Canadian (Manitoba) out of province health insurance?

December 5, 2015 9:58 AM

My stepdaughter and infant granddaughter will be visiting us in Ontario from Manitoba for 2-3 weeks over Christmas. I'm getting conflicting information about whether they need supplementary travel health insurance over and above what their Manitoba Health Card covers with inter-provincial agreements. What is covered? What isn't? How much should I expect to pay for extra coverage?
posted by rocket88 to Travel & Transportation (3 answers total)

Best answer: I can't speak to what you would pay for extra coverage, but the biggest thing that's not covered by the inter-provincial reciprocal agreements is ambulance transport. If you live anywhere besides Toronto (and an emergency could therefore require an air ambulance to a specialist facility), that bill could hit the tens of thousand of dollars very quickly. Your stepdaughter could also be responsible for the cost of returning to Manitoba if she has a health emergency while in Ontario, depending on how the repatriation is arranged, which could likewise include paying for an air ambulance or for private nursing on the trip home.

The other things not covered by the reciprocal agreement probably wouldn't be a huge concern for a young woman and child. They include non-acute services like home support, residential care, etc. Your stepdaughter would also have to pay out of pocket for anything that she would be billed directly for in Manitoba, like certain devices, surgical upgrades, and material upgrades. The ambulance is the big thing, however, and worth insuring ahead of time for peace of mind.
posted by northernish at 10:32 AM on December 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Besides the transport thing some insurance will also cover travel and/or accommodations for companions/guardians. So if your granddaughter is hospitalized the insurance would cover fees to change flights, hotel cancellation fees etc. for both your stepdaughter and granddaughter.
posted by Mitheral at 3:08 PM on December 5, 2015

Most hospitals will accept it upon entrance, but will bill you after for any difference in reimbursement rates. For other places such as walk-in clinics you will likely have to pay a fee averaging $100 - $200 and be reimbursed by your provincial plan after returning home.

You may already have insurance though! Most people's employer sponsored insurance plans cover this, and if not, many credit cards do. If you don't, keep in mind there are a number of additional expenses besides health care that are covered by private insurance, such as changing your flight home, accommodations for a guardian, etc.
posted by mikek at 5:37 PM on December 5, 2015