MSP - Are you paying too much?

I remember a few years ago when mass bills were sent out to everyone stating we were all going to be paying for MSP. In fact the bills stated we were all in arrears for the past few months and owed approximately $250 a piece.

Boooooooooo !

So always being the investigator and fighter I found this to be outrageous. First of all how could I be in arrears for something that I know I was paying for and how could it be so much?

Instead of blindly paying it as many people close to me did I called them up.

"I haven't been to see a doctor in months and I know that if you don't have a BC care card you are only charged $50 for a visit, and here you are charging me $64 a month. I also notice I'm in arrears and am threatening to be sent to collections for something I didnt know I was being billed for, I thought medical services were free in BC."

MSP Guy: " Well do you have a problem paying the outstanding amount ma'am?"

"Um yes, I cant afford to shell out almost $300 on the spot"

MSP Guy: "Let me give your our site address and you should read up on Premium Assistance"

I did. Saved myself all that dough too! Then I showed all my friends and family.

Last week a friend of mine told me she thought she might be in collections with MSP right now. I couldnt believe it as I'm pretty sure I've told her about this before, but despite that I took the time to look it up again and send the links to her. Now I will do the same for my readers.

The current premiums for MSP are:

$54 for one person
$96 for a family of two
$108 for a family of three or more

Now depending on your net income from last years taxes you may qualify for what is called Premium Assistance.

The current adjusted net income thresholds are:
$20,000 - 100 percent subsidy
$22,000 - 80 percent subsidy
$24,000 - 60 percent subsidy
$26,000 - 40 percent subsidy
$28,000 - 20 percent subsidy

There is also something called Temporary Premium Assistance that you can apply for during an unexpected financial hardship where you can receive 100% subsidy for a limited time.

I am very shocked to the amount of people who don't know about this. I have a lot of people in my life that could use this information and I've tried to pass it on to those who are interested in listening. Maybe this information does not pertain to you but it may to somebody in your life, so please pass it on.

You can find the information here and the forms to get you started here.

Hopefully this info will help somebody out.