Have a questionable medical condition-- asymptomatic at this point-should I get ill while vacationing in Nova Scotia what is state of healthcare there and how does American Healthcare work there? And don't tell me to stay home--as am weighing all options at this point. Just need good info. H

>>>>>>what is state of healthcare there<<<<<<

It's fine. It's not the Mayo Clinic, but it is First World rather than Third World.

>>>>>>how does American Healthcare work there?<<<<<<

First of all, find out if your current health care insurance plan covers you for Canada. If it does not, take out supplementary health care insurance to cover you for your trip.

One wrinkle to look out for is that several travel insurance plans do not cover pre-existing medical conditions, so it would be prudent to find one that does.

Another wrinkle to be aware of is that many medical insurance plans expect you to pay for the medical treatment in Canada up front and then submit receipts for reimbursement later. But Canadian hospitals do accept credit cards. The other thing I've heard is that, if the costs get high, in the many thousands of dollars, Canadian hospitals are fairly reasonable about working out a payment schedule with the patient. I don't have experience of that, since I live here and am covered by my provincial health care insurance plan, but it's something that I've heard.

American Healthcare doesn't work there. I'd advise getting out of country insurance before leaving home.
As for the quality of healthcare, it is excellent.

Oh dear LOrd--leaving in three days and now this?? Will check with my Healthcare tonight and see what is up--United Healthcare.

To obtain out of country health care is fairly quick and can be obtained at many places. IT shouldn't be difficult. What may be difficult, as Judy says, is finding one that will cover pre-existing illnesses.

I'm curious to know what you usually do when you go away. Do you not get out of country insurance? Did you think American Healthcare would work in Canada?
I believe most countries do not share their health care plans with other countries.
Good luck ..

This is sort of a last minute trip combined with a possible "new" illness which has yet to truly manifest itself. I am hoping I can do this wonderful trip symptom free and come home and deal with whatever has to be dealt with. Normally well before planned trips I do have trip insurance so have never had this last minute frenzy! This is a kidney related illness. Just trying to be prepared. H

Any travel health insurance policy that I have read excludes pre-existing conditions. It's along the same lines of why it's too late to get fire insurance once your house is on fire! I would read the exclusions very carefully and then consider if you can deal with them. On the bright side medical costs in Canada are generally less than in the US.

Reeder, good luck and I hope the trip goes well.
IF you haven't seen a doctor about this possible illness, it probably wouldn't be considered pre-existing... but I'm not really sure about that.
Better to check.

Where are you planning on traveling in Nova Scotia? Some areas, such as Cape Breton, do not have large hospitals, more like clinics. And sometimes, they do close emergency rooms here for a couple of days due to the shortage of doctors to staff them. All of the large, and best hospitals, are located in Halifax.

Halifax has major hospitals. Sydney located in Cape Breton also has "The Regional" ( I think that's what they call it). But, if I cld choose ( usually you don't have that option) b/t being seriously sick in Sydney or Halifax I wld choose Halifax. Or, get on a plane & high-tail it to Toronto( about a 2 hr flight from Halifax).

Canada not only has First World medical care, but by some indicators, has better care than the U.S. Our life expectancy rates and infant mortality rates are better than those in the U.S. (Source: World Health Organization)

I believe I can offer some insight here, as my spouse and I each had emergency care during travel -- once in Pennsylvania (north of Allentown) and once in Nova Scotia (Port Hawkesby). We each had symptoms that had us worried we were having serious cardio problems (it turned out neither of us had real problems, but you don't just ignore sudden, intense chest pain when you have a family history of heart disease!)

Anyway, in both the U.S. and Canada we had rapid access to emergency diagnosis. But, in Canada, we would not have had access to a doctor unless a medical emergency was positively confirmed. We were told we could (1) wait till the doctor arrived at the medical center in about four hours or (2) ride an ambulance for thirty minutes to the nearest hospital (in New Glascow).

Blue Cross covered our expenses in both cases BUT, as noted above, we had to pay our Canadian hospital in advance (they gladly accepted MasterCard) and then get reimbursed. I seriously doubt ANY American health plan would do otherwise.

On the other hand, actual billed costs were far lower in Canada -- about 80% lower. We didn't have to max out any credit cards to pay our bills.

I don't want to start a discussion on the relative MERITS of each place's medical system, but be aware of the DIFFERENCES for Americans:
1) in Nova Scotia, direct physician emergency care will be harder to come by.
2) your bill will be lower in Canada.
3) even with the BEST U.S. health plan, you'll have to pay upfront and then get reimbursed.