For anyone travelling out-of-country, purchasing travel insurance is a no-brainer. Your provincial or territorial health plan may cover none, or only a small part of the costs of your medical care while out-of-country. It will never pay your bills up front.

In fact the Province of Ontario says, “We recommend that you buy private health insurance before leaving Ontario to cover any uninsured services you may need.”

We’re quite sure that all other provinces would agree.

There are only 4 options when it comes to purchasing travel insurance;

1. If you’re employed, you probably have a group benefit plan. If you have a pre-existing medical condition you should contact the group insurer, let them know of your current health condition and get confirmation (preferably in writing) that you’ll be covered. I’ve asked that question many times over the years. The answer never changes. You’d be covered for anything unrelated to your medical condition.
2. Some people purchase their insurance from their travel agent. Travel agents provide coverage per trip and usually offer coverage from only provider. This does not guarantee that you’ve got the best price, nor does it assure you that you’re covered for your current medical condition. Also this type of coverage is not available for cross-border shopping trips or annual multi-trip plans.
3. Some credit cards offer travel insurance, however these often have restrictions such as age, trip length, or a maximum dollar limit and for pre-existing medical conditions. Most also say that the trip has to be paid for through the credit card.
4. Insurance brokers usually can provide quotes from more than one insurer and can design a plan for the length of your trip or for annual multi-trip plans. We can include coverage for pre-existing conditions and can also include trip cancellation, lost baggage and emergency assistance.