You need a PEI Health Card to use services at hospitals and other public health care facilities in Prince Edward Island without being charged. Pharmacists also use your health card to record your medications in the PEI Drug Information System.
For eligibility criteria, please see Apply for a Health Card.
Having a health card does not put you on the list to get a family doctor or nurse practitioner in PEI.
You must register separately for this. See Find a Family Doctor or Nurse Practitioner for more information.
Your health card contains your eight-digit Personal Health Number (health card number), your name, birth date, gender, address, and the card expiry date. If you opt to include organ and tissue donation information and your preferred language for medical services, it will include that as well.
If you temporarily leave PEI for travel, study, or work, your PEI Health Card will cover you for emergency or sudden-illness health care services.
Notify PEI Medicare if your absence will exceed one month to help avoid any delay in payment for an out-of-province service. Provide your departure and return dates, destination, and reason for absence. For example, an extended winter vacation or a sabbatical leave.
Please purchase private insurance for health coverage while outside Canada. The cost for medical services outside Canada may be considerably higher and you will be required to pay medical costs upfront.
You will be reimbursed at PEI rates in Canadian currency; however, you will be responsible to pay the difference between the amount charged and the amount paid by PEI Medicare.
Submit your detailed invoice and proof of payment to PEI Medicare within six months of the date of service.
Island students who will be studying outside of the province must notify PEI Medicare of their plans at the beginning of each school year to ensure appropriate medical coverage.
If you will be studying within Canada, you will be insured for emergency health services or sudden illness care including visits to an emergency department or walk-in clinic for a sudden or life-threatening illness and being admitted to hospital for an emergency procedure or treatment.
Non-emergency care such as elective surgeries and treatments, or treatment for a chronic condition or ailment requires prior approval from Health PEI for the service to be insured.
If PEI is your primary residence and your job requires you to live and work out-of-province or outside of Canada for an extended period of time, you must notify PEI Medicare to ensure you have appropriate medical coverage.
If you move to another Canadian province or territory you will remain eligible for PEI health coverage until the first day of the third month when you become eligible for coverage in your new province.
Please register in your new province of residence within 30 days of moving to ensure uninterrupted health coverage.
If you leave Canada permanently your coverage will be terminated the day you leave PEI.
Call PEI Medicare at 1-800-321-5492.
If your name has changed or if you have received a card with incorrect information, you will not be charged for a replacement card.
Please confirm your information has been updated the next time you provide your health card at a Health PEI program or facility.
c/o Health PEI
126 Douses Road
Montague, PE C0A 1R0
