# Travel insurance



## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Any suggestions for cheaper travel insurance? In BC i know of BCAA, pacific blue cross and td insurance. I haven't checked out canadian direct yet.

I go to the states quite a bit so i need a multi trip plan.


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## james4beach (Nov 15, 2012)

Absolutely, you need travel *health* insurance if you're going to the USA. When I first started travelling to the US, I got TD's Travel Medical Insurance: https://www.tdcanadatrust.com/products-services/banking/travel-medical-insurance/

Remember that supplemental health insurance like this is only valid if you have valid provincial health insurance.

I thought the pricing for the annual coverage was pretty good. I think I may have gotten a discount associated with the university I graduated from, so mention the university and ask if there is a group plan for alumni.

I used the same TD Travel Medical when I spent a few months in Australia. However, I never made any claims so I can't speak to how good it really is.

Tips for the US, now that I've interacted with their medical system more. Before buying insurance, ask them the following questions and make sure you get solid answers:

1. Which doctors or hospitals will I be able to go to? Different doctors/hospitals are members of different networks, such as Blue Cross, and the insurance may only permit you to go to certain locations. Ask up front!

2. What is the method of payment, especially for expensive/emergency/surgery situations? Remember that in these scenarios you could get massive bills, easily tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Will you first have to pay with your own money and the make an insurance claim, getting refunded for it _months later_? If the insurance will step in, get them to describe the mechanism to you. This is really important. One major infection could incur hundreds of thousands of $ in hospital bills.


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## gibor365 (Apr 1, 2011)

Some credit card has medical insurance .. for example for our Visa


> OUT-OF-PROVINCE EMERGENCY TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE2 Travel worry-free. Your Out-of-Province Emergency Travel Medical Insurance is a comprehensive protection plan. If you, as the Primary Cardholder, are age 64 or under, you, your spouse (if age 64 or under) and dependent children are automatically insured for eligible emergency upfront hospital expenses up to $5 million whenever you leave the country or your province of residence for the first 15 days of your trip, without having to pay for the coverage – you don’t even have to charge your trip to the card. If you are travelling for more than 15 days in length, or are age 65 or over, you must purchase coverage separately for your entire trip (if age 65 or over) or the balance of your trip (if age 64 or under).


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

In the same boat ... literally ... day trips into US waters. It'll likely be CAA but I'll do a bit more reading. Using the online forms the CAA 4-day multi-trip comes out a bit less than Blue Cross. Others e.g. Manulife are considerably more. And our credit cards include coverage as well ... but not for old guys like me.


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## leoc2 (Dec 28, 2010)

I have been very happy with Tugo:
https://www.tugo.com/

As I am retired, I use a broker to purchase it as I need their help answering the medical questionnaire. 
https://www.firstrateinsurance.com/


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Thanks for the replies. I feel like most of these insurance companies have very similar prices and similar coverage at 10,000,000. Has anyone had to actually make a claim under one of them? It would be nice to know what kind of service they provide.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Right now I have the TD Visa infinite (i'm thinking of cancelling it) and it looks like it only pays for 1,000,000 of medical coverage which is a drastic difference with most purchased travel insurance.


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## edarte (Jan 28, 2014)

leoc2 said:


> I have been very happy with Tugo:
> https://www.tugo.com/
> 
> As I am retired, I use a broker to purchase it as I need their help answering the medical questionnaire.
> https://www.firstrateinsurance.com/


Tugo had the best rates I could find.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

I found kanetix had the cheapest rates with allianz and ingle international quoting for multi day at 47.00. I think they just reimburse and won't pay directly though.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

I use Mediquote because of pre-existing conditions. I have had 4 claims, 2 each in 2016 and 2015. None in this season so far with 6 weeks to go. All claims were handled without incident or delay. MY GP was contacted to verify what I had said on the application once.

(One wrinkle: I had to put $20000 pesos on my credit card upon admission and, when I checked out, they could not credit the card and cut me a cheque, leaving me with the accumulated reward points.)

The agent uses different companies depending on my status, including different companies for 30-day repeat trips and extended coverage for the 6 months. DW also gets coverage from a different company owing to rates.


