The health card application process in Alberta might be on your mind. If yes, then look further into the details.
Residents of Alberta must submit an AHCIP application in order to get public health coverage. Once you’ve met the requirements, you’ll get a personal healthcare card with your picture. For qualifying residents, AHCIP offers a complete range of medically essential services.
Health card application process in Alberta
Access the publicly funded healthcare, which has a track record for being of the highest caliber, is one of the advantages for immigrants relocating to Canada. Each province and territory in Canada provides healthcare services. This is provided in Alberta through the AHCIP or Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
What about the coverage under health card in Alberta?
For those enrolled in AHCIP, the public health plan in Alberta fully covers the costs of the following medical services:
- Appointments to a family doctor or other physician as necessary for health reasons.
- Diagnostic treatments that are necessary for health reasons, such as X-rays or lab tests
- Psychiatric treatment.
- Trips to the hospital include nursing services, diagnostic tests, operating rooms, lodging, meals in a standard ward, and medication while you’re there.
- Transportation of patients by ambulance between medical facilities in Alberta.
- Children under the age of 18 or adults over the age of 65 should get their eyes checked every year.
- From conception to six weeks after the baby’s birth, midwives are available.
- Procedures for gender reassignment and vasectomies.
- For those who qualify under the Weight Wise program, bariatric surgery.
- Maxillofacial and oral surgery.
Health card in Alberta – what does it not cover?
AHCIP mostly pays for things that are medically required. The following services are among those that Alberta’s health insurance does not provide:
- A chiropractor, massage therapist, naturopath, nutritionist, or social worker are examples of complementary or alternative medicine practitioners.
- Psychologist
- Unless medically necessary, avoid cosmetic surgery (such as a stomach tuck).
- Prescription medications that aren’t given during a hospital stay.
- Adults aged 19 to 64 should have eye exams unless medical reasons prohibit it.
- Contact lenses, laser eye surgery, or eyeglasses.
- Medical equipment or mobility aids like wheelchairs.
- Audio devices
- Dental procedures
- Unless traveling from one medical facility to another, ambulance services.
What is the eligibility?
From the moment they land in Alberta, permanent residents who intend to make the province their home are entitled to provincial health coverage. Your spouse, kids, or dependents would also qualify as permanent residents. However, you must apply for AHCIP within the first three months after relocating to Alberta to claim coverage. To be eligible for health insurance, temporary workers must hold a work permit valid for at least six months and a planned 12-month stay in Alberta.
AHCIP is available to foreign students who are at least 18 years old and have a 12-month study permit at an educational institution in Alberta.
You might still be qualified to apply if you’re an international student with permission valid for three to eleven months. A letter stating your intention to stay in Alberta for at least a year must be given to AHCIP.
When does the coverage begin?
There is no prerequisite to qualify for health care if you move to Alberta from outside Canada. Your coverage will start when you submit an application with the required supporting materials. New residents to Alberta must apply within three months of gaining residency, even if you delay. If you don’t submit an application within three months, your coverage will begin when your application is processed.
What paperwork is essential to apply for AHCIP?
You must submit your AHCIP application as soon as possible if you recently relocated to Alberta. Signing up for private health insurance is best if a waiting period is necessary.
The following are the requirements for AHCIP applications:
- Identity documentation (such as a Canadian passport, permanent resident card, or driver’s license from Alberta).
- Evidence of one’s legal right to remain in Canada includes a passport, permanent resident card, entry visa, or citizenship card.
- Evidence proving Alberta residency, such as an Alberta driver’s license, a mortgage or rental agreement, a phone or energy bill, a house insurance policy, or a registration for a car.
- Application for coverage under AHCIP.
What is the health card application process in Alberta?
AHCIP applications can be submitted in person or by mail. To register with the AHCIP, there are no fees or premiums needed.
Apply in person first
To apply in person, go to an accredited registry agent. You can find a complete list of locations here. You must present a completed application form together with your original identification, immigration status in Canada, and Alberta resident documentation. Your application will be reviewed in five days, and you’ll receive your health cards in the mail.
Apply through mail
Directly mail your filled-out application form and photocopies of your supporting documents (front and back, if necessary) to the AHCIP office.
Alberta Health
Attention: Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan
PO Box 1360, Station Main
Edmonton, Alberta
T5J 2N3
AHCIP suggests against sending original documentation. Your card will be mailed to you instantly after your application has been processed, which could take up to six weeks.
You might be able to obtain assistance at your local community organization or newcomer service if you have any queries about the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan.
