How to file an access to information request
The Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the protection of personal information (CQLR, chapter A-2.1), (referred to below as the Access Act) determines the principles applicable for accessing administrative documents and personal information held by RAMQ concerning individuals (as opposed to corporations). The documents and information are accessible, subject to the restrictions set out in the Québec Health Insurance Act (CQLR, chapter A-29) and in the Access Act.
RAMQ makes available various information services (online, telephone and in writing) on the public health insurance and prescription drug insurance plans, among others. However, RAMQ does not hold medical records. To obtain your medical record, you have to contact the healthcare facility where you went to.
Accessing a personal document or information or correcting personal information
Requests for access to administrative documents may be submitted orally or in writing, while a request to have access to personal information or to have it corrected must be done in writing. For such requests, contact:
Mélissa Plamondon
Person in Charge of Access to Documents and the Protection of Personal Information
Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec
Édifice Claude-Castonguay
1125, Grande Allée Ouest, 8e étage
Québec (Québec) G1S 1E7
Telephone: 418 682-5171
Fax: 418 266-3395
For other information concerning, for instance, the Health Insurance Plan, Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan, as well as the renewal, loss or theft of your Health Insurance Card, please contact our client service.
Procedure to file a request
Before submitting your access to information request, please refer to the decisions and documents that RAMQ has already released in response to previous access to information requests (French only). The document that you are looking for might be included.
To ensure proper processing of your request for access to an administrative document, be sure to specify the following:
- the title of the document that you wish to obtain or a brief description that allows us to identify and retrieve it
- your last and first names, as well as your contact information
If you wish, you can use our model Request for Access to Documents.
RAMQ has a document classification scheme (French only) that you may consult. This will assist you in knowing what information RAMQ keeps.
To ensure proper processing of your request for access to personal information or request to have personal information corrected, be sure to specify the following:
- a description of the information sought or the personal information to be corrected
- the time period covered by your request
- any information that allows us to identify you, such as your Health Insurance Number, your social insurance number, your date of birth, and the name of your parents
- your last and first names, as well as your contact information
You can use the following model letters:
To obtain the Health Insurance Number of a deceased person (for other information, the procedure may vary), you must be:
- the holder of parental authority
- an heir or a successor
- the liquidator of a succession, or
- the beneficiary of life insurance or of a death benefit
Submit your request in writing and include all the following information:
- the name of the deceased person
- the information you seek, that is, the Health Insurance Number
- any information that enables us to identify the deceased person (social insurance number, date of birth or name of the person’s parents, for example)
- your first and last names, and contact information
- a copy of the death certificate from the Directeur de l’état civil
Also, attach the following documents to your request, as the case may be:
- the will of the deceased person, if applicable, along with the the certificate confirming the results of the search made in the Registres des dispositions testamentaires et des mandats de la Chambre des notaires du Québec, and the certificate confirming the results of the search made in the Registres des testaments et mandats du Barreau du Québec. These documents are necessary to ascertain the existence and validity of the will
- the marriage contract or a notarized statement confirming that you are an heir, a successor, or the liquidator of the succession if the deceased person did not leave a will
- a document confirming that you are the beneficiary of life insurance or of a death benefit, as the case may be
Processing times
RAMQ has a maximum of 20 days to reply to requests to access information and requests to correct information. An additional 10 days may apply, where necessary.
Duty of assistance
Any person who has submitted a request for access to information or rectification to us may ask for assistance in understanding our decision. Anyone who requests it can obtain simplified and accessible explanations of how the law and the access process work and are applied. However, please note that this duty of assistance does not oblige us to provide legal justification for restricting or refusing access.