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## Davis (Nov 11, 2014)

I called Allianz Global today about the claim on my TD credit card coverage (which I paid to extend beyond the three weeks included). I submitted the claim for over $20,000 in mid-November, and they have had all of the paperwork since early December. They said that they sent out a cheque for the last piece of the claim (trip interruption airfare for my spouse) with an explanation of benefits. I am hoping this cheque will be for $4500. I doubt that I will get an explanation for why it took so long.


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## Davis (Nov 11, 2014)

The cheque did arrive, so in the end they came through. It just took a long time, and they kept asking for more documents. On a positive note, they always answered calls quickly, and the agents got access to my file quickly and were able to give me status updates.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Hi Davis

Can you clarify if you are using allianz global or td visa travel coverage?


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## Davis (Nov 11, 2014)

It was travel coverage provided through my TD infinity Visa card. Allianz Global is handling the claim though. I assume that TD has contracted AG to handle claims for them instead of having their own claims processing.


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## Daniel A. (Mar 20, 2011)

I've taken an annual policy from Blue Cross have never used it but it has everything I want including emergency hospital flights out.

Last summer a couple I know were on a motorcycle trip in the USA 200 miles from the boarder they were in a really bad accident both were 4-6 weeks before being stable enough for a helicopter flight back. Each of them the cost was 75,000.00 per day medical treatment they had 10,000,000.00 coverage.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

Yes the irony is that some US hospital can get away with charging $75k per day and we travellers all pay more because of it. We have not been in the US for over ten years, ever since Westjet gave us a flyover privilege.

My cost per day in our local Mexican hospital is 2000 pesos per day unless I am getting the insurance rate which is 20000 pesos per day.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Several years ago a colleague ended up in a Fort Lauderdale Hospital. He had insurance. They airlifted him home (heart).

He inadvertently received a bill in the mail from the hospital. It was $125K or so. He called his insurance agent in a panic since he was not certain what was transpiring. 

The bill had been settled. The insurance company negotiates. He was told by his agent that the typical settlement is 50-60 cents on the dollar with payment wired immediately to the hospital by the carrier.


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## DealClaimer (Apr 1, 2016)

Actually, I don't get a travel insurance because I'm lucky enough to have it as a benefit to the credit card I use when I booked my flight ticket. However, if you wish to get any type of insurance, you must know some exclusions and limitations to keep an eye out for. Review clearly the exact coverage before considering one.


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## Jaberwock (Aug 22, 2012)

rikk2 said:


> In the same boat ... literally ... day trips into US waters. It'll likely be CAA but I'll do a bit more reading. Using the online forms the CAA 4-day multi-trip comes out a bit less than Blue Cross. Others e.g. Manulife are considerably more. And our credit cards include coverage as well ... but not for old guys like me.


CUETS mastercard includes travel insurance for 15 days, up to the age of 75.


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## 319905 (Mar 7, 2016)

Jaberwock said:


> CUETS mastercard includes travel insurance for 15 days, up to the age of 75.


Thanks for that ... includes car rental, and more ... https://www.choicerewards.ca/cards/compare-cards/index.jsp
Thought it over, application for the Gold submitted ... retaining that credit union account has proved useful


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

james4beach said:


> ... Tips for the US, now that I've interacted with their medical system more. Before buying insurance, ask them the following questions and make sure you get solid answers:
> 
> 1. Which doctors or hospitals will I be able to go to? Different doctors/hospitals are members of different networks, such as Blue Cross, and the insurance may only permit you to go to certain locations. Ask up front!


The Canadians in the trailer park in Florida my parents were part of knew which hospitals would accept Blue Cross, Provincial Health Care cards etc. Some accepted cash only.

It was interesting at the time to read the write ups in the US newspaper critical of the Canadian wait times then have my brother wait four hours for two x-rays. The US hospital kept sending him bills for months after that he kept forwarding to the health insurance provider.


Cheers


*PS*

It was puzzling to hear the trail park residents keep saying "if you are in a traffic accident, hope it is a Canadian". Then the local paper published a survey of Florida locals car insurance coverage. Despite state law at the time requiring it, only a bit over 10% had insurance though out the year. They would get it so they could renew their car registration/plates then cancel it.


