Although the Alberta government has included snowbirds as a group that will benefit from a recently announced extension of the time Albertans can spend vacationing outside the province and still receive health-care coverage, Maxine Johnston isn't impressed.
The province announced in December that Albertans who take long vacations or winter in the southern U.S. can now be out of the country for 212 daysó or seven monthsó and still receive provincial health-care coverage as long as they have not established permanent residency outside Alberta.
The previous out-of-country limit was 182 days.
But Johnston, 72, who lives in Sundre and spends half the year in the Yuma area of Arizona for the warm weather and never-ending golf, said since Canadians can only spend six months vacationing in the U.S., adding an extra month doesn't help U.S.-bound snowbirds.
"It doesn't make a bit of difference because we still have to buy insurance,î Johnston said during a telephone interview from Arizona.
Legislation is before U.S. lawmakers that would, if passed, allow Canadians over a certain age to spend eight months in the U.S., but it has not yet been passed.
Johnston added, however, the provincial government's out-of-country extension will benefit people who travel to other countries for long periods of time.
"It's great for people that are down here for the 182 days and then go home and want to go to Europe for a couple of weeks,î she said.
Johnston said she is more concerned with having to deal with companies that provide insurance for Canadians heading south for the winter.
This is the eighth year she has wintered in Arizona and she usually pays $1,600 for health-care insurance while in the U.S.
While Johnston found a bargain for insurance this year at $1,300, she knows of other people who are not as healthy as she is who have to pay $3,000 a year.
She also said it doesn't matter that Albertans who vacation during the winter in the U.S. are spending their money outside the province since they still pay provincial property-related taxes.
Johnston added the provincial government should ensure health-care coverage for Albertans who take long vacations year-round.
"My thoughts on it are they should cover us wherever we go. We live in Alberta. Alberta is our home. But it doesn't work that way,î she said.
The extension on the time Albertans can vacation out of the province and still receive health-care coverage took effect last month and applies to those people who have already left for the winter.
The province has stated in a media release the extension brings Alberta in line with other provinces offering health-care coverage for people gone for more than six months such as British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador, which has an out-of-country limit of 240 days or eight months.
The Canadian Snowbird Association has stated in a media release that it worked with its members and the Alberta government to bring about the extra month of coverage for long-term travellers following a 2012 survey that asked the association's Alberta members if they wanted the extension.
"The positive response to this survey was overwhelming as over 97 per cent of respondents answered yes,î the association stated.
Albertans who plan to be out of the province for long periods need to contact Alberta Health each year before leaving on vacation to ensure their provincial health-care coverage remains current.
