TRAVELLER'S AREA > TRAVEL TIPS

Key Points and Reminders

• HEALTH CHANGES: If your health or medications change before you depart, your coverage may be affected. A change in your health at any time during your travels may also affect your coverage for that condition. Please call us to discuss how your policy and coverage might be affected!
• POLICY BOOKLET: Please read your policy booklet and know the benefits, exclusions and limitations included. We do our best to inform our clients on as many important details as possible, but it is imperative to ensure you are well-informed before you travel.
• CONFIRMATION/WALLET CARDS: Please verify that the information on your confirmation documents is correct, including the spelling of your name, medical plan, deductible option, dates of travel, etc. If there are any errors, please contact us immediately. Be sure to carry your wallet cards with you at all times. Don't forget to save your confirmation as it also acts as your income tax receipt.
• DATE CHANGES: In some cases, changing your travel dates without having your policy updated may result in your policy becoming null and void. Please advise us if you plan to change your dates of travel. There is no fee to change your policy information before it has become effective. We cannot change dates once the policy is in effect.
• EXTENSIONS: To extend your policy while you are away, call Snowbird Medi-Quote prior to your current policy expiring. Unless you have spoken directly to a broker, do not assume your extension is in place. We will extend your policy provided you have not had or intend to make a claim. If you have had a claim, special approval from the insurance provider will be required to extend your policy.
• IN AN EMERGENCY: Prior to seeking medical assistance it is extremely important that you call the assistance centre phone number located on your wallet card as soon as you are physically able, or even before you leave for the hospital where time permits.
• TEMPORARY TRIP HOME: Should you have to temporarily return home at any time during your coverage period, please call our office to notify us. We can advise on the rules surrounding interrupting your coverage and in some cases we may be able to ensure you are not paying for days you won't make use of.
• RETURNING EARLY: If you return home early and qualify for a refund, we will require written proof indicating the date you returned to Canada or your Province of Residence. Acceptable documents must show your name, location and date. Examples are a credit card receipt, documents at border crossing, flight boarding passes, etc. Administration fees and minimum refund amounts may apply. Refunds are not available if you have made or intend to make a claim.
• REFUNDS: If you wish to cancel your policy and receive a refund in full, please contact us prior to the effective date of your policy. There is no fee to cancel your policy prior to the effective date. We cannot issue a full refund on policies that are in effect and there is no refund available on Multi-Trip annual plans once they are in effect. We require a written request in order to cancel your policy.

IMPORTANT: Proof of Departure and Return Date

It is a very important requirement of all travel insurance policies that you can provide proof of your departure as well as your scheduled return date.

Most insurance companies will ask for this information in the event of a claim during the adjudication process. This proof ensures you have fulfilled this requirement of your policy. All claims can be more paperwork than you would imagine, not just in travel insurance, but any claim under any insurance policy you may have.

If you have questions about this topic or you would like assistance understanding your claim forms, please contact Shirley or Lori at 1-800-661-3098. We are here to help.

Emergency Care In The United States

We often see clients frustration, if they have a small emergency while on their trip, that a lot of Urgent Care clinics do not accept Canadian insurance. This means, if they used an Urgent Care clinic to seek treatment from a doctor, they had to pay the physician fees out of pocket.

The reason Urgent Care Clinics don't often accept Canadian insurance, is that they are typically privately owned, and there is no requirement for them to provide a direct billing service, and everyone knows that 'medical tourism', especially from Canadians, can mean big business for American health services providers.

Back home in Canada, our mindset would always be to go to a 'Minor Emergency Clinic' whenever possible in case of a minor medical problem, and only ever to go to a hospital emergency room if the severity of the situation would warrant it. To translate this same mindset to seeking treatment in the US is actually the opposite of what you should do.

Canadians equate a hospital emergency room to long lines, severe medical emergencies, and general overcrowding. Canadians also equate Minor Emergency Clinics with shorter lines, less severe emergencies and better service for those emergencies.

In the US, you all know that hospitals are not government owned or funded, so they are run as for-profit businesses. That means that large hospital emergency rooms in the US are not plagued with he problems that most Canadian Emergency Room have. They typically are not underfunded, short-staffed or overcrowded. They don't have long line-ups, and you don't feel that you are using up a spot that could be better used on someone more sick than you are.

And, the good news is that most American hospitals allow direct billing arrangements with Canadian insurance companies which means you won't have to pay out of pocket, or can more readily negotiate one if you show up at an Emergency Room of a hospital that they don't have a direct billing arrangement with. They can handle all sort of medical emergencies, large and small. And, they are, on average, more likely to allow the insurance company to negotiate the price down in a volume discount than an Urgent Care clinic.

This translates into better, faster service as well as savings for you, the consumer, by way of reduced premium increases on next year's travel insurance premium.

So next time you are faced with a minor emergency while traveling in the US, you may consider seeking treatment at a hospital emergency room rather than an Urgent Care clinic. Its a win-win situation for everyone involved.