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## Eclectic12 (Oct 20, 2010)

Davis said:


> It was travel coverage provided through my TD infinity Visa card. Allianz Global is handling the claim though. I assume that TD has contracted AG to handle claims for them instead of having their own claims processing.


Which I suspect means AG was the insurance provider instead of the TD insurance arm. I would doubt AG would want to just do claims processing or that TD Insurance would like the lost economy of scale.

Stranger arrangements have been made though ... so it is hard to be sure. :biggrin:


Cheers


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## ykphil (Dec 13, 2009)

kcowan said:


> Yes the irony is that some US hospital can get away with charging $75k per day and we travellers all pay more because of it. We have not been in the US for over ten years, ever since Westjet gave us a flyover privilege.
> 
> My cost per day in our local Mexican hospital is 2000 pesos per day unless I am getting the insurance rate which is 20000 pesos per day.


Do you still have medical insurance while in Mexico, or simply pay out of pocket? We drive to Mexico, obviously through the US, once in the fall, and back to Canada in the spring, for a maximum stay in the US of 7-10 days per year. Knowing how cheap medical care in Mexico is, I thought we would only get insurance to cover us while we are in the US but I am not unsure if this is sound.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

ykphil said:


> Do you still have medical insurance while in Mexico, or simply pay out of pocket? We drive to Mexico, obviously through the US, once in the fall, and back to Canada in the spring, for a maximum stay in the US of 7-10 days per year. Knowing how cheap medical care in Mexico is, I thought we would only get insurance to cover us while we are in the US but I am not unsure if this is sound.


There are five tiers of hospital fees, and tourists with travel insurance are in the top tier. That is us.

Doctors charge 500 pesos for a consult and specialists 700 pesos. Dentists too.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

Eclectic12 said:


> Which I suspect means AG was the insurance provider instead of the TD insurance arm. I would doubt AG would want to just do claims processing or that TD Insurance would like the lost economy of scale.
> 
> Stranger arrangements have been made though ... so it is hard to be sure. :biggrin:
> 
> ...


Allianz Global Assistance does claims processing for a lot of travel insurance on behalf of different insurance companies.


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## My Own Advisor (Sep 24, 2012)

CoverMe?
http://www.coverme.com/products/travel-insurance-canadians.jsp


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## birdman (Feb 12, 2013)

Our credit union World Elite Platinum Mastercard provides coverage up to age 75. 2 weeks max.


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## martinv (Apr 30, 2009)

We used Kanetix as well. Purchased the cheapest of course. 
Please do not be frugal when buying travel insurance. 
I am in Tallinn, Estonia with my wife in the hospital. 
Not the time to be thinking about saving money on travel insurance. 
We all detest paying for insurance until that moment comes that you really need it. And that moment has come.


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## Dilbert (Nov 20, 2016)

martinv said:


> We used Kanetix as well. Purchased the cheapest of course.
> Please do not be frugal when buying travel insurance.
> I am in Tallinn, Estonia with my wife in the hospital.
> Not the time to be thinking about saving money on travel insurance.
> We all detest paying for insurance until that moment comes that you really need it. And that moment has come.


Well, I wish her the very best. I have to say that I have never seriously considered paying for it, but I will now.


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## martinv (Apr 30, 2009)

Thank you. Arrived home safely. She is recovering well.
Glad for the travel insurance. Will see how the claim ends.
One of life's twists and there are many.
So for travel insurance. "buy the best and forget the rest".


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

Several years ago we needed travel insurance for a six month trip. It had to be flexible in terms of adding days since we did not have a firm return date. Since that time we have also shopped for travel insurance for shorter duration trips.

We found that the easier it was to buy the insurance the more expensive it was, the more 'trip up' questions they asked, the the poorer the policy was. Right of the bat the bat we found the on line policies from the banks and people like Manulife to be the highest cost and lowest coverage options. They were the easiest to buy. We found this to be true the first time we shopped, and the same for three successive trips.

