Q: What services are covered by Medicare?

A: The following information is sourced from the Quebec Regie de l’assurance maladie web site:

The medical services covered by the Health Insurance Plan are those that are medically necessary and rendered by a general practitioner (also called a "family doctor") or a medical specialist.

• examinations;
• consultations;
• diagnostic services;
• therapeutic procedures;
• psychiatric treatments;
• surgery;
• radiology;
• anesthesia.

Q: Do I have to go to a hospital for it to be covered?

A: The following information is sourced from the Quebec Regie de l’assurance maladie web site:

The above services are covered regardless of where they are rendered, such as in:

• private medical offices;
• hospitals;
• CLSCs;
• longterm care facilities;
• rehabilitation centres;
• the patient's home.

Q: What services are not covered?

A: The following information is sourced from the Quebec Regie de l’assurance maladie web site:

The Health Insurance Plan does not cover healthcare services that are not medically necessary. Presentation of a Health Insurance Card does not entitle anyone to receive such services free of charge, regardless of who provides them. These include:

• services rendered for cosmetic reasons;
• acupuncture;
• treatment of varicose veins by injection and the preliminary examination, in a private medical office;
• psycho-analysis (unless the service is rendered in a facility authorized for this purpose by the Minister of Health and Social Services);
• consultations by phone, fax, e-mail or correspondence;
• appointments for the sole purpose of having a prescription renewed;
• most laboratory services (unless provided in a hospital);
• certain highly specialized examinations, such as ultrasound, computer assisted tomography (CAT scans) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), unless performed in a hospital.