Medical Services – Not Covered
Healthcare services not medically necessary are not covered by the Health Insurance Plan. Presentation of a Health Insurance Card does not entitle anyone to receive such services free of charge, regardless of the doctor provides them. You are required to pay for those services, which include:
- services rendered for cosmetic reasons;
- acupuncture;
- treatment of varicose veins by injection and the examination made at that time, in a private medical office;
- psycho-analysis (except when rendered in a facility authorized for this purpose by the Minister of Health and Social Services);
- consultations by phone, fax, email or regular mail;
- appointments for the sole purpose of having a prescription renewed;
- most laboratory services (unless provided in a hospital);
- certain highly specialized examinations when provided at other than a facility, such as ultrasound (except as part of assisted procreation activities), computer axial tomography (CAT or CT scans) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs).
If you see a doctor and undergo examinations for the sole purpose of obtaining a certificate attesting to your state of health, you are required to pay. These services are not covered because they are not related to preventing or curing an illness. They include medical visits and examinations for the purpose of:
- obtaining or renewing an insurance policy;
- starting or holding a job (unless the examination is required under a Québec law other than the Act respecting collective agreement decrees);
- being admitted to an educational institution, an association, an organization, a summer camp, a health centre, a sports club, a daycare centre or a recreational service.
Notwithstanding certain exceptions, examinations required for the administration of justice are not covered.