This insurance becomes very important when you need it. Pay attention to the questions, the coverage, and to the medical evacuation riders. They are important. My spouse broke her neck in Kuala Lumpur. Fortunately she had first class attention in the hospital and we had travel insurance. All costs were covered. That is when one tends to think about insurance. Now we pay as much attention to it when we shop for a policy.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

kcowan said:


> I use Mediquote because of pre-existing conditions. I have had 4 claims, 2 each in 2016 and 2015. None in this season so far with 6 weeks to go. All claims were handled without incident or delay. MY GP was contacted to verify what I had said on the application once.
> 
> (One wrinkle: I had to put $20000 pesos on my credit card upon admission and, when I checked out, they could not credit the card and cut me a cheque, leaving me with the accumulated reward points.)
> 
> The agent uses different companies depending on my status, including different companies for 30-day repeat trips and extended coverage for the 6 months. DW also gets coverage from a different company owing to rates.


l spoke too soon. I broke my foot with 2 weeks to go. To save on insurance, I took a $250 deductible plan because it cost $500 less. The total bill came to $350 so I got $100 reimbursed. Still saved $250!


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## olivaw (Nov 21, 2010)

IMO, one thing to consider is to pre-arrange permanent travel insurance of the type offered by Blue Cross. It protects you in case of a diagnosis that insurers consider to be a preexisting condition.


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## Eder (Feb 16, 2011)

Most of the sailors traveling the world that I know don't bother with insurance unless they are sailing in the US.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Excuse reopening an old thread but i'm still shopping around. Ian if you are there, i'm interested what travel insurance you had that you thought was good as you seem to do a lot of travelling but don't specify the travel insurance you found the best. Also for those interested world nomads offers 500,000 for emergency evacuation services.


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## ian (Jun 18, 2016)

The company was located in Richmond BC. Not certain if ey were bought out, bought someone out, or simply changed their name. It is now called Tugo (tugo.com). Someone in the business recommended them to us.

Prior to this name change, we bought a six month out of country medical. My spouse was not required to answer any questions because she was under 60 at the time. I was just under sixty, had questions to answer. They did not appear to be the usual trick questions. Their customer service was excellent to the point that they offered to reduce the premium by about 1/4 IF we were willing to take a 3K deductable. We of course were because our concern is the big tickets. We stopped in Hawaii on our way home. We needed coverage for an extra three days. Emailed them, they waived the $35 or so admin charge, adjusted the policy, sent a written confirmation, and a receipt for the $15 insurance cost. Excellent service.

The next time we used them, after they became tugo, we were going for three months. We needed a one month extension to my existing two month DB insurance plan. 

Time has passed. We have not dealt with them for five years as we now limit our travel to two months out of country. Not certain what they are like today. Keep in mind that we never did make any claim, touch wood, which is the real proof of a good insurance firm.

Hope this is what you want.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

I have recently been shopping for travel medical. One quotation was from an agent with a good reputation and it was for coverage by Tugo. They were on the expensive side, but had better coverage than most. They do have 30% off for $5000 deductible. I will post the contact below.

We ended up going with RBC, but almost did not. In past we went through the RBC bank site (we have an account). There was a discount over the rate you would get from RBC Insurance. This year, we found that the bank site led to an old application page that used a long medical questionnaire. The insurance site used a new short form questionnaire. One question re skin cancer on old form caused my premium to be twice that obtained when using the RBC Insurance site. (There were errors on that site too). Best to call them. In the end, they had the best offer for someone my age and health. Unlimited coverage, no deductible, low price. YMMV.

A friend in 70s with good health obtained a very good price from Blue Cross that included a multi trip option. That surprised me. Might be worth checking. In past, we have also used CAA. The policy is good with forgiveness if error is made on application. Tugu has that too, I think

This is the agent I dealt with, but didn't buy from in end.

