Snowbirds planning on still heading south this winter are being warned to make sure that your medical insurance is in order or it can cost you thousands of dollars.
Kamloops lawyer Kerri Priddle says any little flaw in your travel insurance application will void your coverage potentially leaving you on the hook with a devastating bill.
“A claim for insurance coverage is reviewed to see if you’re eligible for coverage at the time that you make your claim. So, after you’re sick and already incurring medical expenses then they look to see if you are eligible, they don’t look at the time the policy is purchased and so that is a big trap,” she said.
Priddle says that means when you buy a policy it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re covered.
“So then you go on your trip and you think you’re covered because you’ve got this policy, then you get down to Arizona and one night you get food poisoning and have to stay in the hospital or you fall on a hike and you’ve broken your ankle, well now you call and make a claim to your insurer and that’s when they check the accuracy of your application to see if you’re covered,” she said, noting companies will check everything and try to get out of paying if they can.
“The reason for that is, I guess, is it’s too much work for the insurer to check every application for insurance when the issue the policy, they just rely on the facts that you provide in the application,” she added.
“So, if you forget to list even one small thing in your medical history on the application you can find yourself in the hospital in the United States without any insurance coverage and not even know it.”
As it stands, Canadian citizens and permanent residents are being told to avoid all non-essential travel outside of Canada to limit the spread of COVID-19. If you must travel or are already outside Canada, you’re asked to get the latest advice and information.
The Canada-United States border will remain closed until at least Nov. 21, though it is expected to be extended further.
With files from Victor Kaisar
