The Health Card Number is used as the unique, lifetime identifier for health coverage in Canada.

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The main idea is that the health card number is the official, persistent identifier used by Canada’s public health system to verify coverage and track services. When you enroll in a provincial health plan, you receive a health card number that stays with you as long as you have coverage, and it’s the primary way providers and insurers identify you and link your medical records. In contrast, a Social Security Number is a US concept and is not used to access Canadian health coverage. In Canada, the closest analogue, the Social Insurance Number, is for employment and tax purposes and is not used as the health coverage identifier. Temporary IDs aren’t the standard practice, and saying it isn’t used for identification would be incorrect. So, the health card number is indeed the unique, lifetime identifier for health coverage in Canada.