Kevin Cappon
Travel Insurance Specialist
First Rate Insurance Inc.
Tel : (613} 842-8809 (Ottawa)
Tel : (416) 969-8555 (Toronto)
Toll-Free: (800) 884-2126
Email : [email protected]
Website : www.firstrateinsurance.com


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## dotnet_nerd (Jul 1, 2009)

We've used Medipac for travel to the US. Their rates are pretty good.

https://www.medipac.com/


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

dotnet_nerd said:


> We've used Medipac for travel to the US. Their rates are pretty good.
> 
> https://www.medipac.com/


I checked with them and for me, they were a lot more expensive than the plan I settled for with RBC. It no doubt depends on the individual. I am definitely not a dotnetNerd  more like an 80YOOF. 80 is the killer.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

Medical insurance will always vary by the individual and their specific circumstances. Therefore, it is not possible for anyone to suggest a 'best' provider for anyone unless they know all of that person's personal medical circumstances and travel plans. All you really end up with is a list of, 'I used X, Y, or Z'. You can as easily find such a list with Google.

The bottom line is that there is no shortcut to determining the best provider for you. You have to do your own research and READ each policy in its entirety. THAT is what people who end up with a problem invariably fail to do.

Nor is it only the actual medical coverage itself that can be important. For example, can a policy be extended while away as ian mentions will matter if you have potential open-ended plans. Some providers allow that and others do not. 

If you have some kind of existing coverage for a period of time, can you 'tag on' coverage from a different provider after the end of that existing coverage. Again, some will allow that and others will not. For example, ian tells us he has a 2 month existing coverage and had to add one month for a specific trip. If that were a known need BEFORE departure from home then RBC would allow ian to buy a month's coverage at that time but would NOT do so if it were a decision made to extend the travel time after having left home.

Does the provider pay directly to the health car provider (hospital/doctor) or do they require you to pay out of your own pocket and claim on your return home. Some do, some don't.

Is a particular activity you are likely to engage in covered or not. For example, I have spent a considerable amount of time hiking and climbing in the Alps. If you look at the RBC policy that agent99 comments on, they will not cover 'rock climbing or mountain climbing'. They should cover hiking however. Some policies that will cover hiking do so only to an altitude of 3000m. I have in fact hiked above 3000m and so that would matter. Most policies will not cover a helicopter rescue at all. I always buy separate coverage for that when hiking in the Alps. A helicopter rescue can cost around $7500. Many other activities are also not covered by most policies.

Let's suppose you are on vacation at some 'all-inclusive resort' and they hold weekly jet ski races which any guest can enter for fun. The RBC policy and many others will NOT cover you if you enter. Did you know that or did you find out after you broke an arm and the insurance provider denied your claim?

I've used RBC as an example here simply because agent99 named them in his comments. Their policy is no better or worse in many ways that many others, I'm not picking on them, just using them as an example to show that depending on the individual and their travel plans they may or may NOT be a good choice. No doubt the same is true of all the providers people have listed here. Here is their policy, read it and see just what may or may not cause YOU a problem for YOUR normal travel style.
http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/travelinsurance/pdf/RBC_THP_certificate_over60.pdf

Something as simple as being able to add on an unplanned 3 days as ian did in Hawaii can be the difference between a plan that suits your style of travel and one that does not. Having saved $100 on insurance and then finding out you can't add those 3 days on would soon have you realizing you picked the wrong provider. For someone who never deviates from their 2 week all-inclusive package vacation, it wouldn't matter. It depends on the individual each time.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

I always find it interesting that a great many people confuse 'cheap' with 'frugal' when it comes to travel insurance. They choose based on cheap while thinking they are trying to be frugal. Frugal only applies AFTER you find a policy that fits your needs. Compare policies literally line by line FIRST and then by price second. That's frugal.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Longtimeago said:


> I've used RBC as an example here simply because agent99 named them in his comments. Their policy is no better or worse in many ways that many others, I'm not picking on them, just using them as an example to show that depending on the individual and their travel plans they may or may NOT be a good choice. No doubt the same is true of all the providers people have listed here. Here is their policy, read it and see just what may or may not cause YOU a problem for YOUR normal travel style.
> http://www.rbcroyalbank.com/travelinsurance/pdf/RBC_THP_certificate_over60.pdf


