Travel medical insurance — protection where your provincial plan stops
Emergency medical coverage for Canadian residents and newcomers travelling abroad. Real protection where your provincial plan stops. We focus on the medical coverage that actually matters.
Where your provincial plan stops, this begins
Provincial health plans cover residents at home — they pay almost nothing for emergency care in another country. One hospital stay abroad can cost more than years of premiums. Travel medical insurance closes that gap, whether you’re flying back home to visit family, wintering down south, or studying overseas.
Travel medical guide →
The complete guide to emergency medical coverage abroad — what it includes and how to choose.
What it costs →
Age, destination, trip length, and deductible — how the premium is built.
Single vs multi-trip →
One journey or a year of trips — which structure saves you money.
Visiting family abroad →
Going back home to see family? Coverage built for the trip newcomers take most.
Snowbirds →
Long winter stays in the US or south — coverage matched to extended trips.
Pre-existing conditions →
How stability rules work for travel medical, and when a condition is covered.
Why a provincial plan barely covers you abroad
OHIP and the other provincial plans are built for care inside Canada. The moment you land in another country, that coverage shrinks to almost nothing — and a foreign hospital still expects to be paid.
Ontario closed its out-of-country travellers program back in 2020, so OHIP now reimburses little or nothing toward a hospital bill in the US, India, the UK, or anywhere else. Provinces that still pay out typically cap it at a token daily amount — a small fraction of what a hospital abroad actually charges. That gap between what you are billed and what your province returns is exactly what travel medical insurance is built to cover. Rules and reimbursement amounts differ by province and change over time, so confirm your own province’s current out-of-country policy before you rely on it.
| Situation abroad | Illustrative out-of-pocket cost |
|---|---|
| Emergency room visit before admission (US) | often USD $1,000–$3,000+ |
| Hospital stay, per day (US) | commonly USD $3,000–$10,000+ |
| Cardiac event with admission (US) | can exceed USD $50,000 |
| Air ambulance or medical repatriation to Canada | often USD $25,000–$100,000+ |
| What your provincial plan reimburses | usually little to nothing — confirm current rules |
Who needs it — and how to choose
If your trip takes you outside Canada, you are outside your provincial plan. These are the travellers who most often ask us for emergency medical coverage abroad.
Newcomers visiting home →
Flying back to India, the Philippines, or elsewhere to see family? This is the trip our clients take most — cover the flight and the whole stay.
Snowbirds & long stays →
Weeks or months down south each winter. Extended trips need a coverage length and stability window matched to how long you are gone.
Frequent travellers →
Several trips a year for family, business, or vacations? A multi-trip annual plan can work out cheaper than buying cover each time.
How to choose a plan
- Coverage amount. Match the emergency medical limit to your destination — higher-cost countries call for a higher limit, while lower-cost destinations may need less. An advisor can help you match the limit to where you are going.
- Trip length and frequency. One journey usually points to a single-trip plan; several trips a year often favour a multi-trip annual plan. See single-trip vs multi-trip.
- Pre-existing conditions. If you manage a health condition, check the stability period the plan requires before it will consider that condition — windows vary by insurer and age.
- Deductible. A higher deductible lowers the premium but raises what you pay before coverage responds.
- 24/7 assistance and direct billing. Look for a plan with a round-the-clock assistance line that can bill the hospital directly, so you are not fronting large bills on a credit card far from home.
Not sure which limit or structure fits your trip? Tell me where you are going, for how long, and the travellers’ ages, and I’ll compare plans and send a transparent quote — get in touch here. If someone is instead coming to Canada, the visitor insurance silo is the right place to start.
Travel medical FAQ
What is travel medical insurance?
Doesn't my provincial health plan cover me abroad?
Single-trip or multi-trip?
Are pre-existing conditions covered?
How much emergency medical coverage should I buy?
Does travel medical insurance cover trip cancellation or lost baggage?
Related coverage
Travelling soon? Let’s get you covered.
Tell me where you’re going, for how long, and the travellers’ ages — I’ll compare travel-medical plans and send a transparent quote. No charge.
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