Introduction
Visitors to Canada travel insurance is highly recommended for anyone visiting Canada.
Canadian residents are covered by provincial health insurance plans; in other words, the Canadian government in a specific province provides health insurance to Canadian residents. However, visitors to Canada are not eligible to enroll into such insurance, but they can and should purchase visitors insurance for their visit.
Eligibility
Any person in Canada on a temporary basis or those waiting until they are eligible for provincial health insurance can purchase Canada visitors insurance. Such people include:
- Visitors to Canada for tourism or business.
- New Immigrants in Canada. New Immigrants to Canada typically need to wait for 3 months to become eligible for enrollment into provincial healthcare.
- Temporary Work in Canada. Temporary Workers in Canada normally have a 3 month waiting period until eligible to enroll into provincial healthcare.
- Canadian citizens who are temporarily visiting Canada. Canadian citizens living outside Canada for a certain duration lose their eligibility to remain enrolled in provincial health insurance. Such people can't enroll if they are just visiting for a short period.
- Canadian citizens that lived abroad. Canadian citizens moving back to Canada after a long absence usually must wait 3 months before becoming eligible to enroll into the national health insurance program of Canada.
- International students studying in Canada.
However, anyone looking for Super Visa Insurance should NOT purchase these insurance plans as they must be purchased only from a Canadian insurance company.
Why Buy?
Healthcare expenses may not be as high in Canada as they are in the United States, but they are still high enough that most visitors would not be able to pay medical bills on their own, thus making travel insurance for visitors to Canada necessary. If you are a Canadian resident who sponsored a relative to visit Canada and they were to get sick or injured while in Canada, you would be responsible for their medical bills. Even if you don't want to bother with visitors medical insurance, it is in your best interest to purchase travel medical insurance for visitors to Canada.
If you are a group of 5 or more travelers, consider purchasing group travel insurance.
What is covered?
Visitors to Canada medical insurance will generally cover any new medical conditions, injuries or accidents that may occur after the effective date of the policy. They will generally not cover any pre-existing medical conditions; however, some visitors insurance plans will cover acute onset of pre-existing conditions up to a certain age and up to a certain limit.
Canada visitors medical insurance will provide coverage for whatever is medically necessary, such as physician visit, labs, x-rays and other diagnostic procedures, surgery, hospitalization, ICU, prescription drugs, emergency room visits and more.
Additionally, it also provides coverage for trip interruption, emergency medical evacuation, repatriation of remains, loss of checked luggage and emergency assistance services.
If you are planning to participate in hazardous activities, such as snow skiing, ice hockey, ice skating, you should consider purchasing hazardous sports riders as most visitors travel insurance plans will otherwise not cover them.
Why a U.S. company?
Canada visitors insurance can be purchased from an insurance company in your home country, from Canada, or from the U.S.
It is advisable to purchase from U.S. based companies because U.S. based companies have been around for a long time, allowing them to gain extensive expertise and experience when handling travel and medical related events that affect visitors in foreign countries. Their vast amount of knowledge and experience benefits you greatly when a need arises.
If you are going to visit Canada or if you are already in Canada, insurance companies from your home country will not provide coverage once you have departed. Many Canadian insurance companies will have a waiting period, ranging from 1 day to 8 days, after the effective date for you to be covered. U.S. companies have no such restrictions. Of course, if you wait until a person is sick or injured to buy the insurance, no company will provide coverage.
Insurance from your home country may be restricted to 180 days maximum while the U.S. based companies can provide coverage for 1 year, 2 years or even 3 years, depending upon the plan.
While other travel medical coverage plans may only provide medical maximums up to $150,000 or $300,000, U.S. based companies can provide up to $1 million with most plans and even up to $8 million medical coverage in other plans.
Coverage Area
Visitors to Canada travel insurance will provide coverage anywhere outside the home country and outside the U.S. If your trip includes both Canada and the U.S., consider purchasing Visitors Insurance USA, which will provide coverage anywhere outside the home country.
Conclusion
Purchase Canada visitors insurance and enjoy your visit worry free.