Going on Vacation? Your Health Insurance Might Not Come Along

March 7, 2016

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Aw, that hurts! You haven’t had to get stitches since you were 10 years old when you fell off your skateboard. At least that was worth it, because at the time you actually made it over that ramp, and everybody cheered, and then you crashed. Then it was cool to show your friends at school that you had to get stitches.

Right now, it’s not cool. Nobody’s cheering. As far as you can tell, you fell right over your own two legs. Which makes it absolutely not cool, rather embarrassing and it really hurts, too!

Does your health insurance cover this? How much is it going to cost? Just how much does a Mexican hospital charge to give you 5 stitches?

Unfortunately, your health insurance plan might not cover you while you are abroad. And even if it does provide basic coverage for hospital or emergency costs, it might not cover your medical evacuation back to Canada.

If you are planning a trip abroad, you should call your health care provider to confirm whether or not your coverage extends to your destination.

Be sure to ask whether the policy covers medical payments abroad, includes high-risk activities that you might want to pursue (such as skiing, scuba-diving, paragliding or mountain-climbing), and whether they pay foreign doctors and hospitals directly (or if the foreign service provider will charge your credit card first).

Even if you travel within Canada, you might be surprised to find that you are not covered when traveling out of province! Wherever you go, be sure to contact your health insurance company before you take off, and set yourself and your family up with the right coverage.

Depending on the rules and restrictions of your individual plan, it may be wise to invest in an out of province medical travel insurance policy that covers you for the extent of your trip.

Contact Excalibur insurance today for a quick and easy quote.