Travel insurance for heatlhy travelers.

Travel insurance is critical for those with "pre-existing medical conditions". But what if you don't have any? YES, you still should purchase private travel insurance to cover medical emergencies.

Your Provincial Health Insurance Plan helps so little in paying overseas medical bills. For instance, "OHIP will only reimburse up to a total of $50.00 CDN per day for this service regardless of the severity of the situation."(*1)  And how much will you have to pay from your pocket?   The following claim examples give you a hint of how much you'll be billed without travel insurance.

Case A - 62-year-old female. In Costa Rica, while zip-lining through the rain forest, she was stung by bees multiple times.  She stayed ER overnight and left with antibiotics.
Ambulance fees..............................................................$450.00
Hospital fees ............................................................... $4,300.50
Doctors’ fees ..................……..……………...……..………...............$350.72
Prescriptions .................................................................. $117.80
Provincial medical ............................................................ -$80.00
Total Cost paid by the insurer..........……................... $5,139.02 

Case B - 40-year-old Male. He was on a ski trip in Montana when developed a fever and chills. ER doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia. Prescribed antibiotics and followed up at a walk-in clinic. 
Hospital fees ............................................................... $35,456.00
Doctors’ fees ................................................................ $1,325.90
Radiology fees .................................................................. $985.00 
Prescriptions ..................................................................... $113.65
Walk-in clinic fees ............................................................... $152.00
Provincial medical .............................................................. - $410.00
Total Cost paid by the insurer...................................... $37,622.55 

Case C - 56-year-old Female. While visiting Wisconsin, she began experiencing pain with urination. Walk-in clinic doctor ordered bloodwork and a urinalysis. Antibiotics  for urinary tract infection prescribed.
Walk-in clinic fees ............................................................ $225.10
Doctors’ fees ...................................................................$687.00
Pathology fees .............................................................. $1,706.40 
Prescriptions ..................................................................... $75.23
Provincial medical ........................................................... - $150.00 
Total Cost paid by the insurer..………............................ $2,543.73



This is a great place to start.  Call us today and find out what you need to save you from unexpected medical bills.

Toll Free: 1-888-298-6526(Toronto, ON)  1-888-267-4461 (Vancouver, BC)
Email inquiry: info@biis.ca


(*1) Government of Ontario  
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/programs/ohip/outofcountry/travellers.aspx
(Case A-C) by the courtesy of our partner TuGo

Claim story from Travel Underwriter

Take, for example, the case of a 55 year old Travel Underwriters claimant from Lynton, Alberta. While working at his winter home in Mesa, Arizona, he amputated three fingers with a band saw and required immediate emergency medical attention. He was rushed by ambulance to the local Valley Lutheran Hospital, where medical staff performed surgery to reattach his fingers.

His travel insurance plan covered the cost of surgery, his three-day stay in the hospital afterwards, as well as the ambulance service and necessary prescriptions upon release. Not only were the medical expenses covered, his Travel Underwriters insurance policy also covered the $1,600 return of his vehicle by a commercial agency to Canada, since he was unable to drive back. The total claim amount was in excess of $39,000 USD, with only $400 CAD being covered by his government health insurance.

A claim example like this is a perfect way to understand the concrete value and peace of mind that comes with purchasing travel insurance.

Looking for a few more claims examples? It will come. Meantime, please take a look at the Travel Insurance site. That would give you an idea about cost of the Travel Insurance.

Warmest regards,

CLAIMS STORY

It’s our business to help

Imagine a simple vacation turning into a nightmare. That’s what happened to Roy (not his real name) who thought a visit to his sister in sunny Australia would give him plenty of time for surf and sand.

One day at the local beach, Roy dove into shallow water and didn’t come back up. His friends pulled him out of the water and discovered that he couldn’t move his limbs. He was airlifted to a hospital in Perth and diagnosed with a broken neck. Roy was suddenly a quadriplegic.

Roy’s brother-in-law quickly phoned TIC. Our travel assistance department contacted the hospital and received the necessary paperwork so they could guarantee coverage for Roy. Our travel assistance evening staff constantly communicated with the family members here in Canada, updating them on Roy’s condition.

His parents were the most concerned. They booked tickets to Australia to be with their son and our case manager told them that Roy’s admission to hospital was entirely covered. They wouldn’t have to worry about money and could concentrate on helping their son during this difficult time. The case manager told them about the Transportation of Family or Friend benefit and how they could claim out-of-pocket expenses.

Although the hospital in Australia thought Roy would have to stay for six weeks, his parents wanted their son back in Canada as soon as possible.

Our medical consultant remained in constant communication with the treating doctors. After two and a half weeks, our assistance team received the okay from the Australian doctors and began making arrangements to get Roy back to Canada quickly and safely.

But the family faced more problems. Roy didn’t have a family doctor, so it wasn’t easy to find a hospital to take him. Through heard work TIC managed to get him a bed in Vancouver General Hospital’s spinal unit – exactly where his parents wanted him.

Stretcher transport is no longer allowed in North America but our travel assistance team still figured out a way to get him back to Canada. He flew a stretcher trip on an airplane from Australia to Los Angeles. In LA, an air ambulance returned him back to Vancouver.

His mother has MS and she couldn’t fly back with him. Roy’s parents stayed in Australia while their son was being transported to the other side of the world. Our travel assist team stayed in constant communication with his parents, updating them on his progress.

In the end, TIC got Roy home before Christmas, just three weeks after the accident. His parents were extremely happy and grateful. In a life-changing accident like this, it makes an enormous difference when you have professionals working on the hospital details and travel arrangements. Roy and his parents had enough to worry about and we happily did everything we could to relieve some of the burden. Apply online at http://www.biis.ca