6 Steps to get right travel medical insurance

As Canada emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians are resuming their travel plans and look forward to visiting exotic destinations for vacations again.

While there are pandemic-related health and safety travel requirements to comply with, depending on where you’re traveling to, it’s important to also remember that general travel insurance cover only emergency medical expenses on your foreign trip, says Shalini Vij, a personal and commercial insurance broker at A-Kan insurance, based in Edmonton, Alberta.

“Travel insurance only covers you for emergencies & not for routine medical expenses or if someone actually wants to get medical treatment in another country for a pre-existing condition,” Vij says. “For example, someone traveling to the U.S. for cancer treatment will not be covered under these policies.”

The good news is many travels medical insurance policies now also cover covid-19-related illness.

6 steps to get the right travel medical insurance

Vij advises you can take the following five steps to ensure you buy the right coverage:

1. Travel advisories: Check that the place you’re traveling to isn’t under a travel ban, as this will make it hard for you to get any travel medical insurance for that area.
2. Pre-existing conditions: Find out what the policy covers when it comes to pre-existing condition coverage. Most policies have a 6–8-month stability period for common conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes, while some entirely exclude such conditions.
3. Age limits: Check the maximum age limit on the policy, to ensure you qualify for the coverage you’re buying.
4. Amount of coverage: It’s important to select the right amount of coverage depending on your age and medical condition.
5. Alcohol abuse not covered: Remember that injuries related to alcohol overuse are not covered in these policies.
6. Talk to your broker: Your broker can help you ensure you buy the right travel medical insurance for your trip.

If you are also planning travel & need more tips on travel insurance, then you can contact us.