Marrying an American
Posted date : Nov 6, 2017.
Dear Bird Talk,
I read with interest the letter in your fall issue from the Canadian lady marrying an American gentleman.
My question deals with: what kind of “rights” or “provisions” does one of the unmarried partners, have, should the Canadian fall ill in his/her own country or vice versa, for the other partner to stay with said partner in either Canada or the U.S. for the duration of care? This can be a knotty problem for those of us who are aging, as you can imagine.
I, too, am a longtime CSA member and cannot imagine doing without all the valuable information in each CSANews magazine!
Patricia H.
Richmond, BC
Response:
Ed: We have generally found that both the Canadian and U.S. governments are very accommodating when there is a serious illness in a cross-border family. Our most recent example was the Ontario Health Insurance Plan giving several extensions to a Canadian who had a terminally ill spouse in the United States. The U.S. allowed a special visit extension, and Medipac extended travel insurance coverage for almost two years. Lots of paperwork, but extremely helpful people at all levels. My guess is that B.C. would also be very accommodating in a similar situation.
