During a trip outside our home province, are we properly covered by our governmental health insurance programs?

Did you know that health services received outside your province are covered only by the rates in effect in your province, while the actual costs may be much higher?

A stay in another province in Canada can be an expensive trip! 
That's what a couple discovered during their stay in Vancouver. An unfortunate accident that left the gentleman with a broken leg. The total cost of the bill was $45,370 for the medical care.

Reimbursement of his Provincial Health Insurance Plan: $29,149. Luckily for this couple, they had taken travel insurance before their departure. The insurance company reimbursed the missing $16,221.
 
The person who needs medical consulting with a doctor in another Canadian province has nothing to pay when the doctor accepts the maximum coverage fees of that person’s province. Otherwise, the person has to pay the doctor’s fees himself and must thereafter apply for reimbursement in his province. Note that the person’s provincial health will only reimburse him at the current provincial rate, just like if he were at home.
   
As you noted, reimbursement for medical care is different from one province to the next. There is also no reimbursement by the provincial plans for the cost of an air ambulance, which starts at $20,000. Your provincial plan will not cover the repatriation of your remains upon your death either.

There are a wide range of coverage options for you when you are leaving your province of residence.

Annual plans are a great way to protect yourself for an unlimited number of trips out of your province.

Some annual plans offer you an unlimited number of days while you are traveling in Canada. There are also products on the market that are called Canada Plans, which cover you on a per trip basis and are offered at a fraction of the price.