Global medical care
Faster access to specialist care, at a facility you choose, with a case manager arranging it. You keep your provincial plan.
- Treated sooner
- no public wait list
- Your choice of facility
- leading hospitals worldwide
- Arranged for you
- a case manager handles the details
How global medical care works
Care when you need it, not when your turn comes.
Global medical care is health insurance for faster access to specialist treatment. When you need it, you choose: wait in the public system, or use your plan to be treated at a private clinic in Canada or a hospital abroad. It adds to your provincial plan and any group benefits, rather than replacing them.
You need specialist care
Wait in the public system
- GP referral
- Waiting for a specialist
15.3 weeksSpecialist - Waiting for treatment
13.3 weeksTreatmentMedian 28.6 weeks after referral
Use your global medical care plan
- Call your case manager
- Expert second opinion, if you want one
- Choose a facility, anywhere in the world
- Treatment booked and billed directly
Treatment:Recovery starts sooner
- Treated soonerNo public line to wait in
- Recover soonerBack to work and family earlier
- Less time to progressLess time for a condition to go untreated
Illustration only. Public wait: median from GP referral to treatment across specialties, Canada (Fraser Institute, Waiting Your Turn, 2025). Travel and accommodation are usually your cost, though some plans include a travel allowance. Your plan works alongside your provincial and group coverage.
What’s covered
Broad coverage, worldwide.
Most plans cover a broad range of medical care, worldwide, up to a lifetime maximum. A few things are usually left out.
Usually covered
- Hospital stays and surgery
- Specialist visits
- Diagnostic tests and scans
- Cancer treatment
- Dialysis
- Organ transplants
- Prescription drugs, with limits
- Emergency care worldwide
- Maternity, after a waiting period
Keep your provincial plan.
You need to stay covered by it. Your provincial plan pays first, and global medical care pays for what it doesn’t.
A general guide. Each plan lists what it covers, with its own limits and lifetime maximum.
Expert second opinion
A second look before you decide.
Plans include a review of your diagnosis and treatment plan by specialists, from home. It usually takes a few weeks, so it’s for decisions that can wait, not emergencies. Many plans also offer a health navigator to help you find the right specialist and understand your options.
Applying
Before you apply.
Health questions
These plans are medically underwritten. You answer health questions when you apply, and conditions you already have may be excluded.
Age
Apply before age 70 to 75, depending on the plan. Coverage can continue after that, with a lower lifetime maximum.
Notify first
Before planned care, and soon after an emergency, contact the plan. If you don’t, many plans pay less of your covered costs.
Optional add-on
Executive medical assessment
A yearly, in-depth assessment at an approved private clinic: a day with a physician and other health professionals, then a detailed report and a plan to act on. Available on some plans, for an extra cost.
For businesses
A benefit for key people
Often provided to executives and key people as a premium benefit. Employees can usually convert to an individual plan if they leave.
Cost
What affects the price.
Age and sex
Rates rise with age, and insurers price men and women differently.
Deductible
Plans offer a wide range. A higher deductible lowers the premium, and a lower one raises it.
Who’s covered
Coverage for you alone, or with a spouse and children.
Health
Your answers to the health questions.
Lifetime maximum
Some plans let you choose how much coverage you want.
Add-ons
Options such as the executive medical assessment add to the cost.
Frequently asked questions
All questionsWhat do I need to do before getting treatment with global medical care?
Contact your plan before any planned care, usually at least a few days ahead, and as soon as you can after an emergency. The plan confirms what’s covered and helps arrange treatment. If you don’t notify the plan, many plans pay less of your covered costs.
Does global medical care replace my provincial health plan?
No. You need to stay covered by your provincial plan, and any group benefits stay in place too. Your provincial plan pays first, and global medical care pays for what it doesn’t. It gives you another option when you need specialist care.
How does the global medical care second opinion work?
You send your medical records from home, and specialists review your diagnosis and treatment plan. It usually takes a few weeks, and you get a written report you can share with your own doctor. It’s for decisions that can wait, not emergencies.
What is the benefit of the executive medical assessment on a global medical care plan?
It’s a yearly, in-depth look at your health, at an approved private clinic: a day with a physician and other health professionals, then a detailed report and a plan to act on. It can help find health concerns earlier. It’s an optional add-on on some plans, for an extra cost.
What affects eligibility for global medical care?
You generally need to live in Canada and stay covered by your provincial health plan. You apply before age 70 to 75, depending on the plan, and answer health questions. The insurer reviews each application, and conditions you already have may be excluded.
How do deductibles work in global medical care plans?
The deductible is the amount of covered costs you pay before the plan starts to pay. Plans offer a wide range of deductibles. A higher deductible lowers the premium, and a lower one raises it.
Are there limits to the amount global medical care plans can pay?
Yes. Each plan has a maximum it will pay, and some let you choose how much coverage you want. Some benefits, such as prescription drugs, have their own limits. The maximum is usually lower for people over 70.
Can family members be included in a global medical care plan?
Yes, most plans let you cover a spouse and children as well as yourself. Each person may need to answer health questions, and the premium depends on who’s covered. We’ll explain how family coverage works on the plans you’re considering.
Are travel costs covered by global medical care?
Travel and accommodation are usually your cost, though some plans include a travel allowance. We’ll show you what each plan includes before you apply.
A question about your coverage? Ask us.
No obligation. We’ll tell you plainly what we think, including when you already have what you need.