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CareCard
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:Care Card
n. — British Columbia, Administration
an identification card proving eligibility for government-provided medical insurance.
Type: 5. Frequency — From the late 1980s to the mid-2010 (see the 2013 quotation),
CareCard was the name for the medical health card in BC, which is still widely in use today (see Chart 1). The most widely-used name for such cards in Canada is health card.
Quotations
1989
The ministry of health is spending $3 million this year to issue new plastic medical cards to all British Columbians, replacing the paper Medical Services Plan cards now in use.
Beginning July 31, every man, woman and child in B.C. will be issued their own "CareCard," complete with a magnetic stripe and embossed numbers like a bank card.
Senior citizens will get a special gold card that will replace both their MSP card and their green-and-white Pharmacare card. It will become an I.D. card for seniors that can be used for seniors' discounts.
1995
I showed my CareCard to my family doctor and she examined my daughter. I showed it to the neurologist and he examined her. I showed it to the technician and she was given a CAT scan and an MRI. Next week, I will show it to the neurosurgeon and my daughter will have the benefit of his expertise.
2004
Inside was $1,400 in cash, two Visa cards, half a dozen bank cards, her Care Card, permanent residency card and her social insurance card.
2013
Most people will be asked to replace their CareCards the next time their driver's licence expires, the government said.
Those who don't drive have five years to seek a replacement. The new cards are mandatory, except for certain seniors or children.
The CareCard indicates the holder is enrolled in the Medical Services Plan and this entitles people to receive publicly paid hospital treatment, as well as subsidized coverage for ambulance service and prescription drugs. The new card will no longer be called a CareCard, but a BC Services Card. People will also have the option of combining their CareCard and driver's licence into a new single BC Services Card, or keeping the two pieces of identification separate.
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