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Seniors BC

Medical Services Plan

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Medical care in British Columbia is provided through the Medical Services Plan (MSP) and PharmaCare programs. The Medical Services Only (MSO) program may pay for some expenses which are not covered by MSP or PharmaCare for former recipients of income or disability assistance who leave assistance at age 65 for federal supports.

The Travel Assistance Program (TAP) helps patients who need to travel for medical reasons.

Medical Services Plan

The Medical Services Plan of British Columbia (MSP) pays for medically required services from physicians and other healthcare practitioners, as well as laboratory services and diagnostic procedures. MSP will also cover dental and oral surgery when it is medically required and performed in a hospital. The MSP website has a list of services covered under MSP.

Depending on your eligibility, MSP may also provide full or partial coverage for supplementary healthcare such as acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and other therapies. These supplementary benefits are listed on the MSP website.

All B.C. residents are required to enrol with MSP and pay a monthly premium. If you are on low income, you may be eligible for premium assistance. To enrol in the Medical Services Plan, change your address, or learn more about MSP, visit the Health Insurance BC website.

Most MSP forms are available online from the MSP website.

Regular Premium Assistance

Regular premium assistance offers MSP premium subsidies ranging from 20 to 100 per cent, based on an individual's net income (or a couple's combined net income) for the preceding tax year, less deductions for age, family size and disability. If this "adjusted net income" is below $30,000, a subsidy is available. See the Monthly Premium Rates chart for full details of premium assistance rates.

You can download an Application for Regular Premium Assistance form from the MSP website.

Temporary Premium Assistance (TPA)

Low-income seniors may be eligible to receive Temporary Premium Assistance (TPA). This program waives your Medical Services Plan premiums for a short time. If you are facing financial hardship you may be eligible for TPA. You can learn more about the Temporary Premium Assistance program at the Ministry of Finance website, or by calling 1-800-207-2051 (in Victoria, 250 356-8285).

CareCard

Each B.C. resident enrolled with the Medical Services Plan (MSP) is given a CareCard with a unique lifetime personal health number.

You should carry your CareCard at all times, and present it whenever you need healthcare services. However, if you do not have your card with you, your physician or other healthcare provider can still check to see if you are enrolled with MSP. A Gold CareCard is issued to seniors a few weeks before they reach age 65. Those who have Gold CareCards get special discounts offered by certain government programs and many businesses, such as discounts on public transportation.

For more information about your CareCard, visit the MSP website.

Medical Services Only (MSO) program

Former recipients of income or disability assistance who leave assistance at age 65 for federal supports may be eligible to receive time-limited health benefits such as premium free Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage, no deductible PharmaCare coverage and basic dental, optical, and other approved medical supports. This support is provided through the Medical Services Only (MSO) program.

For more information, contact the Ministry of Social Development Information Line at 1-866-866-8000.

Travel Assistance for Patients

If you need to travel within British Columbia to receive non-emergency medical services not available in your own community, and your travel expenses are not covered by third-party insurance, you may be eligible for assistance through the Health Connections.