Is my health card still good?

**This featured case is one example of the concerns people have brought to us. Names have been changed to protect the identity of the people involved.

Orinda called us because she was having trouble renewing her health card. She had been convicted of an offence, had served time in the federal system, and was now transitioning back into the community. She wanted to see a doctor, but her health card stickers had expired while incarcerated. When she called eHealth to ask about this, she was told that her Saskatchewan health card would have been cancelled when she was admitted to a federal institution and that she would have to reapply. As part of the process, she would need to apply online and provide a birth certificate. She did not have access to a computer and did not have her birth certificate, nor the $55 to request a copy.

We contacted eHealth and learned that she had not lost her health status in Saskatchewan because she had not served her time in a penitentiary, but in lodges. All she needed were updated stickers for her health card and she could receive health services. The stickers were mailed out the same day.