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Travel Smart: Plan ahead for your health

There’s a lot to think about when you’re planning a trip: where to go, where to stay, and what to pack. What you may be forgetting, though, is your health.

There’s a lot to think about when you’re planning a trip: where to go, where to stay, and what to pack. What you may be forgetting, though, is your health. Did you get any necessary immunizations? Do you have enough prescription medication? Did you buy travel health insurance? These questions and others should be an essential component of your travel plans.

Here are a few health issues to consider when you are planning your trip abroad:

Medicare abroad
Private travel insurance
Vaccinations
Travel tips

Medicare abroad

Your provincial health plan offers limited health coverage while you are out of your home province. You will need to check the details of your province’s health plan to find out exactly how you are covered. As a general rule, provincial plans cover you only for medically necessary services, which include health care provided in hospitals and care provided by medical doctors. You will likely be covered for the amount that they would pay a doctor or a hospital in Canada, which is often much less than the actual cost of medical services in different parts of the world. It is always advisable to carry supplementary travel insurance when you leave your province, and especially when you leave the country, even if only for a short time. This can help you avoid a huge health service bill that you would have to pay out of pocket.

Here are a few questions to ask about your provincial plan:

• How long can I stay away and still be covered? (Each provincial plan has a limit)
• What kinds of services are covered?
• Whose services will my province cover? (Usually, only expenses from recognized hospitals and doctors may be reimbursed)
• What documentation will I have to show in order to have my expenses reimbursed?
• How will my medical expenses be covered until reimbursement? (The foreign doctor or hospital will probably expect to be paid on the spot. Private insurance plans may provide cash advances to cover these charges. Provincial plans do not.)
• How much time do I have to claim my expenses?

Private travel insurance

Buying travel insurance can help cover emergency medical expenses while you are out of the country. You can buy travel insurance online, through your travel agent or from an insurance broker. You may already have travel insurance through your employee health plan or through a credit card provider. Check with your credit card company or human resources department to get details on the coverage.

Remember that all travel insurance comes with exclusions which tell you when your medical expenses won’t be covered. Here are some typical exclusions:

• Expenses related to an illness that you already have before you leave for your trip (pre-existing conditions).
• Injuries from a terrorist attack or act of war.
• Illness or injury related to a specific area or risk (e.g. disease outbreak, crime, unrest) that the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT) has issued a travel advisory about.
• Injuries incurred while participating in dangerous sports, unless you have purchased a special non-professional “sports rider”.

You may want to make sure these features are included in your travel insurance:

• A 24-hour emergency hotline
• Immediate reimbursement of the foreign provider, rather than having you pay first and submit expenses later
• Medical evacuation back to Canada, if necessary
• Multilingual agents who can communicate with medical staff at your destination
• Return of your remains should you pass away while abroad

When buying travel health insurance, be honest about your medical conditions. It may be tempting to gloss over your heart condition or diabetes in order to get a better rate on your travel insurance, but if you have an expensive claim, your insurance company will check your medical history. If the company discovers you have an undisclosed pre-existing condition, they can deny your claim.

Vaccinations

Depending on where you are going, you may be required to get certain vaccinations. There are also diseases that are more common in specific parts of the world, so you may want to get vaccinated against them before visiting. Your doctor can give you these vaccinations, but you may have to pay for them. Read the Travel Immunization article on this website to learn more.

Travel tips

Here are a few suggestions to help keep you healthy while you travel:

• Pack enough prescription medication for your whole trip, or even a little extra in case you decide to extend your stay.
• Leave your medications in their original packaging with clear labels, in case you need assistance taking them while you are away, or you visit a doctor who needs to know what prescriptions you take.
• Keep a full extra supply of your medication at home, with a family member or friend, in case you lose your luggage and need a back-up supply of medication shipped to you.
• If you have a serious medical condition, research the local hospitals and medical centres in the places you intend to stay so you know where to go if you have an emergency.
• Talk to your doctor 4 weeks before you leave to ensure you have the proper immunizations, an adequate supply of prescription medication and, most importantly, a clean bill of health before you leave the country.

Key Websites:

• Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada: Travel reports and warnings
• Health Canada: Medicare
• Public Health Agency of Canada: Vaccines for travel

Related Articles:

• Contemplating Medical Tourism? Weigh your options wisely
• Travel Immunization

References