That TravelHealthProtector plan is now only available from the RBC bank site and I was told it will be discontinued at year end. 
The plan available from RBC Insurance is different and has very few medical questions. It is called TravelCare Medical Insurance. https://www.rbcinsurance.com/travelinsurance/pdf/travelcare-medical-single-trip-e.pdf
The premium was about 40% of that offered by the bank. 
Bank will apparently transition to this in 2020. (I will check early Jan because bank currently offers customers a discount. )


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

I don't think i ever said i'm looking for the cheapest. Basically i have a TD credit card and the insurance has a clause saying that they won't cover anything related to mental disorders and that includes any physical problems as a result of that. I take depression medication. My doctor says i won't have any physical problems as a result of the medication but i am really repulsed by this policy. Royal bank is the only other insurance company that has this clause. I hesitate to put something so personal in here but the clause makes me mad and in spite of the convenience i don't know if i can continue to use the credit card insurance. I also want to mention that with some insurance your information may be stored in the states. This is the case with scotia that uses a florida company and allianz global. I have been doing my research and reading policies.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Oops sorry i actually did say i was looking for the cheapest. Perhaps good value would be more accurate and interested in hearing from people who have made claims. I will review the thread. As you can see i am dragging my feet changing.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

I decided to phone TD again as i had tried them before, now they are saying you would be covered for a side effect arising from the medication you just have to have been stable for 6 months. I think i was transferred to the benefits and claims department that knew what they were talking about. I may stick with them for now, but this is good information if i ever travel more extensively. I think i'm going to make a laminated card for the phone number as i've never had that number very easy to find.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

latebuyer said:


> Royal bank is the only other insurance company that has this clause.


It might be worthwhile checking the link in my post above. Or go to the RBC Insurance site and find the plan that matches your age. The plans and medical questionnaires are not the same as those that you would link to from the bank site. It is best to call. When I did, there was one medical question I wanted to be 100% sure I answered correctly. The agent got a staff nurse on line. They recorded our conversation when she confirmed that I had answered correctly.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

latebuyer said:


> I don't think i ever said i'm looking for the cheapest. Basically i have a TD credit card and the insurance has a clause saying that they won't cover anything related to mental disorders and that includes any physical problems as a result of that. I take depression medication. My doctor says i won't have any physical problems as a result of the medication but i am really repulsed by this policy. Royal bank is the only other insurance company that has this clause. I hesitate to put something so personal in here but the clause makes me mad and in spite of the convenience i don't know if i can continue to use the credit card insurance. I also want to mention that with some insurance your information may be stored in the states. This is the case with scotia that uses a florida company and allianz global. I have been doing my research and reading policies.


Something 'physical' being related to a mental disorder is not the same as something physical being related to medication being taken for a medical disorder latebyer. You seem to be considering the two synonymous. The policy as you say says, 'related to mental disorders' it does not say, 'related to medication for a mental disorder'. See the difference? But in either case or if you just mis-worded what you were trying to say, it is an issue I would agree. Your doctor saying you won't have any physical problems as a result of the MEDICATION you are taking, means nothing in terms of a claim being denied that relates to your condition.

As far as a policy having that specific exclusion or not, I would not hang my hat on that either. I policy may not specifically exclude a great many things but in fact will exclude them under a different more general clause quite often. For example, a mental disorder would most likely be classed as a 'pre-existing condition' and so no specific clause saying a claim related to 'mental disorder' would be needed. You have a pre-existing condition which if not disclosed and IF it could be shown that your claim arose from that condition, would be denied.

For example, here is a pretty basic medical questionnaire as used by the CAA for their travel insurance. I'm just using it because it was easy to find online.
https://www.caasco.com/-/media/caasco/insurance/pdf/medical-questionnaire.pdf

On that questionnaire, you would have to answer Yes to question 6. You would then have to answer No to Part B, Other Medical Conditions they list. Since you would answer No to those questions but had answered Yes to question 6, that would inevitably lead to you being asked, what were you taking medication for and you would have to answer it was medication for depression. That would then come under 'pre-existing condition'. 

