Health Care

Concerning eligibility for health care in Canada, Health Canada indicates as follows:

The national health insurance program is designed to ensure that all insured persons have access to medically necessary hospital and physician services on a prepaid basis. The Canada Health Act defines insured persons as residents of a province. The Act further defines a resident as: “a person lawfully entitled to be or to remain in Canada who makes his home and is ordinarily present in the province, but does not include a tourist, a transient or a visitor to the province.”

Therefore, residence in a province or territory is the basic requirement for provincial/territorial health insurance coverage. Each province and territory is responsible for determining its own minimum residence requirements with regard to an individual’s eligibility for benefits under its health insurance plan. The Canada Health Act gives no guidance on such residence requirements beyond limiting waiting periods to establish eligibility for and entitlement to insured health services to three months. Most provinces and territories also require residents to be physically present 183 days annually, and provide evidence of their intent to return to the province.

Source: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/medi-assur/faq-eng.php#a2

For more information about eligibility for health benefits in the Province of Saskatchewan, please see: http://www.ehealthsask.ca/HealthRegistries/Pages/health-benefits-eligibility.aspx