If you are a resident of Quebec, you are required by law to have either public or private health insurance to receive services, including prescription medication coverage.
Public health insurance is managed by la Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec or RAMQ, for short. RAMQ’s public health plan is also known as the Public Prescription Drug Insurance Plan.
The RAMQ provides coverage to Quebec residents who do not have access to a private health insurance plan. This includes people who are:
- Not eligible for a private plan (for example, self-employed workers)
- Age 65 or over not enrolled in a private plan
- Recipients of financial assistance and holders of a claim slip (carnet de réclamation)
- Children of people covered by the public plan
Private health insurance refers to any form of insurance coverage purchased by a person or provided by the employer from a private insurance company rather than or in addition to coverage funded by Quebec’s provincial government.
What’s Covered
RAMQ covers basic medical costs;
- Prescription Drugs: You pay a deductible and coinsurance amount. Once you reach the maximum monthly contribution all remaining expenses that month are covered by RAMQ.
- Ambulance: Covered for in-province land and air ambulance when medically necessary if you are 65 years or older, injured in a road or work accident or transported between two clinics.
- Dental: Covered for some in-hospital dental surgeries depending on your age. Children 10 and younger are also covered for routine services and one examination per year.
- Vision: Covered for eye exams if under 18 years old or 65 years and older.
- Services in Public Hospitals: All Covered
- Medical Supplies: Partial Coverage
- Out of Country Medical Services: Partial Coverage
What’s Not Covered
- Physiotherapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, osteopathy, etc.
- Dental care
- Vision care
- Cosmetic procedures
- Sessions with psychologists
- Laboratory and diagnostic services such as blood work, MRI and CT scans (except those performed in hospitals)
- Bandages, splints and other medical supplies.
- Treatment of varicose veins by injection in a private medical office
- Paramedical Services
- Services in Private Hospitals
Eligibility Requirements
- People without access to a private plan
- Children under age 18 living in Quebec with parents do not have access to a private plan
- Children under age 18 temporarily residing in Quebec for more than six (6) months
- People age 65 and over who have not joined a private plan
- Recipients of last-resort financial assistance and certain other holders of claim slips (carnet de réclamation)
How To Apply
https://www.ramq.gouv.qc.ca/en/citizens/health-insurance/register