Eligibility and EnrolmentAll residents of B.C. must enrol with MSPUnder the Medicare Protection Act, enrolment with MSP is mandatory for all eligible residents and their dependents. » Who is Eligible? Who is Eligible?An individual must be a resident of B.C. in order to qualify for medical coverage under MSP. A resident is a person who meets all of the following conditions:
Certain other individuals, such as some holders of study and/or work permits, or working permits on working holiday programs — which are issued under the federal Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and are valid for a period of six or more months — may be deemed residents. Tourists or visitors to B.C. do not qualify. A spouse or a child of an eligible B.C. resident may also be deemed a resident provided that an application for permanent residence status has been accepted for processing by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), and the application remains active. For more information, see Covering a Spouse or Child who is an Applicant for Permanent Resident Status in Canada (PDF 274K). Dependent - includes a spouse and children who are deemed to be a resident. Spouse - a resident who is either married to or is living and cohabiting in a marriage-like relationship with the applicant, and may be of the same gender as the applicant. (Note: in the case of divorce, the former spouse is no longer eligible for coverage as a dependent and must apply for separate coverage.) Child - a resident who is the legal ward or child of the applicant, is supported by the applicant, is neither married nor living and cohabiting in a marriage-like relationship, and is either age 18 or younger or age 19 to 24 and attending school or university full-time. If you are uncertain about your eligibility or the eligibility of your dependent(s), contact MSP for assistance.
How to Enrol with MSPIf you are applying for a self-administered MSP account, complete an Application for Enrolment form.If MSP coverage is available through your employer, union or pension plan, contact that office for information about group applications. Any existing self-administered account will be cancelled by MSP when your group application is processed. It may be necessary to visit an Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) driver licensing office (DLO) to complete enrolment in MSP. If this is the case, written notice with next steps will be mailed to you. When does Coverage Begin?New residents or persons re-establishing residence in B.C. are eligible for coverage after completing a waiting period that normally consists of the balance of the month of arrival plus two months. For example, if an eligible person arrives during the month of July, coverage is available October 1. If absences from Canada exceed a total of 30 days during the waiting period, eligibility for coverage may be affected.You should apply for MSP coverage immediately after arriving in B.C., rather than at the end of the waiting period, to allow time for your application to be processed. When a family moves to B.C. from another part of Canada and the husband and wife arrive separately, the waiting period for family coverage begins on the later date of arrival. If, however, a spouse will reside in B.C. for 12 or more months before the rest of the family moves here, that spouse needs apply for MSP coverage before the end of the 12 month period (coverage provided by the former home province cannot exceed 12 months). Once they arrive in B.C., the other family members can be added to the account - see Adding and Removing Dependents below. The rest of the family remains eligible for coverage in the other province for the balance of the month of departure plus two months, and will be required to complete the waiting period once arriving in B.C. Coverage During the Waiting PeriodNew residents from other parts of Canada should maintain coverage with their former medical plan during the waiting period. New or returning residents arriving from outside Canada should contact a private insurance company for coverage during this period.
Changes that Affect Your CoverageAddress Change You should report an address change to MSP immediately - if possible, use one of MSP's online Address Change Forms. (Also see Permanent Move from B.C.) If you have a driver’s licence, you may also want to update your driver’s licence by visiting addresschange.gov.bc.ca. Name Change You are required to report a change of name within 10 days. If a replacement is required because the name, birth date or gender on a BC Services Card or CareCard needs to be changed, call Health Insurance BC toll free first. There is no fee to obtain or replace a BC Services Card. However, if you’re combining your BC Services Card with your driver’s licence, fees that apply to the regular driver’s licence renewal process still apply.
Marriage When you marry (or begin living in a marriage-like relationship - see the definition of spouse under Who is Eligible?), you should combine separate MSP accounts into one family account - see Adding a Spouse below. If one or both spouses are changing their names, follow the instructions for Name Change. Divorce Upon divorce, the former spouse of an account holder is no longer eligible for coverage under the same account. See Removing Dependents below.
Adding and Removing DependentsIf you are unsure who can be covered under your account, see Who is Eligible?
If the person you are adding to your account is already enrolled with MSP and is covered under an account administered by an employer, union or pension plan, that account will only be cancelled if the former group plan submits a request. If the person has a self-administered account, that account will be cancelled when the person is added to your plan. It may be necessary to visit an Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) driver licensing office (DLO) to complete enrolment in MSP. If this is the case, written notice with next steps will be mailed to you.
Children are no longer eligible for coverage as dependents when they:
When a family member passes away, it is not usually necessary to notify MSP. When a person dies in B.C., MSP's records are updated automatically. However, if the family member passed away outside B.C. or more than 60 days have elapsed and there is reason to believe MSP's records have not been updated, please contact MSP.
Absence from British ColumbiaFor information on your eligibility for MSP coverage and benefit entitlements while you are temporarily away from B.C., see Leaving B.C. Cancelling Your CoverageIf you will no longer be a resident of B.C., you must notify MSP of the date of your departure and your new address; otherwise, premium billing may continue. If possible, use one of MSP's online Address Change Forms. Also see Permanent Move from B.C. (Note: failure to pay premiums does not constitute notification to cancel your coverage.)
Although enrolment in MSP is mandatory, it is possible for adults (but not minor children) to formally opt out of MSP coverage by completing an Election to Opt Out statement. B.C. residents who opt out are responsible for the payment of all medical, hospital and other health care services received during the 12 month opt out period. An Election to Opt Out form must be completed each year. Residents cannot opt out retroactively in order to eliminate an outstanding premium debt; any outstanding amount is a debt owed to the province and is collectable under law. For details, see Information About Opting Out of Ministry of Health Programs (PDF 156K). To obtain an Election to Opt Out form, contact MSP. If you are considering opting out because of financial difficulties, see Premium Assistance.
First Nations and Inuit ResidentsBasic Medical Coverage If you require an application for enrolment, see Medical Services Plan (MSP) Enrolment Application. If you need to make a change to your account, such as adding or deleting a family member (spouse or child with status), see Medical Services Plan (MSP) Change Request. For addition of a newborn see Baby Enrolment/Addition of a Newborn. If you have a non-status family member who needs to obtain coverage, contact MSP directly. Each person who is enrolled with MSP is issued a BC Services Card with a unique Personal Health Number that you present when health care services are required. It may be necessary to visit an Insurance Corporation of BC (ICBC) driver licensing office (DLO) to complete enrolment in MSP. If this is the case, written notice with next steps will be mailed to you. Non-insured Health Benefits and Items First Nations and Inuit Health Branch
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