Blue Cross Travel Insurance for Canadians

What coverage you will get

Emergency Medical Care Benefit for one trip (single trip plans) and many trips (multi-trip annual plans)

Who can apply: At the time of application and during the entire period of coverage, all covered persons must be covered under the government health and hospitalization programs of their province of residence.

Eligibility (age 55+)

In order to be eligible for purchasing or renewing a travel insurance contract which includes Emergency Medical Care benefit, the covered person aged 55 and over must not:

• Have received medical advice not to travel;

• Suffer from a medical condition in a terminal stage,

• Suffer from kidney failure treated through dialysis;

• Have been diagnosed with or treated for metastatic cancer in the past 5 years;

• Have been prescribed or treated with home oxygen in the past12 months.

No medical questionnaire is required for travelers 75 years of age or under and trips no longer than 31 days.

Single-Trip Plan provides coverage for one trip from your province of residence.

Trip break: During the period of coverage you can return to their province of residence and go back to your destination without terminating the insurance contract. You must meet insurance eligibility criteria before leaving again.

Multi-Trip Annual Plans

If you take two or more trips each year, you can purchase a Multi-trip annual plan for an unlimited number of trips taken during one year. Coverage for each separate trip commences and becomes effective immediately upon your departure from your province of residence and the duration of each trip does not exceed the number of days per trip chosen at the time of purchase this insurance.

You can consider 4, 8, 17, 31, 60, 90, 120, 150 or 180 days per trip. Proof showing the duration of the trip will be required when processing a claim.

Topping-up an Annual Multi-trip Plan

If your trip duration exceeds the  maximum number of days allowable per trip, you can purchase a discounted Blue Cross policy which would cover the entire trip duration for Blue Cross. 

An extension purchased from another insurer nullifies your Blue Cross coverage for the entire duration of this trip, except when the extension request is refused by Blue Cross.

Age means your age on the application date. No maximum age limit.

Deductibles

The following deductible options are available for Single-Trip and Multi-Trip Emergency Medical Care plans: $0, $250, $500, $1,500, $2,500, $5,000 CAD.

Refunds

Full refund: You may cancel your Emergency Medical policy (Single trip or Multi-trip) prior to your policy effective date.

Partial refund (Single trip Emergency Medical policy): If you return home early, you may request a refund of premium for the unused coverage days of your trip providing there has been no claim submitted for this trip. You must provide proof of your return date. The countdown of unused days starts the day after your return and a $25 fee applies.

Refunds and cancellations are not available:

• On the policies that include the Trip Cancellation & Interruption and Emergency Return benefits, and

• Annual Multi-Trip policies after the policy effective date.

Extension

Coverage under this contract may be extended:

• If the covered persons remains eligible for insurance;

• If the insured's health condition remains unchanged since the departure date;

• If the covered person files a claim during the initial period of coverage, the insurer’s approval is required to extend the contract. Once the approval to extend the contract has been granted, any claim that pertains to an event that occurred during the initial period of coverage will be rejected.

• The contract holder must file a request for extension prior to the end of the initial period of coverage by contacting the Insurer.

The contract must cover the total duration of the trip including the return date and the extension must be purchased from Blue Cross.

An extension purchased from another insurance company shall render your Blue Cross contract null and void in its entirety.

Automatic Extensions to Coverage

All coverage will automatically be extended free of charge: a) b) c) :

• up to 24 hours when the return home is delayed due to the carrier or as the result of a traffic accident or mechanical failure of the private vehicle returning to the departure point (claim must be supported by documentary proof);

• during the period of hospitalization and the 24 hours which follow the discharge from hospital of a covered person;

• up to 72 hours when the return home is delayed due to a covered person’s illness occurring within 24 hours prior to the contracted return date and requiring emergency medical care.

EMERGENCY MEDICAL CARE BENEFITS

This insurance includes the following Emergency Medical Care Benefits and Servcies

EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS

Travel medical insurance does not cover everything. This insurance has exclusions, conditions and limitations. Please read them and understand the policy before you buy this insurance.

