Using TeleTest Without Provincial Coverage#

• TeleTest consultation fee: You pay this directly to TeleTest at checkout. The amount is the same whether you have a provincial health card or not.
• Lab tests: Without a provincial health card, the lab will charge you out of pocket at the time of collection.
• Treatment of confirmed sexually transmitted infections: Treatment as part of your original consultation is included in the TeleTest fee - no separate consultation needed for the treatment portion.
• Medication / prescription fees: You pay the pharmacy directly. Generic medications are often inexpensive; brand-name medications are more variable. See Prescriptions for how to shop for the best pharmacy price.

For approximate lab costs in Ontario, see our Cost of Blood Tests guide. BC out-of-pocket lab pricing is generally similar; call your specific lab for an exact quote.

The health-card field at registration is optional. If you don't have a health card, leave the field blank and continue with registration. You can still:

• Choose any test or treatment panel on teletest.ca.
• Complete your intake.
• Receive a lab requisition (if appropriate based on the clinician's review).

When you visit the lab, use a different government-issued photo ID (driver's licence, passport, etc.) for identification, and pay the lab directly for the testing.

Two receipts to keep:

1. TeleTest consultation receipt. Available in the patient portal under the Billing section. Generate it after your consultation (and/or generate an insurance invoice in the same menu) and submit to your insurer.
2. Lab receipt. Request an itemized receipt from the lab at the time you pay. The receipt should list the specific tests performed and the amount paid. Most insurers and student health plans require an itemized receipt to reimburse.

See Payment for how to generate the TeleTest insurance invoice.

You can use TeleTest as long as you're physically in Ontario or BC for the consultation, and your lab visit and pharmacy pickup are also in Ontario or BC.

Important practical notes:

• Your out-of-province health card may or may not be accepted at the lab. Each province's reciprocal billing arrangement is different. Call the lab ahead to check, or expect to pay out of pocket and submit a receipt to your home province for reimbursement.
• Leave the OHIP / BC Services Card field blank at registration if you don't have one of those specifically.
• Prescriptions issued by TeleTest can only be filled at pharmacies in Ontario or BC.

You can use TeleTest the same way as any other patient. Pay TeleTest at checkout, pay the lab out of pocket at the time of collection, and submit both receipts to UHIP (or your student insurer) for reimbursement.

UHIP and similar student plans typically reimburse:

• The lab fee (with an itemized lab receipt).
• The TeleTest consultation fee (with the insurance invoice from your portal).
• The pharmacy fee (with the pharmacy receipt).

Reimbursement varies by plan - check your specific student-health-plan terms before assuming full coverage.

Yes. If you're physically in Ontario or BC at the time of your consultation, TeleTest can issue a prescription on the same terms as any other patient. The prescription is faxed directly to the pharmacy of your choice in Ontario or BC, and you pick it up locally. You pay the pharmacy at the counter.

• Pharmacy choice: any pharmacy in Ontario or BC - chain (Shoppers Drug Mart, Rexall, Pharmasave, London Drugs, Costco, etc.) or independent. See Prescriptions for guidance on shopping for the best price.
• You pay the pharmacy directly for the medication. Your US health insurance won't bill the Canadian pharmacy.
• What we cannot do: we cannot send prescriptions to US pharmacies. The prescription has to be filled in Ontario or BC.

You can use TeleTest if you're physically in Ontario or BC at the time of your consultation. The full flow:

• Consultation: complete your intake and pay TeleTest at checkout. The consultation happens while you're in Ontario or BC.
• Lab visit: the requisition is faxed to a lab in Ontario or BC. You'll pay the lab directly at the time of collection (your US insurance doesn't bill the Canadian lab).
• Prescriptions: any prescription we issue can only be filled at a pharmacy in Ontario or BC. We cannot send prescriptions to US pharmacies.

