A Medical Care Plan (MCP) is a comprehensive plan of medical care insurance designed to cover the cost of physician services for residents of Newfoundland and Labrador. The MCP, though introduced in 1969, was merged with the Department of Health and Community Services. The physicians and the treatments they make will have to be submitted as claims for insured services directly to MCP.
Under this Medical Care Plan visits to a physician’s office, hospital or beneficiary’s residence; surgical, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including anesthesia; pre and postoperative care; complete maternity care; radiology interpretive services; and, certain surgical dental procedures, which are medically necessary to be performed in hospital by dentist or oral surgeon will be provided as part of the program.
However, drugs and vaccines; provision of medical appliances; physician’s travel time and expenses; ambulance services or other transportation; acupuncture and subsequent related services; surgery for cosmetic purposes; eye examinations for corrective lenses; routine dental extractions; hydrotherapy; and, alcohol/drug dependency treatment outside Canada tops the list of those that are not included in the provisions of MCP. For Dental services, these are provided only under Children’s Dental Health program.
Eligible children who can partake in this program are those under the age of 12 years old; and, as well as, 13 to 17 years old who lives with low-income families, those with an annual net income of $30,000 or less. These families should apply for coverage under Newfoundland and Labrador Prescription Drug Program. The dental program cover such services as examinations at six-moth intervals, cleanings at 12-month intervals, fluoride applications, limited x-rays, routine filings and extractions, sealants etc. A separate insurance plan is available for residents which provide in-patient and out-patients services – the Health Insurance Plan.
Eligibility for the program is linked with Newfoundland and Labrador Medical Care Plan. It is governed under Department of Health and Community Services. The insured in-patient services include Nursing services, Laboratory, x-ray, drugs, medical and surgical supplies, operating room, labor & deliver, radiotherapy facilities, rehabilitative services etc. In order to become eligible for this program, these three categories of applicants would make you so – Canadian citizens, Landed Immigrants and Foreign workers.
But categories such as students from other provinces and territories, dependents of residents of another province, certified refugees, tourists, and inmates of federal prisons are not eligible for this program. Quebec and the Ministry of Health and Social Services. In the province of Quebec, the health insurance plan is under the control of Ministry of Health and Social Services. The insurance plan provides Insured Hospital services, Insured Medical Services, Insured Surgical-Dental services, Uninsured hospital, medical and surgical/dental services etc.
To get eligibility for the program, unlike other provinces, no registration is necessary. Proof of residence in Quebec is enough to get the service under the hospital insurance plan. Access to the plan is very easy since there is no registration process. Insured health services can be provided to anybody who is a qualified resident of the province. No extra billing by Quebec physicians is strongly imposed. The Ministry of Health and Social Services provides fund to the hospitals in connections with cost of Insured Services provided. During 2005-2006 around $7. 8 billion has been made.