What you need to know about out-of-province travel insurance
Going out of province may not seem like travelling for some, but it is. Whether you're going on a family vacation, a weekend ski trip in Banff, spending a long weekend at the beach in PEI, or headed off on a work trip for a few days, leaving your province is considered travelling. You need to consider travel insurance when you leave your province.
As Canadians we are all lucky to have basic health care through our provincial health insurance plans such as OHIP in Ontario and PharmaCare in British Columbia. This basic health insurance does travel with you when you go out of province, but it's important to remember that it only provides basic coverage. Just as your provincial health care isn't sufficient coverage when travelling out of the country, it may also not be enough protection when travelling out of the province.
You may want to consider buying additional travel insurance to supplement your basic provincial coverage when travelling out of province.
Here are some things you need to know about travel insurance when out of province:
Basic provincial insurance may not cover unexpected medical expenses
All provincial health care should give you access to a doctor if you have an unexpected medical emergency while out of province. You will also be admitted to a hospital if your injury or illness is serious enough to require admission. However, if you have a serious unforeseen sickness or injury, or if you require a medical procedure, basic provincial insurance may not have you covered.
This is why it's important to check what your province offers when it comes to basic health insurance coverage. Things like prescription drugs, ambulance services, dental emergencies, and transportation back to your home province may not be covered by provincial health care. When travelling outside of your home province it's probably best to purchase additional travel health insurance to ensure that you’re covered.
Not all provinces offer the same basic services
Even though we all have basic health insurance provided by our home province, it's important to know that not all provinces offer the same coverage. Some provincial coverage may include certain medications while others don't.
What happens if you visit a local doctor while out of province and you don’t have access to the medication you need under their basic health insurance plan? That would be a challenging situation. This is where having additional travel health insurance comes into play. Private health care can give you access to the best doctors and medical services you need, above and beyond the basic provincial coverage.
It's always different in Quebec
Not having access to the medication you need is a less than ideal situation. Sometimes we can get access to the medical attention we need, but it will cost us – especially if you're travelling to Quebec. If you're visiting La Belle Province you will need to pay for all medical treatments up front and submit the expenses for reimbursement once you get back home. That is money you may not have.
Travel insurance can help alleviate the financial stress of medical bills by coordinating payments directly with the provider. For that reason and the others mentioned above, out of province travel health insurance could be money well spent.