So even though they do not ask specifically a bout a mental disorder or depression and their policy may not specifically exclude it, a claim arising from it will be pre-existing condition and likely to be denied.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

latebuyer said:


> I decided to phone TD again as i had tried them before, now they are saying you would be covered for a side effect arising from the medication you just have to have been stable for 6 months. I think i was transferred to the benefits and claims department that knew what they were talking about. I may stick with them for now, but this is good information if i ever travel more extensively. I think i'm going to make a laminated card for the phone number as i've never had that number very easy to find.


You posted this while I was writing my last response. If they said you are covered for any side affect from the medication, that is NOT the same as saying you would be covered for any physical problem related to your condition. 

To be blunt, lets suppose your meds are not giving you any problem but they just don't work quite as hoped and you do slip into a period of depression during which you jump off a bridge. Sorry to be so blunt but I'm trying to make a point here. Did you jump as a result of a 'side affect' of your medication? ie. it didn't do its job as expected. Or did you jump as a result of your condition itself? You may have been stable for 6 months but that day you just were not. You might want to ask them if they would consider that a 'side affect' arising from your medication or not.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

agent99 said:


> It might be worthwhile checking the link in my post above. Or go to the RBC Insurance site and find the plan that matches your age. The plans and medical questionnaires are not the same as those that you would link to from the bank site. It is best to call. When I did, there was one medical question I wanted to be 100% sure I answered correctly. The agent got a staff nurse on line. They recorded our conversation when she confirmed that I had answered correctly.


That's how it should be done agent99. Did they give you a reference number for that recorded correct answer?


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

Thanks longtimeago, the person on the phone talked about if the preexisting condition was stable for 6 months it would be covered, but this is the wording of the mental health exclusion: any mental, nervous or emotional problems, including any Medical Emergency arising from these problems. Problems is peculiar wording, certainly.

It still seems the plans that say they will cover mental problems in the case of hospitalization are preferable. Drats this would mean i have to uproot my whole banking plan. My call with td was recorded.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Both the new and old RBC plans do have an exclusion that says that if a pre-existing condition, you would not be covered for any loss caused directly or indirectly by: 10. Your mental or emotional disorders. 

So you are right - RBC not good for you! 

LTA- The reference is the policy number.


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## latebuyer (Nov 15, 2015)

I've been doing some research and bcaa, pacific blue cross and national bank mc all say they will cover it if hospitalized. I couldn't find a reference with cibc and global allianz is out. One thing i don't like is bcaa will only cover 8,000 for remote evacuation. This doesn't strike me as ideal if you're on a cruise. In any event i don't travel until may so have time to sort out. Thanks for the replies.

Just to clarify i am under age 61, so i am covered for preexisting conditions at least at blue cross, not sure about bcaa.


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Warning to those who are about to travel, or already away.

Because Canada has issued a travel advisory for travel to other countries, and you still chose to go, your travel medical insurance likely will not cover you.

If you are already away (as we are), it will likely not cover you for anything Covid-19 related. 

Here is an advisory received from on insurance agency:

https://mailchi.mp/32b12c87ed39/covid-outbreak-travel-insurance?e=b38ae3245a

https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

agent99 said:


> Warning to those who are about to travel, or already away.
> 
> Because Canada has issued a travel advisory for travel to other countries, and you still chose to go, your travel medical insurance likely will not cover you.
> 
> ...


Why wouldn’t they cover you if your trip began before the advisory was announced?


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## agent99 (Sep 11, 2013)

Money172375 said:


> Why wouldn’t they cover you if your trip began before the advisory was announced?


As the link said, you would have to read your policy or ask your insurer. I have read our policy, and it says that once the government issue a travel advisory, any Covid 19 issues would not be covered. It does not make it clear if that only applies to new trips. 

We have decided to stay put, but if either of us develop cold like or respiratory symptoms, we will just back up and head home. Not ideal, but we can drive straight through in 16 hours. Limit contact with others. For example, get meals in drive-throughs and eat in car.


