You used to be able to go in person to the Department of Health’s office on Carleton Street in Winnipeg to get a health insurance card. Now inquiries are mostly made via email. The office is only accessible to certain people, especially those who cannot make a request by email or phone.

According to the province, the government processed more than 37,000 health insurance card applications in 2021.

Manitoba Health states that it does not collect information about the average time to process requests. However, he states that the current deadline for a new application is around eight weeks.

This can cause problems for some who face very long wait times.

Such is the case of Sabine Sohier-Handley who is Canadian and arrived in August. She still hasn’t received her card due to paperwork.

She previously lived in Manitoba prior to the pandemic. It was a lot easier back then, she said.

It used to be by post. It had been faster. Didn’t even need to reach them to find out what was going on, the service was quick and the card was received and sent in the mailShe says.

Delays in Ontario eliminated

While the wait in neighboring Manitoba is eight weeks, delays have been eliminated in response to the pandemic.

The province lifted the three-month deadline in March 2020, according to a spokesman for the Ontario Department of Health.

All new residents or those returning to Ontario are eligible for provincial health insurance upon arrival. They will be given a document allowing access to health services while waiting for their official ID to be issued.

Not easy when you need care

The delay in Manitoba can also be longer if certain documents are missing and you have to go through the process again and wait again as applications are made on a first come, first served basis.

dr Véronique Demers faces the problems that this situation entails. During prenatal aftercare, she often encounters patients who are waiting for their health insurance card. And some clinics require them to pay for their treatment.

As doctors, we know what we need to do for our patients to get them the right care, but when we’re not able or money is stopping us… There’s that feeling of powerlessness of wanting anything you can but obstacles stand in your wayshe complains.

In a reply email to Radio-Canada, Manitoba Health did not indicate whether medical expenses paid by a person waiting for their health insurance card could be reimbursed. The ministry said only that you can get treatment in Manitoba with a health insurance card.

Once the customer has received their card, they can proceed to a hospital or doctor’s office for treatment, a spokesman wrote. The provider then bills Manitoba Health directly for their services.

With information from Anne-Charlotte Carignan