Canada Visitor Insurance
If you have visitors coming, you should consider purchasing Visitors to Canada coverage, as it is specially tailored for the gaps in coverage for non-residents in provincial health coverage. The insurance will not cover pre-existing conditions that were known at the time of purchase.
The advantages include a lot of related expenses that may or may not be covered by your visitor’s own insurance policies. Over and above emergency hospital and medical, they include diagnostic services, prescription drugs, medical equipment, emergency dental, paramedic services, ground ambulance, visit to bedside of one relative (round trip airfare), accommodation and meals, repatriation, identification of remains, emergency return home, and air ambulance when medically necessary.
You have the choice to purchase a minimum of $10,000 in coverage, $25K, $50K, $100K, or $150K in coverage. There is a $50 deductible and penalties in coverage if you do not contact the insurance company before receiving medical services (unless the person is unconscious). The plan covers people aged from 30 days to 85 years old.
It’s especially important to buy this coverage if your visitors cannot afford or do not have insurance coverage, because you will be stuck paying the bills.
Annual Plans
If you plan on making more than one trip during a calendar year, you should consider purchasing an annual plan, as the cost is less than purchasing two separate policies.
You can purchase unlimited trips up to 9, 16, or 30 days of coverage, and you have a choice between annual medical and annual all inclusive plans (with cancellation benefits).
If you chose the annual all inclusive plan, you can purchase up to $1,500, $2,500, $3,500 or $5,000 per person coverage for trip cancellation.
In all cases, you can top up your annual plan if you have a trip that exceeds your annual plan’s maximum duration or maximum cancellation benefit. Let’s say you planned to take three trips in a year, and one was going to be for two weeks. You could purchase the 9 day annual plan, and for the third trip, just top up the coverage to cover the 14 days. Or, let’s say you purchased up to $1,500 per person per trip cancellation coverage, and you had one more expensive trip – you could “top up” the coverage to the cost of the more expensive trip.
It’s really handy to have an annual plan if you are making frequent or unexpected trips over the border as well. Even one international trip with jaunts over the border can make this worthwhile.
Youth Insurance Plans (Under 30 Years Old)
The risks of medical coverage are obviously lower when the insured is 29 years old compared to 69 years old. We also know that younger adults can be incredible risk takers, thinking the unexpected or catastrophic will never happen to them. Younger people are also more price sensitive and therefore likely to “risk it” rather than buying insurance.
For this reason, there is Youth All Inclusive and Youth Medical coverage for those under 30. The youth all inclusive is such a bargain, that it hardly makes sense to buy youth medical only. This coverage does have a more no-frills set of inclusions and limits – but the basics of cancellation, interruption and medical insurance are included.