With over 65 per cent of all tourists to Canada coming to visit in the Spring and Summer, Canadians are getting ready to open their doors to friends and family making their way to Canada for their vacation.* With this in mind, if you are expecting to receive visitors, whether for a few days or even up to whole year, travel insurance is appropriate to research and suggest to your expected guests.
Why? It's all in the numbers; well, maybe just one number actually.
$7,000. That's how much a stay in a Canadian hospital costs on average per patient in 2004-2005, according to a Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) report released in March 2008.
$7,000. That's why tourists planning to travel to Canada should make sure they have proper emergency medical coverage prior to beginning their vacation here; because unlike Canadian residents receiving treatment in their home province, international visitors and tourists are not covered by the Canadian government for even the most basic hospital care.
$7,000. That's why the Canadian travel insurance industry has come out with a travel insurance product specifically designed for tourists in Canada. It's most often referred to as "Visitors to Canada Travel Insurance" and essentially acts as an equivalent to what the average Canadian is covered for through both provincial government coverage and employer benefits (up to specific maximum coverage amounts of course), plus a few extras.
What's covered with a Visitors to Canada travel insurance policy?
Visitors to Canada travel insurance policies vary from company to company, but standard coverage includes:
- emergency hospital and medical services in Canada
- extended healthcare in Canada
- emergency transportation within Canada
- accidental dental work within Canada
- prescription drug expenses at Canadian pharmacies
Who would benefit from a Visitors to Canada insurance policy?
In general, any person who is not a Canadian citizen and travelling to Canada for any amount of time would benefit from getting visitors to Canada travel insurance. In many ways it's better than buying regular travel insurance from the tourist's home country; mainly because Canadian insurers know the Canadian health care system best and can provide the quickest turnaround time on claims.
Think about Visitors to Canada travel insurance if you, a family member or a friend is:
- an international tourist travelling to one or more Canadian provinces
- an international visitor coming to Canada to visit family or friends; or
- an immigrant who does not yet qualify for Canadian provincial health insurance who is looking for interim health coverage until eligible.
How much does a Visitors to Canada travel insurance policy cost?
Well for starters, it's much less than $7000! As with all travel insurance prices, visitors to Canada insurance prices vary depending on your age, how long you plan to be visiting and from which company you decide to buy coverage.
Looking for more information about Visitors to Canada?
*Canadian Tourism Commission: 2007 year-in-review. Most current data available online.
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