In Canada, we often take for granted the fact that any of our medical needs will be paid for. In many cases, however, an individual is responsible for paying some or all of their medical costs out of their own pocket. Still, this does not apply to the majority of citizens in Canada, whether receiving health care in a hospital or at home.

Actually, that can be a very important point when it comes to the decision of whether to have your health concerns dealt with in a hospital or within the comforts of your own home. Many people think that they have to be in a recognized health care facility in order to receive full or partial funding, but this is not always the case.

Government bodies are increasingly recognizing the benefits of home health care both to the health care system and to the patient. Therefore, most have set out a series of criterion by which an individual can determine whether or not he or she qualifies for funding which will offset or eliminate the costs of home health care.

Because the universal health care program in Canada is administered by the provinces, rather than by the federal government, funding for home health care will be dependent on your location. Each province has its own set of criteria when it comes to determining whether or not a patient qualifies for funding when they decide to address their health needs in their home. In addition, each province has its own method of dealing with inquiries such as Community Care Access Centres in Ontario.

In Nova Scotia, the Department of Continuing Care will be the place to turn in order to determine if your home health care program will be government funded; in New Brunswick it is the Department of Family and Community Services. The two westernmost provinces have regional health departments that handle area specific inquiries.

As you may have guessed from this information, there is no one size fits all answer when it comes to determining whether or not you qualify for funding of home health care. No province carries their programs out under the same name, although in most cases you can start at the top by contacting the Ministry of Health in your Province and working your way down from there. In addition, each province will have different standards as to what qualifies a person for funding, so what is deemed legitimate in one may not be in another.

If you are not successful in your bid for government funding, do not despair. Alternative sources of funding may be available through your work and even through some private organizations.