What’s the Best Health Insurance in Nova Scotia?

Health insurance in Nova Scotia 101

What’s covered by the government: Nova Scotia’s Medical Services Insurance (MSI) covers medically required physicians’ services, hospital care, and complete obstetric care. The provincial health plan also covers basic dental and vision care for children and seniors. Nova Scotia Pharmacare helps to cover the cost of prescription drugs for all Nova Scotians with a valid MSI health care, with deductibles, maximums, and co-pays based on household income. 

What’s not: Most dental and vision services for adults aren’t covered, along with mental health and paramedical services (e.g. chiropractor, naturopath, osteopath, or massage therapist) for all ages. The provincial plan also doesn’t cover the majority of medical equipment, such as hearing aids and diabetic supplies. If you or your family need coverage for these services, you will need to purchase private health insurance. 

What’s the best health insurance in Nova Scotia?

Our team identified the best health insurance in Nova Scotia by evaluating 65 products from 9 insurers in 3 categories:

• Customer service averages the scores given in real customer reviews on Google, the Better Business Bureau, Trustpilot, and Insureye.
• Financial stability reports the grade given by reputable credit rating agencies A.M. Best, Morningstar DBRS, and S&P Global.
• Value for money measures how much coverage you can claim in return for every dollar paid in co-payments, premiums, and deductibles.

1. Guaranteed Issue Classic from PolicyMe

Why it’s the best: The Guaranteed Issue Classic plan from PolicyMe offers a high level of coverage — including some of the most generous reimbursement options for dental care, paramedical services, and mental health care — at a competitive price. With less robust benefits in areas that Nova Scotia’s provincial plan already does well, such as prescription drug coverage, it’s a great fit for shoppers seeking to supplement their public health insurance without overpaying for redundant coverage. 

The Guaranteed Issue Classic plan doesn’t require a medical exam for approval, and it grows with you: after your first year, you’ll get increased benefits for dental services and medical equipment. 

Premiums start around $120/month for adults aged 18-44 in Nova Scotia.

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2. Freedom to Choose Select Elite from Canada Life

Why we chose it: If you’re willing to pay extra for more robust coverage, the Select Elite plan from Canada Life is a great example of a premium health and dental plan. It offers excellent coverage across all areas, including generous allowances for prescription drugs, major dental care, and paramedical services. You can also opt out of the policy’s dental plan if you’re comfortable with the coverage you get through MSI. 

Premiums start around $176/month for adults aged 21-44 in Nova Scotia. 

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3. ZONE 1 (Elementary) from GreenShield

Why we chose it: If you’re looking for the cheapest private health insurance in Nova Scotia, this may be it. The trade-off: it’s a fairly bare-bones policy, with no coverage for prescription drugs or dental care. However, this plan does offer coverage for mental health care, paramedical expenses like physiotherapy, and medical equipment, as well as simple vision care. 

Premiums start around $39/month for adults aged 18-44 in Nova Scotia. 

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Want cheap coverage with higher benefits?

For a cheap health insurance plan that offers more than the bare minimum, consider PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Economic plan, which includes drug and dental coverage with less coverage for medical equipment.

What’s the best health insurance for seniors in Nova Scotia?

Seniors aged 65 and older in Nova Scotia receive fewer benefits through the provincial health plan than in many other provinces. The primary benefit extended to seniors through MSI is routine vision care, leaving other medical expenses — especially paramedical services and medical equipment — uncovered. 

For seniors in Nova Scotia, the best private health insurance plans address these key gaps with excellent coverage for paramedical services and medical equipment. Any of the plans recommended above may be a good fit for Nova Scotia seniors, as well as: 

• GMS ExtendaPlan: Dental and drug coverage are optional on this plan, which provides generous coverage for a wide range of medical equipment and services seniors may rely on, such as oxygen equipment ($500/year per person) and diabetic supplies ($300/year per person). Premiums start at $31/month for seniors in Nova Scotia, or $87.25/month with dental benefits included. 
• GreenShield ZONE 3 (Basic): Prescription drug coverage isn’t included, but the ZONE 3 plan offers robust coverage for medical equipment, paramedical services, diagnostics, and vision care. Premiums start at $96/month for seniors in Nova Scotia. 

