How do you insure a successful vacation? Simple. Buy lots of travel insurance.
While that might sound like we’re shilling for an insurance company, as any seasoned traveller will tell you, you can’t have enough travel insurance.
Example: A friend goes to Florida a few years back and suffers a minor heart attack.
“Oops, I forgot to buy travel insurance,” he tells me.
Result: A medical bill exceeding $65,000 — U.S.!
“And they didn’t even cut me open,” he still laments.
It’s good to remember that just because Canadians have “universal" medicare coverage, it doesn't cover us universally.
“OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) only paid a fraction of my obscene Florida medical expenses,” my friend discovered to his horror.
The good news, though, is that most Canadians — 78 per cent according to statistics obtained from the Conference Board of Canada — were covered by some form of private travel insurance on their last “long haul” trip.
However, that does not appear to be the case when it comes to day trippers. Canadians have made over three million single-day trips to the United States this year and it appears most rolled the dice and did not take travel insurance.
“Last year, less than 1.4 per cent of the single-trip medical policies purchased through our broker and travel agent partners were for one or two-day trips, which suggests there may be a coverage gap and many Canadians could be needlessly putting themselves at risk," says Dan Keon, Vice President, Market Management at Allianz Global Assistance Canada.

“Just getting a few stitches in an American hospital could cost upwards of $3,000 (U.S.), or a sprained ankle around $2,000,” he adds. “More serious injuries requiring surgery or hospital stays could possibly run into the tens of thousands of dollars.”
Suddenly, that trip to Buffalo to buy cheap back-to-school supplies could end up being very expensive.
“Too frequently, travellers just don't consider that something adverse could happen on a simple day trip,” says Keon. “When you consider how common it is for Canadians to cross the border, particularly for shopping, it's concerning that some travellers may not be considering the financial consequences of a medical emergency during these shorter trips.”
Companies like Allianz Global Assistance recommend that travellers who make several day trips across the border each year consider annual multi-trip medical coverage.
“This type of plan,” according to Keon, “provides emergency medical coverage for an unlimited number of trips during a one-year period, allowing the customer to set it, forget it and stay protected each and every time they leave the country.”
Oh,  and if you think you’re well protected travelling within Canada, think again. Most provinces do have reciprocal agreements regarding health care coverage, but, as Keon points out, that does not apply to things like ambulances and “should you need to be evacuated by helicopter, you would not be covered by provincial plans.” Most private insurance policies usually cover such issues.
Of growing concern to Canadian travellers abroad these days, though, is the threat of terrorist attacks in major cities — the kind that have happened in Paris and London all too often in recent years. Many TraveLife readers have asked if private travel insurance would cover them if they got caught in the crossfire.
The answer: Well, maybe.
Keon suggests travellers should carefully study the “travel advisories” issued and updated constantly by the Canadian government and take special notice of the destinations with the warnings “high degree of caution,” “avoid non-essential travel,” “exercise high degree of caution” and “avoid all travel” listed beside them.
Should you visit a country that the Canadian government has flagged, then several conditions come into play.
“If you fall and break a leg in one of those countries, then you’d probably be covered by private travel insurance,” says Keon. “But, if you are injured in an incident that relates to the reason why the government issued their warning in the first place (high crime rate, civil unrest or terrorist attacks), then you might not be covered.”
Because of the recent terrorist attacks, London and Paris now have “exercise a high degree of caution” listed beside their names on the government’s website. But then again, so does the Bahamas, India, South Africa, Brazil and U.S. Virgin Islands.
That’s why Keon says it’s so important that travellers carefully research their needs and verify the terms, conditions, limitations, exclusions and requirements of their insurance policy before leaving Canada.
Yea, but who has time or a law degree to figure out the legalize of an insurance policy?
“The industry is working very hard to simplify language so consumers have a better understanding of their coverage and the limitations on their policies,” says Keon.
There’s a whole host of reasons why private insurance companies can deny coverage. Like, did you know that if you get very inebriated at a destination wedding and end up hurting yourself, your insurance provider might deny payment of your medical claims.
Talk about a hangover.
That said, a survey by the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada (THIA) shows that more than 95.3 per cent of travel health claims are successfully paid.
Interestingly, though, 47 per cent of respondents to that survey say they have never reviewed their policies, even though 23 per cent of them said they had required medical treatment while travelling.
Pregnancy is another important consideration for those planning a trip. Most travel health insurance policies do not cover women more than 31 weeks pregnant. This means that any kind of health condition experienced after the specified period in the policy will not be covered.
Almost half of the respondents to the THIA  survey are under the illusion that pre-term infants are covered by travel health insurance when the reality is that virtually no policies cover pre-term infants born while travelling. Neo-natal intensive care can bankrupt a family, so beware.
If you have a pre-existing condition that you are looking to cover, it needs to be stable for a period of time as specified in the policy.
 Most people do not realize that a blood test that indicates a change in health status could compromise their medical stability, and as a result their coverage. And most do not realize that a change in prescription can qualify as a change in health status.
There’s much to consider before travelling, so just “insure” a worry-free vacation by purchasing plenty of travel insurance.

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE YOU LEAVE

1- Does the plan provide continuous coverage for the duration of your stay abroad and after you return?
2- Does it offer coverage that is renewable from abroad and for the maximum period of stay?
3- Does the company have an in-house, worldwide, 24-hour/7-day emergency contact number in English and/or translation services for health-care providers in your destination country?
4- Does it pay for foreign hospitalization for illness or injury and related medical costs and provide up-front payment of bills or cash advances, so you don’t have to pay out of your own pocket?
5- Does the plan cover pre-existing medical conditions? Make sure you get a written agreement that your pre-existing medical condition is covered, or you could find your claim “null and void” under a pre-existing condition clause.
6- Does the agreement include a compassion clause stating that an inaccurate statement may not invalidate the entire policy, and a change of health clause?
7- Does the plan provide for medical evacuation to Canada or the nearest location with appropriate medical care and pays for a medical escort (health-care provider) to accompany you to and from your destination.
8- Ensure that deductible costs are clearly explained in the plan. Plans with 100 per cent coverage are more expensive but may save money in the long run.
9- Check whether it excludes or significantly limits coverage for certain regions or countries you may visit.
10- Finally, ensure that the plan covers the preparation and return of your remains to Canada if you die abroad.