Visitors To Canada

Visitors to Canada Medical Insurance

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Residents of Canada have medical coverage under their provincial or territorial plan. Non residents are not covered under these plans and would have to pay these medical costs out of their own pocket.

Visitor's travel medical insurance will provide coverage for emergency medical costs caused by either sickness or accident. This insurance can be purchased before or after arrival in Canada. When coverage is arranged after arrival there is a short waiting period for sickness coverage.

Who requires medical coverage?

  • Visitors to Canada
  • New immigrants until they are covered under a government plan
  • International students studying in Canada
  • Canadians returning to Canada after living abroad. There is a three-month waiting period in some provinces before the provincial health plan begins.

Medical coverage can be purchased up to one year at a time and can be renewed or extended.

Coverage limits start at $10,000 and go up to $1,000,000 with one insurer.

Depending on the applicant's age, visitor's policies will cover pre-existing conditions if stable for a specified number of days. The stability period could be 90, 120 or 180 days depending on the company. Age 79 is normally the maximum age at which pre-existing conditions are covered, but Manulife Insurance goes up to age 85.

What is a pre-existing condition?

In general terms, a pre-existing condition is an illness or injury requiring either ongoing medical treatment, prescription drugs, medical consultation or medical diagnosis.

What is stable?

Using one company's definition as follows:

"Stable means the medical condition is not worsening and there has been no alteration in any medication for the condition or its usage or dosage, nor any medical treatment prescribed or recommended by a physician or received within the period specified in the policy before the start of a covered trip."

Visitor's travel medical insurance is meant to cover an emergency. An emergency would be an unexpected event which requires medical attention to maintain a person's health. A routine doctor's visit or elective treatment would not be covered under this type of insurance.

You can Purchase Insurance From the Following Companies