New Brunswick Health Insurance and Supplementary Coverage

New Brunswick Health Insurance and Supplementary Coverage

New Brunswick residents have the right to receive basic government-funded health care. Medicare, the region’s provincial insurance plan, provides coverage for many essential health care services and treatments. 

To participate in the Medicare program, residents must register themselves and their dependents. In return, they will receive a New Brunswick Medicare card to use at doctor’s offices and hospitals. Without the card, medical professionals will bill the patient. 

That isn’t the only way to incur medical expenses. New Brunswick Medicare covers many services, but its service restrictions and limitations often leave residents with high medical costs. As a result, supplementing health care with employer-based group benefits is often necessary.

What Does New Brunswick Medicare Insurance Cover?

To receive a Medicare card and begin using provincial health care services, the applicant must meet have:

Visitors, tourists, and others who do not reside in New Brunswick for at least six months out of the year are not eligible. It’s also not enough to own property in the province—the applicant must live in the region to qualify for services. 

New Brunswick Medicare will pay for the following health care services directly to the physician or medical facility on the plan member’s behalf:

  • Most medical services by a physician in a hospital or doctor’s office
  • Some medically required dental procedures in a hospital 

When it comes to dental coverage, Medicare will not pay for standard dental work or extractions even if they occur in a hospital by a dentist. The plan may cover anesthesia. 

Medicare will cover standard hospital services if the patient must stay overnight, including:

  • Standard room accommodations and meals
  • Essential nursing services
  • Medications during the hospital stay
  • Diagnostic testing
  • Operating room and anesthesia
  • Therapy services while in a hospital, such as audiology and speech therapy

What Are the Limitations of New Brunswick Medicare?

The provincial health insurance is not all-inclusive. Several medical and hospital services will not receive coverage, including: 

  • Prescription drugs
  • Routine dental care
  • Ambulatory services
  • Annual checkups at a physician’s office
  • Exams or lab tests at the request of a third party for employment, travel, and so on
  • Paramedical services, such as massage therapy, chiropractors, podiatrists, psychologists, and private nursing
  • Eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, and contact lenses
  • Cosmetic surgery
  • Medical equipment, such as walkers and prosthetics
  • Medical advice or prescription renewal by telephone
  • Private or semi-private hospital rooms

Medically necessary immunizations may be allowable if a physician carries out the procedure. Residents can also receive assistance in obtaining essential prescription drugs under the New Brunswick Prescription Drug Plan, as long as they fall within the following eligibility criteria:

  • Over the age of 64
  • Live in a licensed adult residential facility
  • Be a minor with special needs
  • Have multiple sclerosis or cystic fibrosis

Introduction to Group Health Insurance

Learn here all the important things that you need to know about group health insurance in Canada from benefits, costs, types of coverage, faq and more

The Importance of Supplemental Health Insurance

Provincial health insurance may work for a single resident without significant health issues. However, older New Brunswick residents will likely incur health, dental, and vision care bills the government will not cover. Many people turn to their job’s group benefits to cover the services the provincial plan limits. 

Supplemental health and dental insurance give your employees an extra layer of financial and medical protection. The plans are combinable with provincial health care, giving residents better access to health care services, treatments, facilities, and supplies. 

Group benefits also allow for customizable insurance solutions to fit your company’s health and financial needs. By offering satisfactory supplemental plans that pay for services upfront, your employees will  enjoy the following benefits:

  • Prescription drug coverage
  • Access to paramedical practitioners with annual coverage expenses maxing out at $1,000 per specialist
  • Coverage for medical supplies like insulin syringes and hearing aids
  • Routine optometry services regardless of age
  • Standard dental services regardless of age

Reduce Medical Expenses With Comprehensive Group Benefits

At Group Enroll, we understand the importance of maintaining adequate health, dental, and vision insurance for employees. We partner with Canada’s major insurance agencies to help businesses find the best insurance available. 

Fill out our simple online form to receive instant quotes from multiple insurance companies today. 

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