After finding out about Dialysis at Sea, I’ve been thinking more about the possibility of overseas travel while still on hemodialysis. What would it take to visit my relatives in Canada? I made this trips many times in the past. A direct flight from LAX to YYZ (Toronto) will take ~5 hours while departing from John Wayne Airport (SNA) is more convenient but there is usually one layover in Dallas, Chicago, or New York. Canada has a very developed healthcare system so there should be plenty of dialysis clinics.
I found this list online of dialysis centers willing to take tourists. No idea if the list is current or accurate. If so, then there are several places in Toronto and one in Burlington. I know there is a Trillium Health dialysis center right in the middle of Mississauga but it’s not on the list. I guess if I was serious, I could call and find out. Most important question is cost. Canada has socialized medicine so everything is paid by the provincial government. In this case it is the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). Maybe they will charge something equivalent to our low Medicare reimbursement rates.
Actually, if I move to Canada and live there at least 5 months of the year, I can get OHIP since I have Canadian citizenship. I wonder what the minimal resident qualifications are for Medicare. Maybe I can get dialysis paid for in two countries.
Life with chronic diseases 