Clusks

Hi everybody.

I've been reading a lot of stuff on this forum (and the wiki) and it's really helped me out!

I'm flying out to Toronto next month as I'm on the IEC scheme and I'm looking forward to it but I'm also quite terrified! I've sorted out my flights and found quite a cheap hotel, so now all I really need to do is get my insurance.

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to traveling, I've never been outside Europe and the last time I was on a plane was 7 years ago! (although I did go to Belgium 4 years ago on a boat, that was the last time I left the UK!). My dad has been quite helpful with stuff as he was in the merchant navy so has quite a lot of experience traveling, but he couldn't really help me when I asked the difference between travel and health insurance.

I'm unsure which is better to get for the trip. I'm not entirely sure how each works. Any help on which is better to get would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks.

iaink

Welcome to BE

Travel insurance will cover lost bags, cancelled flights and local medical expenses and medical evac back to Bblighty for a traveller.

Health insurance will cover you as a resident of Canada for the expenses that provincial coverage would usually cover. In general travel insurance wont cover an extended stay, and is designed to get you back home. Health insurance replacement coverage covers a long term stay.

I dont think that you can get provincial health care on an IEC visa (could be wrong) so you need something to covers emergency treatment, doctors visits, and perhaps dental and prescription drug costs. Bunac used to offer a mandatory insurance package if I remember right, in leau of provincial coverage. The wiki has a list of likely providers.

conjonway

It is certainly possible in Ontario. Couldn't tell you for other provinces.

Although you would still need to show the border officials that you have valid health insurance for a year before they'll even give you the IEC visa, so it's kind of a redundant point.

It's not a bad idea to get the travel insurance (that includes emergency health coverage) because then you're covered for lost items/family emergencies etc etc. A year is a long time and anything can happen!

conjonway

Just to add, I thoroughly recommend http://www.worldnomads.com because it give you the ability to extend/amend your policy whilst you are away. That is what I used for my IEC.

I believe cheaper alternatives can be found on http://www.travelsupermarket.com but make sure you read the terms of the insurance policy so that you are comparing like with like

tee1

Your eligible for provincial health care in BC and Alberta too on the IEC.

I came with 3 months travel insurance and now have BC'S MSP. It was my only option since its becoming increasing more difficult to get comprehensive travel insurance from the UK for "hazardous activities"
Have a think about what you want to do in Canada and make sure your insurance covers you.
There was literally no policy in the UK that would cover me comprehensively for off piste boarding, working in my occupation and allowed return trips home. Plus I have a preexisting condition = Insurance Nightmare.
No reprationaltion with health insurance though Something I'm trying to sort separately
For normal working and incidental outdoor activitie's a lot of people have been using ace and down under insurance. You can still buy a policy from BUNAC too but it hiddously overpriced
Just make sure you read the small print and know what your covered for with a travel insurance policy

Good luck

Clusks

Thanks for all the advice guys, I guess I'll be looking for some health insurance then! My dad reckoned it is better to deal with a Canadian company as they might be more knowledgeable what with me moving to Canada!

I do intend to get the national health care after 3 months but something that is worrying me is that the IEC application says you need extensive health care for the duration of your trip and this is how long your Visa is issued for. This makes me wonder if I only turn up with 3 months worth of private health insurance at immigration, will they then only issue my visa for 3 months? (even if I tell them I intend to go on the provincial health care)

HPJOS

Provincial healthcare covers trips to the doctor, emergency admittance to hospitals & treatment.

It does not cover ambulance trips, prescription charges (no flat rate or freebies here) dental or optical care. So you would be well advised to get top-up coverage unless an employer would provide it but I suspect unlikely if you are only here for a year and planning on moving around a bit.

Have a wonderful time, I did 18 months in Colorado when I left University and it was one of the best experiences of my life, I never regretted doing that for one minute.

I got the shock of my life though when I got sick for the first time, rolled up to the walk-in clinic and on leaving was presented with a $150 bill for drs consultation and my prescription charge $65!! A lot of money for a newly graduated person on minimal income, luckily my insurance paid up. Get it! Being hard up through unexpected medical costs is no fun at all. A friend was presented with a $3k bill for a root canal a month later - get a dental check-up before you go too!

Helen

conjonway

I didn't get the cover for the full year but I was already in Canada and already had OHIP that I would still be eligible for. I wasn't even asked about it. I think I was just lucky, and if they had refused to activate the IEC until I got full coverage I was still able to enter Canada on my existing visa. Basically, in your situation I don't recommend it.