Reimbursement options:

• US travel insurance: many travel-insurance policies reimburse out-of-pocket virtual care, lab work, and prescription medication. Save the TeleTest insurance invoice (Billing tab in your portal), the itemized lab receipt, and the pharmacy receipt.
• US-employer health plan: some US employer plans reimburse out-of-area / international care, especially for telemedicine. Check your plan's "out-of-area" or "international care" benefits.
• HSA / FSA (US): Health Savings Accounts and Flexible Spending Accounts often accept Canadian medical receipts for qualified expenses.

If you'll be back in the US before your results are ready, that's fine - you can access your patient portal from anywhere, and any follow-up by secure message works from outside Canada.

You can use TeleTest if you're physically in Ontario or BC at the time of the consultation. You'll pay TeleTest, the lab, and the pharmacy out of pocket.

Reimbursement: check your home-country health insurance or travel-insurance policy. Many international travel-insurance policies cover out-of-country virtual care, lab work, and prescription medication - keep the TeleTest insurance invoice (Billing tab), the itemized lab receipt, and any pharmacy receipts.

Prescriptions issued by TeleTest can only be filled at pharmacies in Ontario or BC, not at pharmacies outside Canada.

Several federal programs provide health coverage outside the provincial system:

• Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Health Services - active CAF members.
• RCMP Health Services Program - active RCMP officers.
• Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) health benefits - eligible veterans.
• Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) - First Nations and Inuit patients (administered by Indigenous Services Canada).

You can use TeleTest the same as any other patient - pay at checkout, complete your intake, visit a lab in Ontario or BC, and pick up any prescriptions at an Ontario / BC pharmacy.

For reimbursement: save the TeleTest insurance invoice (Billing tab in your portal), the itemized lab receipt, and pharmacy receipts. Each federal program has its own reimbursement process and eligibility criteria for virtual-care consultations, lab work, and medications - check with your program's claims office for what's reimbursable in your specific case.

For NIHB patients specifically: some labs and pharmacies bill NIHB directly at the point of care. Ask the lab and pharmacy whether they have direct-billing arrangements - this can reduce or eliminate your out-of-pocket cost.

Some provinces have a waiting period before new permanent residents become eligible for provincial coverage (Ontario has a 3-month wait; BC has a similar waiting period). During the wait, you can use TeleTest and pay the lab out of pocket, the same as any uninsured patient. Once your provincial coverage is active, you can update your account with the new health card number.

If you have interim private insurance during the waiting period (some employers, settlement agencies, or universities provide this), check the plan terms for reimbursement.

The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides health coverage for refugees, refugee claimants, and protected persons in Canada. IFHP coverage is not currently integrated with TeleTest, so you'd pay out of pocket for both the consultation and the lab work and seek reimbursement through your IFHP claim process if applicable.

For coverage that fully bills your provincial plan / IFHP at the point of care, a community health centre or walk-in clinic that accepts IFHP may be a better fit.

If cost is a barrier, consider these no-cost or lower-cost options:

• Community health centres (CHCs) in Ontario and BC offer free or low-cost primary care and lab work to uninsured patients. Search for your nearest CHC online.
• Public-health unit STI clinics offer free STI testing and treatment in most Ontario and BC public-health regions.
• Hospital emergency departments will see and stabilize anyone regardless of insurance status (though not for non-urgent concerns).

TeleTest is a good fit when you can pay out of pocket but want the convenience and privacy of virtual care. It's not the cheapest option if cost is a deciding factor.

No. TeleTest's clinicians are licensed in Ontario and BC only. We don't operate in other provinces, the United States, or internationally. To use TeleTest you must be physically in Ontario or BC at the time of your consultation, and your lab and pharmacy must also be in one of those provinces.

You can - as long as you can travel to Ontario for the consultation, lab visit, and pharmacy pickup. The consultation itself must happen while you're physically in Ontario or BC.

On each test panel page, individual tests that are uninsured under provincial plans are marked with a $ symbol. If you don't have a provincial health card, all tests are effectively uninsured for you and you'd pay the lab directly for all of them.

See Tests and Lab Requisitions for more on insured vs. uninsured testing.