Attn Canadian snowbirds

almcc wrote:
Last time I checked Ontario OHIP would allow you to be out of the province/country for up to 2 years twice in your lifetime if you applied. Not sure if the out-of country providers would insure the added time or not.

For us, the 6 month time frame suits. Maybe they want to stop those "citizens of convenience" that use the government services to get flown back from war zones when fighting breaks out at taxpayers expense.

This is true for many provinces although some are worded so that you can be out for up to two years once every five years. However this is only to keep your health care benefits. Canada has no limits on how long you can be out of the country. NONE

The pretense behind all of this is that it prevents someone from applying for and receiving Canadian citizenship so they will get health care coverage and then leave and never come back unless they get sick. This is common in many if not all one payer or socialized medicine countries. Works for me. Health insurance (not supplemental health coverage) is relatively cheap unless you travel to or become an expat in the US.

By the way, these measures came out of pressure from tax payer coalittion recognizing that it was an effective way to curb abuse.