Planning a trip outside Canada? A travel tip you simply can?t afford to ignore

Posted by Nick Niesen on October 29th, 2010

Your holidays are booked, your bags are packed and you think you have everything you need?money, passport, tickets, and clothing for every occasion. What more could you possibly require?

For almost 41% of Canadians who do not always travel with it, the answer is emergency medical travel insurance. Whether simply forgotten or deemed unnecessary, the fact is that travel health insurance should be a must-have before you leave the country.

When you are away from home even the most minor injuries or illnesses can become a major expense. So while an accident or illness can happen anywhere at anytime, emergency medical travel insurance helps to protect you from the unexpected costs that can come with a visit to a doctor or hospital outside of your home country.

Consider for example the following estimates: A stay in a US hospital typically costs about $2,500 Canadian per day. Even more shocking is that if your condition is serious and you require intensive care, it is not uncommon that you would end up paying about $10,000 per day.

If you?re not worried about the costs, because you believe your province?s health insurance plan will cover it, make sure you look into your province?s coverage first. You may be surprised to learn that if your province?s health coverage does extend outside of Canada it will likely be limited.

For example, if you are an Ontario resident travelling outside of Canada you will be covered for emergency care from a physician but only for as much as that service would have cost in Ontario. And, if you need to stay in a hospital to receive emergency services you are covered up to $400 per day for intensive, complex care. If it is less intensive, the maximum is $200.

Why risk it, when emergency medical travel insurance is so inexpensive?
There?s a good chance you?ve spent hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on your trip. For a few extra dollars, you can protect yourself by ensuring you get the attention you need, when you need it while not having to worry about how your emergency treatment will get paid.

The following travel health insurance quotes can be found easily online and show how little emergency medical travel insurance actually costs:

?For travellers aged 16 to 40 years, emergency medical travel insurance is available for as little as $15 for a 2 week trip?or for as little as $26 for an annual travel health insurance policy that covers you for every 2 week trip you take in a year.
?For travellers aged 41 to 55 years, emergency medical travel insurance is available for as little as $15 for a 2 week trip?or for as little as $27 for an annual travel health insurance policy that covers you for every 2 week trip you take in a year.
?For travellers aged 56 to 59 years, emergency medical travel insurance is available for as little as $21 for a 2 week trip?or for as little as $28 for an annual travel health insurance policy that covers you for every 2 week trip you take in a year.

Quotes are for single and annual trip emergency medical insurance for a resident of Ontario travelling overseas or to the US.

Without emergency medical travel insurance, an illness or injury could not only ruin your vacation but would likely have financial consequences for years to come. Why risk it when emergency travel health insurance costs so little and can save you so much? Not to mention the peace of mind it will give you knowing you're covered.

Don?t leave home without travel health insurance. Compare emergency medical travel insurance quotes online today and get the coverage you need for your travels. It is a travel tip that could save you thousands of dollars.