February 7, 2012

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How to Find Personal Health Insurance in Canada

December 21, 2008 By Kate

In Canada, you`ll find that if you are a resident or citizen, you qualify for Medicare, government sponsored health insurance. However, this isn`t for everyone. There are certain things that can take too long if you are waiting for your provincial health plan to kick in or if you aren`t a proper resident. For anyone who has recently moved to a new province, it can also take time to get established and get your health benefits transferred over. This is when personal Canadian health insurance comes in handy.

Insurance is a good idea since you really have no idea when something might happen. An unexpected car accident or an injury in your home that requires therapy and medications that aren`t covered by the provincial health plan can wreak havoc on your financial plans.

Why You Need Extra Health Insurance

There are a number of common health issues that simply aren`t covered by standard provincial health plans. Rather than pay full price for these, it is almost always cheaper to opt for a monthly plan where you can pay a certain amount in order to get coverage for things not included in regular Canadian health insurance.

Some of the things that may not be included in your provincial plan include the following:

•    Dental work
•    Eyeglasses and contacts
•    Prescription drugs
•    Ambulance transport

Prescription drugs in particular can be very expensive in Canada and if you need more than a few days worth, it can quickly break the bank. For this reason alone, many people opt for extra health insurance to make sure they can afford these additional expenses.

How It Works

Using personal Canadian health insurance isn`t that complicated. It works like any other insurance plan. You`ll be paying a monthly fee for the coverage and if or when you need it, you`ll be responsible for paying a premium, the first part of the cost. For example, if you have a premium of $1,000, you`ll be paying that amount and any further expenses will be taken care of by the insurance company.

It`s important to note that the lower the premium, the higher the monthly payments will be and vice versa. Make sure you fully understand the terms of the contract before you decide, since this can make all the difference when you need help.

Where to Find Canadian Health Insurance

If you are looking to create a more comprehensive health care plan, you`ll need to find an insurance company that offers what you need for a good price. This means knowing what you actually need included. There`s no reason to pay more than necessary if you don`t require certain things to be covered, so look for a plan that suits you.

There are quite a few insurance companies that can help you out with good policies and that can make it tough to pick just one. A good way to go, in this case, is with a website that offers comparisons of several insurance providers.

You`ll be able to see at a glance exactly which services are suitable for you, according to price and what they cover. At the very least, you`ll want to include medications and eye care. However it`s important to note that there are other options, as well. For example, you might want to include dental in your health plan. For those who prefer a little luxury, look for an insurance plan that includes private rooms when you are in the hospital.

Canadian health insurance Ajax provided by the government doesn`t always give you what you need, so you may want to consider getting your own personal insurance. This will afford the coverage needed and can be far less costly than later having to pay out of pocket for unforeseen health issues and problems.

Filed Under: Health Insurance Tagged With: , ,


Canadian Travel Insurance – Why It’s Important

November 25, 2008 By Kate

Medical coverage can be a big concern for Canadian residents who travel on a regular basis. Regular insurance may only cover a small portion of emergency medical expenses that occur outside of the providence in which a person resides, if any of is even covered at all.

Uncovered emergency medical expenses can absolutely cripple a person or family financially. Emergency medical care costs can begin to add up even if you do have some coverage, but those with no coverage at all could quickly find themselves in a hole too deep to get out of after just a day or two in the hospital.

Extra travel insurance could be an absolute necessity if you are required to travel on a regular basis for your employer, but it’s also a good idea for those that just need to travel on occasion.

Piece of Mind

Travel insurance in Canada is available to almost all people in virtually any type of situation where travel is taking place. It’s capable of taking care of someone involved in any multitude of different situations, so Canadian residents are able to travel as much as they need to without any worries at all.

Outsiders looking In

For people traveling to Canada from another country, the problem of coverage under their regular insurance may also pose a problem. Many insurance companies don’t cover all of the expenses that can be incurred when an injury or emergency occurs during international travel.

For people who want to spend some time in Canada for pleasure, or those that are required to travel to and stay in Canada for business there is Visitors to Canada travel insurance.

Emergency medical care anywhere in the world can be very expensive, but with visitors to Canada travel insurance visitors can spend their time in Canada focusing on what’s important to their trip, whether it be business or pleasure, without any fear.

In order to obtain Visitors to Canada travel insurance, a visitor will need to know in which province they will be spending the majority of their time and they’ll have to fill out a declaration of health before being able to purchase the plan that will best accommodate their needs for a particular trip. That doesn’t seem like very much at all to truly obtain piece of mind to know that you’ll be taken care of in the event of any unforeseen instances.

Travel insurance, depending upon the type of plan chosen, may also cover such things as: accommodations, transportation and reimbursement for necessities like clothing and toiletries in the event that an injury or emergency prevents you from continuing your travels as planned.

If you are traveling with family and loved ones and purchase a plan for the group – if one person becomes injured or requires emergency treatment, the others in the group could be eligible for several amenities as well should the injury affect or inhibit the rest of their travel.

Many travelers going from province to province or coming from outside of Canada in, think that travel insurance is simply an extra expense that they don’t really need – they adopt the attitude that if they travel and nothing happens to them (which is often the most likely outcome) that they will have, in effect, wasted X amount of dollars that could have been used for something better. Though this is a very real possibility, in most cases there will be no accidents or emergencies what so ever and all travelers will arrive home on time, safe and sound. What these travelers should consider though is that accidents do happen – one accident could mean terrible things for a traveler who isn’t covered.

For those traveling (especially frequently) through Canada and who aren’t already covered through some other method of coverage, Canadian travel insurance should be considered a necessity.

