
Why You Need Travel Insurance Going Outside of Canada
If you want to travel outside of Canada, even for a single day in the United States, you should purchase travel health insurance before you leave.
If you’re flying, ensure you have trip interruption, lost baggage, and document replacement insurance. If you’re driving, be sure you have both driver and car insurance in case of an accident.
Why You Should Buy Travel Health Insurance
Travel health insurance helps protect you from unexpected, unplanned medical expenses â including accidents, illnesses, and injuries â when you are outside your home country.
Travel health insurance helps provide access to immediate, high-quality medical care and essential prescription medication, which can be costly. It also helps to cover things like an ambulance or other transportation to get you to a medical facility, hospital or doctor, and the services of interpreters if you require them.
In addition, many travel health insurance plans also offer coverage for psychological treatment and rehabilitation following a traumatic incident such as a motor vehicle accident.
Other Essential Reasons to Get Travel Insurance:
- Your Canadian health insurance may not cover your medical expenses if you are travelling outside of Canada.
- Your provincial or territorial health plan may cover none or just a portion of the costs of your medical care in another country. It will never pay your debts in advance.
- Foreign hospitals can be exceedingly expensive, and they may request prompt payment in cash.
- In certain countries, hospitals and clinics will refuse to treat you if you do not have adequate insurance or funds to pay your costs.
- The Canadian government will not reimburse your medical expenditures.
What Should You Look For in Travel Insurance?
There are three key elements to look for in travel health insurance:
1. Pre-existing medical conditions should be covered
The policy should cover illnesses and diseases you had before your departure. A common practice in the travel insurance industry is to exclude preâexisting conditions of any kind. Preâexisting means medical conditions you had before your departure that may flare up, requiring medical treatment, while you are away.
2. Repatriation
In case of an accident or death, repatriation covers the cost of preparing and transporting you back to your country.
3. Emergency Evacuation
Emergency evacuation means, if necessary, transporting you by air or ground ambulance to the nearest location where adequate medical care is available.
Where Can You Get Travel Insurance?
Your travel agent can arrange a policy for you before departure. You can also buy travel insurance from:
- Your travel agency
- An insurance broker
- Credit card company
Travel insurance is generally not covered by your provincial health plan. Many Canadians are covered by employment group plans through their employer.
Conclusion
Travel Insurance is a way to ensure you get the coverage you need when travelling outside of Canada. Since travel health insurance is not part of Canada’s public health care system, you may wish to consider purchasing travel health insurance to help protect yourself and your family against unexpected health-related expenses abroad.
Get your travel insurance quote with Saunders insurance! Our travel insurance policies in Taber cover both in Canada or around the world. We have a plan to meet your specific needs and protect you every time you travel. Call us today to get a quote!