For OHIP (Ontario health coverage) you need to have a job contract for at least 6 months, and it doesnt kick in until after 3 months anyway. Because you're not guaranteed to get a 6 month job contract I cant see CIC letting you in on just your eligibility alone. Best just follow the rules.

As a work around: do any offer a pro-rated refund of you cancelled your coverage after 3 months? Or offer policies that can be reduced?

Edit: here was my thread at the time http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?p=9287727

tee1

Immigration did'nt check any of my of my proof either. No checking of bank stats or travel insurance.
Your right though if immigration do check your travel insurance they will only issue a visa for the same length as your travel policy.
Provincial health care is actually not acceptable for IEC requirements since it has no repatriation.

If your going to look for Canadian private medical insurance something to consider is that all of these policy's have very low maximum claim limits, $50-10,0000. You could easily exceed that if a serious accident occurred (touch wood). The foreign office recommend a min of 2 million medical coverage for north America.
The benefit of these polices is that a lot of them (but not all) will allow you to cancel and get a refund of the unused portion once you have provincial health care.
UK travel insurance will not allow this or at least I couldnt find any that did.

I would'nt recommend being in Canada or any other country for that matter without repatriation insurance though. Not unless you know exactly what your doing and the potential consequences

Provincial health care may not be your best bet if your planning to leave ontario and travel around other provinces since you may not be covered properly.
Why don't you have a good search of the net, there's lots of backpacker insurance policy's that will most likely suit your needs Just be careful if you fly on a one way ticket as a lot of policy's don't allow this or again they will exclude repatriation. I know for sure that pj haymen and ace allows you to fly on a one way

Clusks

Thanks, I am really looking forward to it, although I think I will be even more once I have this insurance sorted!

And I was looking at some insurance that covers you for up to $50,000 for the year, would this not be enough? I don't think I'll be leaving Toronto a great deal for backpacking, I want to visit around Canada (and some of northern USA) but I'd like to have a sort of permanent home!

I'm not really sure, I've kind of resigned myself to the fact that I'm going to have to shell out for the full 12 months. I also don't have a return ticket so I guess it might have to be medical insurance!

francesca025

Hi All,

Just joined British Expats today and I have already found a topic on point for me. I too will be moving to Ontario in April and need to resolve the question of travel and health insurance. From the exchange of messages, it seems I need both - it all seems very daunting! Whilst I can check out travel agents for insurance (I will be back in London for a few weeks in the summer), is there a website I need to go to apply for the health insurance?

In addition, is there a website I can go to to apply for the equivalent of a national insurance card?

Many thanks in advance!

Clusks

From what I understand, you can go to a government building and get a SIN card (equivalent of national insurance) when you get to Canada!

I was having a look on this comparison website for health insurance (it is Canadian insurers though). It's best to have a look about for different quotes, you can usually ask your bank to give you a quote too from what I've been told:

http://www.kanetix.ca/travel-visitors-to-canada

iaink

Welcome to BE

You need to apply in person at a "service canada" office for a SIN card. It doesnt take long, but cant be done online for obvious security reasons.

My take on this thread was that there are indeed providers who can write combined travel/heath insurance policies tailored to the particular needs of IEC visa holders? Plus some of the heat is off anyway if OHIP can be obtained after the normal three month wait period.

Where medical expenses are truly frightening is in case of accident or serious illness where you may end up in surgery or intensive care, those sorts of bills come with 4 or 5 zeros at the end and are the sort of thing that drive someone in the states bankrupt every 30 seconds. OHIP will protect you from that, so its just the first 3 months that need effective coverage in case of the worst happening, $50k IMO is not enough, although perhaps just enough to cover a medical evac back to the UK.

A few years ago a buddy of mine had a heart attack in the states, with pneumonia as a complication while in hospital. By the time he was healthy enough to be evaced back to Ontario his insurer was on the hook for close to $500k.

MarylandNed

That's a SIN (Social Insurance Number) card.

http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/sin/

However, healthcare coverage in Canada is a provincial matter so you'll also have a separate health insurance card with a different ID number (different to the SIN). In the case of Ontario, you'll have an OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) card.

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/

There's a 3 month wait for OHIP coverage to kick in but you can apply as soon as you can prove that you are eligible - i.e. you don't need to wait 3 months before applying. They'll also back date your application if you can prove that you were eligible before you actually applied. There's a list of documents that they will accept as proof of OHIP eligibility. If you can't get an Ontario driver's license right away, you can get an Ontario photo ID card and use that for the OHIP application (although neither are needed if you have enough other proof).

http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/s...e/9998-82E.pdf

francesca025

Thanks very much for this newbie. Will check out your link.

Getting used to all the abbreviations - "IEC" means?