Emergency travel medical insurance

It’s generally a medical condition you had before your coverage started. Each policy defines it in its own words, often by whether you had symptoms, treatment or medication for it, and the definition decides which conditions the stability period applies to. Check the wording, or ask us.

Often, if the condition was stable before you left. Most plans cover a pre-existing condition only if it didn’t change during the stability period, which is often 90 or 180 days. If it changed, a claim related to it may be refused. Some plans offer an optional rider, at extra cost, with a shorter stability period, needed only if your health changed during the standard period.

Usually, if you ask before your coverage ends. On a single-trip plan, you can often extend for more days. On an annual plan, you add top-up days for a trip that runs longer than your plan’s trip length. The insurer may ask about your health first, so contact us as soon as you know you’ll be away longer.

If you have a medical condition, a stability period is the time before you leave during which that condition must not have changed. Each policy defines this, but it usually means no new treatment or medication, no change in dose, no new or worse symptoms, no hospital stay or referral to a specialist, and no tests or results still pending. Some routine changes, such as switching to a generic version of the same drug, usually don’t count. On an annual plan, the stability period counts back from each departure, not from the day you bought the plan.

The period depends on your age, the length of your trip and your answers to the health questions. It’s often 90 or 180 days. If the condition changes inside that period, it may not be covered on your trip, even if the change seemed minor. Some plans offer an optional rider, at extra cost, with a shorter stability period. It’s only needed if your health changed during the standard period. If your health changes after you buy, tell us before you leave, so we can check your options.

Often, yes. Your provincial plan covers most hospital and doctor care in other provinces and territories, but usually not ambulance, ground or air, or getting you home, and a doctor may ask you to pay up front, especially in Quebec. Travel medical insurance covers those gaps, and an annual plan covers trips within Canada too.

Yes. Group benefits, credit cards and annual plans often cover only the first part of a trip, such as the first few weeks. A single trip plan can cover the rest, starting the day your other coverage ends. Check how many days your current coverage includes before you book, and buy the top-up before you leave, since a waiting period may apply if you buy it after.

Yes. The clock starts when you leave your home province, so a trip to another province counts the same way as a trip abroad. Your provincial plan covers most hospital and doctor care elsewhere in Canada, but usually not ambulance or transport home, which an annual plan can cover.

If you take one or two trips a year, a single trip plan usually costs less. If you travel more often, an annual plan can cost less overall, as long as each trip fits within its maximum trip length. For a trip longer than that, a single trip plan is usually the better fit. We can look at your travel for the year and suggest which makes sense.

Buy top-up days for that trip before your trip length runs out, and the rest of the trip is covered. If you wait until after it runs out, a top-up may not be available, or a waiting period may apply. Your other trips that year aren’t affected.