B.C.’s Health Minister says the province is bringing back the 90-day wait period for people who apply for MSP coverage as of today, after it was waived back in March at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adrian Dix says the wait period is meant to ensure that the healthcare system can provide services for British Columbians.

“It means people cannot just come here, and on the first day, get healthcare at the cost of everyone in B.C.,” he said. “It is a necessary rule and it ensures that people in B.C. can get adequate medical health services. Its fundamental to the way that we run our public healthcare system in B.C.”

“For practical reasons, we waived that 90-day rule at the height of the pandemic, but the 90-day rule will be put in place again as to August 1.”

In a statement, Sanctuary Health says it has opposed the three month wait period long before the pandemic.

“Since the borders have largely closed, the three month wait period will now largely target people coming to Canada in emergency situations, Canadian-born babies whose parents are ineligible for MSP, and people already in Canada who recently became eligible for MSP due to successful immigration applications,” it said.

But Dix says the changes that were made in March were always intended to be temporary in nature.

“The circumstances that led us to put these changes in place on a temporary basis are not there any longer,” he added. “The 90-day period will be reinstated but for people on temporary permits with permits that may have expired.”

“[If they] are having challenges getting them renewed at the federal levels, we are extending those changes to October 31.”

If someone living in B.C. has an expired temporary work or study permit, and they have applied for a new one, they’re able to apply to Health Insurance BC for this extended MSP coverage, provided they were previously enrolled in the MSP program as a deemed B.C. resident, and their coverage has expired.

The province is also ending MSP coverage for temporary foreign workers with permits valid for less than six months. Dix says there was ‘very little uptake’ on that type of coverage when it was brought in.

“We are already seeing the devastating impact that temporary foreign worker programs – which grant extraordinary power to employers have on workers and their health,” added the Sanctuary Health statement.

There were rallies outside Dix’s Vancouver office this week protesting the changes. Over 100 health care workers have also signed a letter to Minister Dix and Dr. Henry calling for access to healthcare services to people in the province, regardless of their eligibility for MSP coverage or their immigration status.

“The evidence is clear that the best public health policy is to ensure universal access to all essential health services,” Natalie Blair, a registered nurse who signed the letter said, in a statement. “I’m angry and confused that the government would be moving in the opposite direction in the middle of a pandemic.”

A full rundown of the changes that came into effect today can be found on the BC Government website here.