go the the Hague to have this performed ( 45 km from my home town Haarlem ..a long way in those days ) ...there is no way to keep your health status a " secret " and in MHO neither should it be kept a " secret " .
I agree with Nel. Lots of People with illnesses have immigrated to Canada. They definitely don't like People who lie to them. It makes their job harder plus they are less likely to believe the rest of what the Person says. They have the immigrants record on their computer. If a Person plans on working in Canada but does not have a work visa and other important documents then the Person will be disqualified from entering Canada and then sent back to their country.
There is no way you can hide your diabetes from the immigration officials. A medical exam including blood test is given to all potential immigrants, some temporary resident applicants included. So you should never lie on a questionnaire asking if you have a medical condition because if you say no, then it is found in the blood test, it will not look good for you. That said, not every medical condition is a reason for refusal of permanent residence in Canada. Only conditions that cause an "excessive demand on the Canadian healthcare system" can lead to refusal. There is a toll free # to call for Citizenship and Immigration Canada to ask questions, however I don't think it works outside our borders. I will call and see if they say Type 1 diabetes causes excessive demand.