2 Real Stories That Prove Why You Need Visitors to Canada Medical Insurance
When travelling, we all make a “mental checklist” for packing the essentials. Passport, toothbrush, comfortable shoes, and gloves for the cold Canadian winter, or sunglasses for sunny Canadian days. One thing many people forget on their checklist is visitors to Canada medical insurance. Here are two stories to show you why you don’t want to bring home the souvenir of a costly medical bill when visiting Canada without medical insurance for visitors to Canada.
Real Life Story #1 – Mariana and Her Fall
Mariana, a 77-year-old visitor to Canada from Italy, avoided paying $72,000 for a hip injury while in Canada. She was visiting her grandson in Lethbridge, Alberta. During her stay, she lost her balance and fell, unable to get up. Concerned, her grandson and family quickly called an ambulance, which rushed her to the hospital.
At the hospital, doctors diagnosed Mariana with a broken hip that required surgery. She remained in hospital care for ten days before being discharged to her grandson’s home. To support her recovery and mobility, Mariana was provided with a walker to help her move safely around his house. Mariana was immensely grateful that her grandson had thoughtfully purchased Visitors to Canada Insurance before her arrival. This allowed her to receive the necessary care and saved her from spending $72,000 in out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Here is the breakdown of how much Mariana would have paid if she did not have visitors to Canada medical insurance:
Real Life Story #2 – Ramon and His Heart Condition
Unexpected medical costs can rise quickly, as Ramon, a 72-year-old from the Philippines visiting family in Canada, Abbotsford, BC, found out. He was enjoying a peaceful stay—until he began experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath that lasted for 24 hours. Out of concern, his family rushed him to the local emergency department.
Doctors quickly determined that Ramon needed specialized care and transferred him to a hospital in Surrey, BC. There, he underwent a heart procedure to restore blood flow, and he received six stents. Fortunately, Ramon’s recovery was smooth—he spent just two days in the hospital before being discharged to continue his visit in Canada. Ten days later, he had a follow-up appointment with a local doctor to ensure he was healing well.
Thankfully, before Ramon’s journey, his family purchased Visitors to Canada Insurance for him. This essential coverage took care of his hospital stay, procedure, and follow-up visits, saving him over $175,000 in medical costs that could have been financially devastating without visitor to Canada insurance.
Here is the breakdown of the cost of his heart procedure:
Potential Cost for Different Stories
Picture this. You are at your grandchild’s baseball game, watching them play the winning pitch, when all the sudden the baseball comes flying at your face and chips your tooth! After visiting the dentist, you come to find that the cost of an emergency dental visit in Canada for visitors, who are not covered by the government of Canada health insurance plans, can range from a minimum of $100 for an emergency exam or x-ray to a whopping $500 or more for dental fillings and bonding.
If watching baseball is not your idea of a good time, imagine you are taking a scenic hike, enjoying the beautiful fall leaves in all their colourful glory, from bright yellow to deep and powerful red, when all of a sudden you slip on wet fallen leaves on the ground and you find yourself in the emergency room! There, you discover the cost to repair a broken foot, leg, hand, and/or arm for a visitor in Canada, who is not covered by the government of Canada health insurance plans, can range from a minimum of $1,000 for the initial emergency room visit to well over $10,000 for surgical intervention!
What if you are not into baseball, nor scenic hikes, but rather you prefer the safety of the family or friends’ home you are visiting and aren’t really going to be too adventurous with your vacation time. You wake up one morning and find that you cannot open one of your eyes! It is as if it is glued shut, and no amount of washing it out will resolve the irritation. You soon realize that you must see an optometrist to get your eye examined and soon find out that this will cost you between $75 to $250 out of pocket just to have your problematic eye examined because you are a visitor in Canada, who is not covered by the government of Canada health insurance plans. The optometrist may determine that you need prescription antibiotic eye drops, and that nothing over-the-counter will work, which will cost you at least another $30.
Now we are all clearly seeing the value of purchasing visitors to Canada insurance before you begin your journey to Canada since the unforeseen troubles can be mitigated with a simple click and easy online purchase of protective Visitor to Canada insurance!
What if you don’t have any visitors coming to Canada, and instead you are a Canadian traveling aboard? Protecting yourself abroad from unforeseen medical situations by purchasing Canadian Travellers insurance for all your travel needs remains the most important item to pack!
Mariana’s and Ramon’s stories are based on actual claims with specific traveller details changed to protect privacy.