Filed Under: Travel Insurance Tagged With:


Immigrating to Ontario, Canada – Getting Medical Insurance Within 3 Months

August 11, 2008 By Kate

Canada has one of the best travel health insurance programs in the world. Residents can go to the doctor and have their health issues taken care of without discrimination, without long waiting periods, and without having to pay outlandish medical bills. That is because medical costs are paid with taxpayer money. In other words, the residents of Canada are taking care of each other.

Each Canadian province has its own program. That means eligibility requirements may be different from one province to the next. Some require that residents pay a small fee each month for their insurance, while others may not have to pay anything at all. However, individuals migrating to Canadian provinces such as Ontario have a three month waiting period before their insurance kicks in.

Waiting period

The waiting period is to ensure that immigrants are permanent residents of Ontario. New Brunswick and Quebec have the same waiting periods, so this isn’t at all unusual in Canada. This doesn’t mean that you can’t have some type of health insurance while you wait, though. This just means that you have to wait before taking part in the universal health care that is offered to the people of Canada. Everyone living within Ontario, regardless of how long they’ve lived there, has to wait three months after they have applied for their medical insurance card.

Luckily, though, it is only three months. There are other countries, such as the United States, whose employers offer medical insurance. Many times, employees have to wait anywhere between three months and a year before they have the opportunity to apply for health coverage. There are reimbursement programs that can be utilized in the meantime, but they are expensive to maintain and it is difficult for claims to be paid. This results in many individuals not seeking health care when they are sick or trying to treat injuries on their own. This can be dangerous, which is why Canada has implemented such a fine health care system.

Being covered during the waiting period

Luckily, you don’t have to wait the entire three months to have some type of medical insurance. You can apply for private health insurance coverage, which is very easy to do. All you have to do is look in the yellow pages of the phone book and you will find listings of private insurance companies ready to insure people who are waiting for the end of their three month waiting period. Private insurance companies also come in handy when there is a certain health situation that is not covered under the government’s health plan. There are individuals with certain health problems that use private insurance as a backup plan when their particular condition may not be covered, so this is something to take into consideration when your three month waiting period is over. Do you keep it or do you cancel it? That depends on your health problems and whether or not they are covered under the government plan. Employers also offer medical insurance plans to employees and simply deduct the premiums.

Some individuals keep private insurance after their three month waiting period because the government plan does not allow for dental coverage or private hospital rooms. Individuals that wish to have these two items may opt to keep their private insurance. It is up to you, but what is important is that you can have health coverage within three months of moving to Ontario. That means you do not have to worry about not being covered in case you fall ill or you have an accident that requires you to be treated or even hospitalized.

Independent travel insurance, visitors health insurance and travel health insurance broker serves Canadians, Canadian expatriates and visitors to Canada. For your insurance needs, contact Pucher Insurance.

Filed Under: Health Insurance Tagged With: ,


Not As Easy to Get a Canada Car Insurance Quote

August 3, 2008 By Kate

There are certain things about Canada that are very much the same as the US. For one thing their monetary system is based on ours but varies slightly. Then the fact that they have to have car insurance to drive on the public roads. However, you have to see that you are getting less then the perfect things when you are getting involved with the Canada car insurance quote. For the most part you are going to find that you are getting something that is very expensive as compared to the US.

While Canada does have the best in healthcare because it is included in the taxes, there is the idea that you have to work things out in the right way. They are the same as we are but a little more expensive when it comes to car insurance. But you must be sure that you are working in the right direction because of the fact that you have to work it all out and then make the change. You need to know that you are going to pay more based on the Canada dollar then you would the idea of the US dollar.

The Canada car insurance quote that you get will be based on the Canada dollar. This will mean that you are getting a higher price then you would normally. However, if you take it to the right level with the idea of the conversion rate. You will find that you are actually paying the same amount that the US would be paying based on this fact. However, you need to be sure that you are working it all out and then you are going to have all that you can from this deal.

The Canada car insurance quote that you will get will also reflect the higher tax rate. They have the highest tax rate of most countries and you can see that you are going to have to be careful with the amount of money that you allocate for the pricing. You will have a tax rate that is well above anything that you can imagine. But the fact is that you need to be sure that you are working with the company to get the lowest price.

When you get the Canada car insurance quote be sure that you are shopping it around before you make any decisions. This will mean that you are getting the better success rate when looking for a better deal and so on.

Filed Under: Car Insurance Tagged With:


Free Canada Auto Insurance Quotes

July 10, 2008 By Kate

If you are moving to Canada, you may want to consider getting a car or auto insurance plan in that country. This will be more practical for you as it will facilitate faster service in case of emergencies and accidents.

Moving to a new place poses its own anxieties. To limit uncertainties, ask for the help of proper authorities. When looking for the right insurance carrier, it is important to shortlist only credible and accredited choices.

You can either contact an insurance broker, arrange for a presentation of auto insurance products or log on to websites offering free insurance quotes. Either way, you have to provide the right information to get the most accurate estimate of the premium cost you have to pay for an auto insurance policy.

For a normal application, the process will take from a few minutes to a few hours. There are, however, many reasons for an insurance carrier to turn down applications.

There are four factors that may disqualify an applicant for an auto insurance policy. One of these is a lapse in insurance payment. Another is the suspension of an applicant’s driver’s license in the last six years. Insurance carriers usually will not take a risk on an errant driver who has more chances of committing accidents. The third reason is the age of the vehicle to be insured. Cars and automobiles that are older than 15 years are very hard to insure. These cars are more prone to breakdown and cause accidents. Vehicles used for commercial purposes may not be approved for an insurance policy. There are customized policies for vehicles such as these.

It does not necessarily mean that you will never get insurance if any of those factors apply to you. All you need to do is find the right insurance provider that can accommodate you despite these factors.

Filed Under: Auto Insurance Tagged With: ,