Health Insurance Comparison: Public Versus Private Health Insurance in Alberta

Canada has a wonderful healthcare system. In fact, Canada’s universal health care system is considered to be one of the best in the world. Anyone, including citizens and permanent residents, can access the public healthcare for free. But the public health care is not really free, it is funded by Canadian taxpayers. As wonderful as public healthcare is, most Canadians still prefer to sign up for private health insurance in Alberta. If you are wondering what makes private health insurance better than public healthcare, read on to learn more. Canada’s Public Health Care The government-funded healthcare in Canada is administered by each province and territory. Healthcare in Canada is available to everyone irrespective of their income. However, it does not offer comprehensive coverage. In fact, only “medically necessary” conditions are covered by government-funded healthcare in Canada. Furthermore, conditions that are considered to be medically necessary may vary from province to province. For instance, health insurance Alberta known as Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) may cover some optometry services provided they are administered in the province. AHCIP also covers hospital visits and stays, psychiatrist visits, oral and maxillofacial surgery services, etc. However, it does not cover routine dental care services, prescription drug services provided in non-hospital settings, non-medically required surgery, vision care, etc. Visit Insurdinary to learn more. Private Health Insurance in Canada Since the public healthcare plan only covers medically necessary conditions, you may need to take out private health insurance if you need additional coverage. Private health insurance Alberta is provided by several insurance companies in the province, you can shop around and compare policy options before choosing an insurer. The major difference between public and private health insurance is the conditions they cover. Private health insurance is simply an extension of the public plan. For instance, you can access coverage for non-medically required surgery, vision care, dental care, prescription drugs, etc. Furthermore, you may also be able to access better and faster services with private health insurance. For example, the waiting period for diagnostic tests takes up to 47 days for public health care but you only have to wait for about 8 days if you have private health insurance. Rather than paying a lot of money out of pocket, you can save costs by taking out private health insurance in Alberta. Although you still have to pay premiums in private health insurance, the amount you will pay in premium is usually less compared to the cost of treating serious medical conditions. Click here to learn more.