Health benefits can be government programs and/or private insurance plans that cover the cost or subsidize the cost of your medical and health services such as prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, and registered therapists.
Tips & Links
Understanding your public and private health benefits coverage is important so you can access the care, supports, and financial assistance you need without unexpected costs or delays.
Learn More
- In BC, the medical services plan (MSP) covers the cost of medically necessary health care services for residents of the province including physician visits, hospital stays, medically required surgical and diagnostic procedures, and some preventative care services listed by Healthlink BC.
- Learn about what MSP does not cover, including prescription drugs, dental care, and optometry services from the Government of BC. Know that It is up to you to purchase private health benefits unless you have employer-sponsored coverage for these services.
- Learn how to use Fair PharmaCare to help cover prescription drug costs. It helps cover the costs of your eligible prescription medications based on your income.
Things You Can Do
- Check out PharmaCare to see if it covers costs of medical supplies and medical assistive devices you might need. All programs are outlined by the Government of BC.
- Plan ahead for dental costs by learning about by dental fees and services from the BC Dental Association.
- Explore available MSP-Supplementary-Benefits for low-income seniors or persons with disabilities to help cover the costs of services not included in MSP, such as massage, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and others. Find more information from the Government of BC.
- Be aware of what happens to your BC medical services coverage when travelling or living outside of the province and the need to purchase additional travel insurance to cover your health expenses from the Government of BC.
- Learn about special health benefits for First Nations people in BC from First Nations Health Authority.
Include your health benefits as part of your My Financial Plan worksheets in your Mywell Health planner.