Of the many things the Covid-19 pandemic has affected, awareness about travel insurance has been a big one. Many of us have come to realize how expensive and stressful sudden changes in travel plans can be.
That’s why travel insurance is so important, even without an ongoing pandemic. Like with any kind of insurance, it provides peace of mind and protects you from unfortunate circumstances.
We’ve created this blog to help you have a general understanding of travel insurance, so you can better decide if it’s right for you and your future travel plans. We hope you find it useful!
Out of Country Coverage with OHIP
Let’s start by outlining the standard Out of Country coverage you already have through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).
First, you’ll need to have a valid and updated Health Card with you in order to receive out-of-country care.
The treatment or service must meet all the following criteria.
It must be:
- Medically necessary
- Provided at a licensed hospital or licensed health facility
- For an illness, disease, condition, or injury that
- is acute and unexpected
- not pre-existing (you developed it outside of Canada)
- requires immediate treatment
What is Covered?
- Doctor Services
- Emergency Outpatient Services (Any care typically provided outside of a hospital)
- Emergency Inpatient Services (Any care while you stay at a hospital)
Claims for these qualifying services can be made through the Out of Province/Country Claims Submission form. You’ll find more information on how to submit a claim here.
If you’re studying abroad, working abroad, or planning to be away longer than 7 months, there are other requirements you’ll need to know for OHIP coverage.
For more details about out-of-country coverage with OHIP, click here to visit the province’s website.
The 3 Common Types of Travel Insurance
Emergency Medical Coverage
This type of insurance is important because it encompasses several costly things that aren’t included in your OHIP coverage.
Emergency Medical Coverage is for essential benefits like emergency ambulance trips, emergency dental work, physician services, and many others. Most importantly, it can provide protection for many pre-existing health conditions.
Contact us if you have any specific questions about emergency medical coverage.
Trip Cancellation Insurance
When the Covid-19 pandemic started, many travel plans had to be cancelled on short notice. Unfortunately, this is still causing a lot of losses on air travel and accommodation expenses.
This type of travel insurance covers non-refundable costs in the event your trip is canceled before your departure.
Trip Interruption Insurance
The third most common type is trip interruption insurance. As the name suggests, it covers costs incurred if your trip is interrupted and you have to return home for an emergency. Illness, injury and severe weather are a few of the situations. Trip interruption insurance can help offset the cost of having to end your trip early.
Conclusion
Travel insurance can give you peace of mind and protect your finances from a variety of unexpected situations. We hope you’ve found this blog to be very informative.
For additional information, the Government of Canada website has a page about Travel Insurance.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. We can check what you’ve already got through your benefits provider and assist you with any top-ups you may need.
