Health care for seniors

[Gypsylady]

What is the cost of Health Care for seniors in B.C.?Is there a cut-off price
for seniors with low income? When will health care be free for B.C. seniors?

[kgcayenne]

What is the age distribtuion of BC's population again?

[fluffy]

BC Medical rate information is available here:

http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/msp/infoben/premium.html#regular

Premium assistance is available for residents with an adjusted net income (whatever that means) of $30,000/yr or less. The amount of assistance available increases as income drops, with premiums falling to nothing at an adjusted net income of $22,000/yr or less. So I suppose that would mean that anyone depending only on CCP and/or OAS would get their medical for free.

[kgcayenne]

Some Census Highlights: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recen ... eng.cfm#a1

In 2011, the proportion of seniors was the highest in the Atlantic provinces, Quebec and British Columbia.
In 2011, all census metropolitan areas located west of Ontario had a proportion of people aged 65 and over below the national average of 14.8%, except for Kelowna and Victoria in British Columbia.
Among census agglomerations, Parksville, on Vancouver Island in British Columbia and Elliot Lake, in Ontario, had the highest proportion of seniors, at twice the national average of 14.8%.
Seven of the 10 municipalities with the highest proportion of seniors were in British Columbia.

As we age, we certainly don't use the medical system less do we? So if there are more seniors, there's more demand. Our wait lists evidence this do they not? Also, when taking Fluffy's post above into consideration, like the rest of us, seniors are eligible to receive Premium Assistance. It is available to all of us whether we need it a little or a lot, and therefore we all have to pay.

[NAB]

Low Income qualification only relates to assistance with MSP premiums. Even if a senior qualifies for 100% premium assistance, that doesn't mean they don't have any costs associated with their medical condition and care. And often those costs can be substantial relative to their income. "Free" doesn't really exist.

Nab

[Queen K]

Exactly Nab. There may be subsidized but never really free. And IHA's pushing to keep people at home for as long as possible. There is a two year wait list to get into assisted living and a point scoring system coming down the line to triage those applied for assisted living.

I know I bang this to death, but independent living is NOT assisted living. And can't be due to insurance issues surrounding the administrative and practical issues of employing people to be on duty for seniors 24/7.

Don't get me started on residential care.

And even the Hospice here in Kelowna can be $60/day, as I was condenscendingly told when my dad toured the facility. They had an empty bed on display! He needed to be in it.

Nope.

Costs are assessed by a series of scoring systems in regards to income. And those who stay in their home or opt to move into independent living situations bear a lot of costs, often for long periods of time, that simply are not picked up by the government.

[Captain Awesome]

When will health care be free for B.C. seniors?

Will it ever be?

[Queen K]

Honestly at the rate I'm seeing young people die out in the prime of their working lives with all forms of cancer and accidental deaths, and I see a lot of seniors living WELL into their 90s, nothing should be free for anybody.

[Queen K]

Here's Nova Scotia getting with it on keeping seniors out of residential homes. The benefit is mutual, seniors get to stay in their own home and the associated costs, right down to the q-tips are kept on the senior's personal expenses and bills.

In other words, it doesn't matter if NS spends a few thou per senior to keep them at home, the cost savings over time to the taxpayer are HUGE. Maybe independent living entrepreneurs aren't over running NS either.

[Gypsylady]

Hummmm.I wonder if we'd be thrown in jail IF kept an Alberta address?
We are moving to Sunny Kelowna BUT we DO have an address in Alberta.
Is this legal??? I know Albertans that do this,then we'd have more money
to spend in K & help the economy there.
Seniors DON'T live a reckless life,why shouldn't they get free medical.You'll think
differently if/when you are a senior on a FIXED income.

[kgcayenne]

The BC Medical Services plan are transitioning to a photo ID system that integrates the BC Driver's licence with the Care Card, or the BC ID card with the Care Card, so if you don't have a valid & permanent BC address, you are SOL when it comes to medical here in BC. They are doing this because of the number of people accessing BC Medical Services with a Care Card outnumbered the actual population of BC. So the out-of-province people who are illegally accessing our system wind up costing BC taxpayers more than necessary.

[Captain Awesome]

Seniors DON'T live a reckless life,why shouldn't they get free medical.

Why should anybody get anything for free?

[grammafreddy]

Why should anybody get anything for free?

On the other hand, why should anyone have to pay for something they don't use at all?

[Captain Awesome]

On the other hand, why should anyone have to pay for something they don't use at all?

So it's there if you need it. Kinda like insurance - you pay for it even if you don't use it. And if you need it, it's there for you.

[GordonH]

On the other hand, why should anyone have to pay for something they don't use at all?

I guess GF you could stop paying the monthly premiums, and pay as you go/need.