If you’re shopping for health insurance with specific healthcare needs in mind, be careful to look for any exclusions, waiting periods, or out-of-pocket maximums that could make it difficult to access your coverage as soon as you need it. 

Methodology

There are many points to consider when choosing a health plan and provider, which we boiled down to three essentials:

Because the Canadian insurance industry is so highly regulated, we take each company's Financial Stability score as a given. Our rankings are based on each company's Customer Service score plus the Value for Money score of its highest-rated plan in the relevant category.

How much does health insurance in Nova Scotia cost?

The cost of health insurance in Nova Scotia depends on the plan you select as well as your age. The table below compares average premiums for the three health insurance plans we’ve highlighted above. 

Data from Statistics Canada show that Nova Scotia households spent an average of $2,782 in 2023 on out-of-pocket medical expenses not included under provincial health insurance coverage. By opting for PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue Classic plan, Nova Scotians could have saved an average of $1,422/year in routine medical spending. 

^{* Prices reflect the approximate costs for residents in the relevant age group in Nova Scotia. They were last updated October 20th, 2025.}

What does Nova Scotia Medical Service Insurance cover?

Nova Scotia’s Medical Service Insurance (MSI), administered by Medavie Blue Cross on behalf of the Department of Health and Wellness, focuses on coverage of medically necessary services, particularly those performed by physicians and/or in a hospital setting: 

In addition, hospital insurance covers a wide range of medically necessary inpatient and outpatient services at Nova Scotia hospitals, including prescription drugs, nursing services, diagnostics, and standard hospital accommodations. 

Nova Scotia also provides partial coverage for prescription drugs through Nova Scotia Pharmacare, a cluster of six programs for seniors, families, cancer patients, palliative care patients, Department of Community Services clients, and patients taking biologic medications. For more information about these and other public insurance programs, see the table below. 

The province also extends additional benefits to low-income households: 

Nova Scotia’s health insurance offerings are generous compared to some other provinces, but significant gaps still exist. Paramedical services, most dental and vision services for adults, and mental health services for everyone aren’t covered through provincial programs. Those without access to a group health benefits plan — retirees, self-employed Canadians, and anyone between jobs — may need to supplement their provincial coverage with a private health insurance plan. 

How to find the best health insurance for you

No private health insurance plan will meet the needs of every resident of Nova Scotia. Everyone’s medical needs, budget, and priorities are different. That’s why it’s worth taking the time to evaluate your needs and identify the plan with the best fit for your family: 

1. Take stock of your existing coverage: Are you taking full advantage of your MSI health benefits? Do you or your spouse receive health coverage through an employer? Review your eligibility for all government and employer-sponsored coverage before buying more. 
2. Add up your current medical spending: How much did you spend out of pocket in the past year on medical expenses not covered by insurance. Think about dental bills, prescription drug costs, medical equipment, and visits to paramedical professionals such as a podiatrist, chiropractor, or mental health specialist. 
3. Divide by 12 to find your coverage gap: Once you’ve totaled all of your out-of-pocket healthcare expenses, divide the resulting sum by 12 to find out how much you’re spending each month. That’s your coverage gap — and the maximum you should spend on private health insurance. 
4. Research health insurance plans: Our picks may give you a good starting place to compare private health insurance plans in Nova Scotia, but don’t forget to talk to friends and family about their coverage. Look for plans with good coverage in the areas that matter most to you. 
5. Request quotes and calculate your savings: Once you’ve found a few plans that meet your needs, request health insurance quotes from each company. Compare each quote to the monthly coverage gap you calculated earlier — if the premium is higher than what you’re currently spending, it’s probably not a good fit. 

When you settle on a plan that has the right coverage at the right price, all that’s left to do is submit an application. Many Canadian health insurance plans, including PolicyMe’s Guaranteed Issue plans, offer guaranteed acceptance with no medical questionnaire or exam. If you choose a plan with full underwriting, be prepared to answer questions about your health and undergo an in-person exam, if necessary. 

FAQs: Best health insurance in Nova Scotia

Prices listed on this page are based on information available as of October 2025. The prices shown are for general reference only and may vary based on factors like your age, location, and product selection.