Best options for Canadians for insurance?

[TwoMateys]

What are the best options/companies for getting insurance for Canadians?

 

Is it best to buy from a Canadian supplier in case there has to be a claim? Is there a difference given that there is provincial medical insurance already in place?

 

What prices are people paying? Thanks.

[JanineM]

Check out http://www.insuremytrip.com . They offer insurance for Americans or Canadians, and you can select the one that is best for you. RBC (Royal Bank's insurance arm) offers a policy.

 

Your provincial insurance will do you no good in other parts of the world. However, if you are a member of a union, you may have coverage through them. My mom has Alberta Teacher's Association insurance as the widow of a retiree, and when she was sick here in Florida she was able to visit a doctor and get prescriptions without any additional charge. She was required to pay up front, but her insurance repaid her quickly. They also covered changes in her flight home when she was too ill to fly.

 

Definitely get insurance. My biggest shock as a new resident of the States was when I got a $5,000 bill for eight hours in the emergency room!

[riderfan89]

We purchased trip insurance through RBC. We also have medical coverage for trips through my employer's plan, but it doesn't cover anything but medical (not lost luggage, trip cancellation, etc.), so we decided to purchase the extra insurance as well. It cost us about $100 each for our 8-day holiday. Well worth the peace of mind.

[travelfirst]

I have insurance through my retirement association which covers everything except baggage.

I was concerned about not having baggage covered but it did arrive home with me last week when I returned from a cruise.

 

I met another Canadian on board who told me about an insurance company he uses and says it is good.

The website is: www.snowbirds.org

[Twobonbons]

Access America also insures Canadians, and are quick to settle claims.

 

Most medical plans available for Canadians are secondary plans, which means that provincial plans must do the first reimbursement after a medical emergency. However, most provincial plans only pay minimal international costs, such as $50 - $100 per visit to medical care.

 

After that initial reimbursement, if you have any extra federal government or union insurance, they will pay 80% - 100% of outstanding medical costs. Any remaining costs will be covered by the medical plan that you purchased before travel. Certain Canadian credit cards also have extensive medical insurance.

 

Look at what medical coverage that you have collectively but usually extra, usually travel/trip interruption/cancellation is not covered fully. I recommend medical/travel to cover all costs.

[MsRed318]

I usually use RBC insurance and have also use PC Insurance once before (both were approximately the same price, around $100 for comprehensive insurance), and no medical questionnaires so it's pretty good for what you get. Back about 10 years ago I was on my way down to Florida for a cruise when I got word that my father had passed away. I immediately got on the next plane back home. At the time I had insurance through RBC and they were great with dealing with my expenses and getting quick reimbursement of my cruise. If you have any specific questions you can always just call the 800 # and ask. Personally, I would only insure with a Canadian company, because there can be a lot of restrictions when buying out of country insurance.

[jtdlmc]

I have a similar thread going and someone told me about tripinsurancestore.com. I found the least expensive policies with the most coverage on the two policies that are available to Canadians on that site than on any other site (US or Canadian) that I checked. The quoted prices from insuremytrip.com was $292 and the two on the other site were $159 and $184 (the most comprehensive of all of the policies) for 4 of us which included medical, baggage loss and trip canc.