Bob CollinsThe CBC has an interesting story today about the way the country’s health insurance system can create instant holes in the safety net.
Rosa Callalli, a 33-year-old Peruvian immigrant, started working in Canada on a legal visa since 2008 as a live-in caregiver. She’s pregnant now and had health insurance.
But in January, she had her visa extended to 2017, changing it to an “open working visa.”
So Ontario’s health insurance plan cancelled her coverage and she’s a month away from giving birth. That could cost about $20,000, which she needs to pay upfront.
“It’s unfair, the treatment I’m receiving,” Callalli tells the CBC. “The government takes my deductions every month, but when I need help, nobody’s there for me.”
