News Release Archive

HEALTH--REMEMBER TO RENEW YOUR HEALTH CARD
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Renewing your card is an important step to ensure continuous
health coverage. A health card must be presented every time a
provincial health program is used, and it is the responsibility
of the individual, not the physician, to ensure the card is
up-to-date.

Approximately 20,000 health cards are now due for renewal each
month. A renewal notice is sent out three months prior to the
expiry date, which is clearly embossed on the front of each card.
The information on the renewal notice must be verified and the
notice must be returned promptly to Nova Scotia Medical Services
Insurance (MSI). Anyone using an expired health card, may be
asked to pay for the service rendered.

Health card renewal helps to keep important information
up-to-date to support appropriate program planning and reduce the
risk of fraud.

Posters have been sent to physicians' offices and hospitals to
remind the public to keep their health cards up-to-date. And
between renewals, any address change should be immediately sent
to Nova Scotia Medical Services Insurance (MSI), P.O. Box 500,
Halifax, N.S., B3J 2S1.

The new health card was introduced in 1994 and the first round of
renewal dates is staggered over four years until 1999. The cards
will be renewed again every four years following the first round
of current renewals.

In addition, anyone who wants to donate organs can now have the
information recorded on the Nova Scotia health card. The health
cards of Nova Scotians who wish to be organ donors are issued
with the word "Donor" embossed on the front.

The organ donation section of the health card renewal notice
should be filled out if the cardholder wishes to be an organ
donor.

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Contact: Lori MacLean  902-424-5025

trp                    June 12, 1996 - 11:30 a.m.