Why travel insurance is a must for everyone

Travel agents and specialists agree: private travel insurance for emergency medical care is absolutely essential for travelling abroad.

Here are some tips from Blue Cross®, which has been providing health insurance to Canadian citizens for 75 years.

OHIP: limited protection

Ontario residents are covered under OHIP, however OHIP administrators recommend getting proper coverage when travelling out of the country. Without private coverage, healthcare costs that are paid out-of-pocket by the traveller can end up costing a lot of money.

According to OHIP's website: “The Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) only covers emergency health services at very limited rates.”

Real savings

Blue Cross® received news on the case of a 68-year-old man who had fractured his femur in London in 2017. Fortunately, he had good private coverage. If he hadn't, he could have been billed the same price as a new car.

"This case is not exceptional. We see this kind of gap between the premium paid and the fees reimbursed by Blue Cross at least once a week," said Joseph Russo, business development executive of Blue Cross Travel Insurance.

The following chart depicts the costs the man would have paid for six days of in-patient services:

The total cost of hospital care and services received, travel companion, repatriation and other collateral costs increase astronomically, especially as the exchange rate does not always benefit Canadian travellers.

The #1 Trusted Brand™

For the second year in a row, Canadians have chosen Blue Cross® as a trusted brand of travel insurance.

Blue Cross® organizations have been providing health insurance to Canadian citizens since 1950. While some insurers had to work in another province, a plan to access emergency medical care has become essential. This need for protection is how the bases for travel insurance in Canada were created.

In the 1970s, Blue Cross® designed its individual travel insurance plans to cover emergency medical expenses received abroad, as well as insurance for travel packages.

Travel assistance services are available 24 hours a day through CanAssistance, the assistance company founded by Blue Cross®. Its medical team is made up of nurses trained in emergency medicine and specialists in medical evacuation and repatriation by commercial and ambulance flights.

"CanAssistance agents are specifically trained to take charge of a traveller, speaking with them in their preferred language, and with all the respect and empathy required to work with people experiencing distressful situations," concludes Fabienne Lavoie, senior director.