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## Longtimeago (Aug 8, 2018)

agent99 said:


> As the link said, you would have to read your policy or ask your insurer. I have read our policy, and it says that once the government issue a travel advisory, any Covid 19 issues would not be covered. It does not make it clear if that only applies to new trips.
> 
> We have decided to stay put, but if either of us develop cold like or respiratory symptoms, we will just back up and head home. Not ideal, but we can drive straight through in 16 hours. Limit contact with others. For example, get meals in drive-throughs and eat in car.


The key words in the link to your insurer that you provided are: "_If one of the warnings listed above is issued for your destination, and you decide to travel to that destination anyway, then your policy will NOT cover you. If you were at your destination prior to the warning being issued, then normally, your coverage may be limited to medical care for conditions unrelated to the reason for the advisory. _

As I read that and I am pretty sure I am right, what they are saying is if you start on a NEW trip after the current advisory to avoid 'all unnecssary international travel', then you will have NO coverage for anything.
If you are on an existing trip(as you are) that you started before yesterday's announced travel advisory, then you will still have FULL coverage for all non-Covid-19 issues. The coverage for Covid-19 issues will depend on the specific wording of your policy.

I would suggest you invest in a phone call (use Skype) to your insurer to ask them specifically about YOUR policy and coverage if you do contract Covid-19 while on your existing trip. 

Re eating at drive-throughs. Each time you do so, you handle things that another person has handled and different people each time perhaps. If you go and buy some groceries ONCE that you can 'heat and eat' or whatever yourself, you would actually limit exposure more. 

You may want to consider a one burner camping type stove and a couple of plates, a pot, cups, cutlery etc. from a camping store. Again, ONE stop and exposure risk that you then use repeatedly by yourselves. For example: https://www.cabelas.com/catalog/pro....z_btnclk=YMAL-2395358&WT.z_pg_ref=prd3018300

Lower height propane/butane cannisters are better as they are not so likely to tilt over.

If you try to 'just pack up and head home' AFTER you develop symptoms, I think you may find issues when you get to the border. I'm not sure how they would handle that. Remove you directly from the Canada Border Post to the nearest hospital perhaps? That might not be too convenient for you. I think I might pull the plug BEFORE I developed symptoms and just head home now.

One thing I do know and that is if I started to have symptoms tomorrow, the ONLY place I would want to be is in my home. Also consider, that if you develop symptoms, they move fast. Even a 16 hour drive back may be longer than you would have before they got too bad to continue driving.


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## Money172375 (Jun 29, 2018)

Longtimeago said:


> The key words in the link to your insurer that you provided are: "_If one of the warnings listed above is issued for your destination, and you decide to travel to that destination anyway, then your policy will NOT cover you. If you were at your destination prior to the warning being issued, then normally, your coverage may be limited to medical care for conditions unrelated to the reason for the advisory. _
> 
> As I read that and I am pretty sure I am right, what they are saying is if you start on a NEW trip after the current advisory to avoid 'all unnecssary international travel', then you will have NO coverage for anything.
> If you are on an existing trip(as you are) that you started before yesterday's announced travel advisory, then you will still have FULL coverage for all non-Covid-19 issues. The coverage for Covid-19 issues will depend on the specific wording of your policy.
> ...


Looks like Manulife and Allianz will cover covid related costs for trips that started before the travel advisories for destinations not included on the watchlist (china, south Korea, Italy etc). 

“For Manulife and Allianz customers travelling to destinations that are not the subject of advisories, medical costs related to the coronavirus will be covered. As well, medical costs that are not related to the coronavirus will be covered for all travel destinations.”

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/bus...e-companies-wont-cover-coronavirus-treatment/


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## Spudd (Oct 11, 2011)

Money172375 said:


> Looks like Manulife and Allianz will cover covid related costs for trips that started before the travel advisories for destinations not included on the watchlist (china, south Korea, Italy etc).
> 
> “For Manulife and Allianz customers travelling to destinations that are not the subject of advisories, medical costs related to the coronavirus will be covered. As well, medical costs that are not related to the coronavirus will be covered for all travel destinations.”
> 
> https://www.theglobeandmail.com/bus...e-companies-wont-cover-coronavirus-treatment/


Unfortunately everywhere is on the advisory list as of yesterday. Still, it's nice to know that they'll cover non-coronavirus related stuff.
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories


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