Nursing Home Blog
« Cut the Salt and Add the… | Back to all posts | Nursing Home Funding Budget Cuts»
British Columbia and Ontario Health Care Premiums
Posted on Thu, August 25, 2011 at 10:32 pm
According to the Canada Health Act, health services cannot be denied to a Canadian based on their ability to pay. Currently, Ontario and B.C. are the only provinces that charge residents a health care premium. In Ontario, the amount of premium you will pay depends on your taxable income listed on your tax return. If you live in Ontario and have an annual taxable income of less than $21,000 you will be exempt from the Ontario Health Premium. To view a chart indicating a list of taxable incomes and corresponding premiums, please visit http://www.rev.gov.on.ca/en/tax/healthpremium/rates.html.
If you make less than $22,000 in British Columbia, you will not have to pay the health premium. But, anyone making more than $30,000 is required to pay the maximum premium of $60.50 per month, or $726 per year. Seniors are not exempt from this premium. To some seniors, this may not seem like an exhorbitant sum, but some seniors may be on medications not covered by their health plan and or face high monthly nursing home charges. Living on an annual income of $30,000 must be challenging, and facing a monthly premium of $60.50 would make it even more challenging. Please visit http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/infoben/premium.html#monthly to view the Premoium Rate Chart.
Fred Coates, a B.C. resident and head of B.C. Old Age Pensioners Organization is rallying seniors together to voice their anger and call to end this premium. To be honest, this would anger me to - mainly because most other provinces do not have this fee and the annual income amount required to pay the maximum fee is unjustly low.
« Cut the Salt and Add the… | Back to all posts | Nursing Home Funding Budget Cuts»
