U.S.A Bound:
Advice for Canadian Travellers
Supplemental Health Insurance
Do not rely on your provincial health plan to cover costs if you get
sick or are injured while you are outside the country. At best, your
health plan will cover only a portion of the bill. It is your responsibility
to obtain and understand the terms of your supplementary insurance policies.
Some credit cards offer their holders health and travel insurance. Do
not assume the card alone provides adequate coverage.
Be sure to ask
whether your policy:
• Has an in-house emergency hotline you can call if you are in
trouble. Find out whether it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
whether the operators are multilingual; and whether nurses or physicians
are on staff.
• Pays foreign hospital and related medical costs and, if so,
whether it pays up front or expects you to pay and be reimbursed later.
• Provides for your medical evacuation to the nearest place with
proper medical care or to Canada.
• Pays for any required medical escort (doctor/nurse) to accompany
you during evacuation.
• Excludes pre-existing medical conditions. If such conditions
exist, notify your insurance company and get an agreement in writing
that you are covered for these conditions. Otherwise, you could find
your claim “null and void” under a pre-existing condition
clause.
• Covers premature births and related neonatal care.
• Allows for cash advances if a hospital accepts only such payment.
• Pays for the preparation and return to Canada of your remains
should you die while travelling.
Carry details
of your insurance with you. Also, tell your travel agent, a
friend or a relative at home and your travelling companion how to contact
your insurer.
Get a detailed
invoice from the doctor or hospital before you leave the United
States. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get the proper
paperwork from thousands of kilometres away. Remember always to submit
original receipts for any medical services or prescriptions
you received while travelling. Most insurance companies will not accept
copies or faxes.
Excerpt from Canadian Government publication "USA BOUND" --links to services offered by SkyMed have been added.