Exclusions Relating to Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

No benefits are payable under this benefit if the loss sustained or the expenses incurred result directly or indirectly from one of the following causes:

1. For persons under the age of 55, during the 3 months prior to the effective date of coverage (departure date for a top-up), and

For persons aged 55 to 75 travelling less than 32 days, during the 6 months prior to the effective date of coverage (departure date for a top-up):

a) Any medical condition that affects you and that is not STABLE, except for a minor ailment

b) Any heart condition for which you have used nitroglycerin more than once in a 7-day period for the relief of chest pain

c) Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy

2. For persons aged 55 to 75 and covered for 32 days or more OR aged 76 and over:

A) The following particular medical conditions are excluded unless otherwise stipulated on the insurance certificate. The Medical questionnaire is required to determine eligibility for coverage for these conditions.:

a) During the lifetime of the covered person, any illness or condition related to the following medical conditions for which the covered person was diagnosed with or treated for:

● Cardiovascular condition

● Kidney failure

● Organ transplant (bone marrow, heart, liver,  lung,  pancreas);

b) During the 24 months prior to the effective date of coverage (departure date for a top-up), any chronic pulmonary condition (asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis) for which the covered person was hospitalized or took cortisone pills.

c) During the 12 months prior to the effective date of coverage (departure date for a top-up), any illness or condition related to one of the following conditions:

● cancer (with the exception of basal cell carcinoma) for which the insured person was diagnosed with or treated for;

● gastrointestinal condition (cirrhosis, hepatitis C, intestinal obstruction, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis) for which the insured person was diagnosed with or treated for.

В) Also excluded when occurring during the 6 months preceding the effective date of coverage (departure date for a top-up):

i) Any medical condition that affects you and that is not STABLE, except for a minor ailment

ii) Any heart condition for which you have used nitroglycerin more than once in a 7-day period for the relief of chest pain

iii) Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy

STABLE means a pre-existing medical condition that has remained unchanged for several months prior to the effective date of insurance (or departure date for a top-up).

For a pre-existing medical condition to be considered STABLE, it must meet all the following criteria:

1. No new medical diagnosis has been made

2. No new symptoms appeared and there was no worsening or increase in the frequency of existing symptoms

3. No hospitalization has taken place

4. No new medication was prescribed or recommended

5. No change of dosage: was made to a medication already prescribed or recommended (dose increased or decreased, or consumption stopped)

6. No new treatment or medical test is pending or has been prescribed, ongoing or recommended

7. No ongoing treatment has been changed or discontinued

8. No prescribed or recommended treatment, nor medical advice has been ignored

The Insurer does not consider a change in existing medication the following elements:

- Routine insulin or Coumadin® adjustment;

- Replacement of a medication by an equivalent generic brand if its dosage remains unchanged;

- Decrease in dosage of cholesterol medication;

- Change to hormone replacement therapy treatment;

- Change in consumption of non-prescribed medication such as: Aspirin®, vitamins, minerals, etc.;

- vitamins and minerals and non-prescription medication;

- Use of cream or ointment prescribed for skin irritation.

Other Exclusions

Packages (Single-Trip and Multi-Trip Annual)

If you make pre-paid travel arrangements, you may want to choose the All-Inclusive plan that includes:

Blue Cross offers Package Plus and Canada Package.

Package Plus can be purchased:

- All inclusive: all benefits listed above are included;

- without Emergency Medical Care ;

- without the Trip Cancellation & Interruption benefit;

- without Trip Cancellation but with Trip Interruption benefit;

- without Emergency Medical Care and Trip Cancellation insurance but with Trip Interruption benefit;

Canada Package can be purchased:

- All inclusive

- without Trip Cancellation coverage but with Trip Interruption benefit;

- without Trip Cancellation or Interruption insurance.

The Canada Package is applicable only within the Canadian borders. Any trip outside Canada is not covered under this product

For packages with Trip Cancellation and/or Interruption: the purchase or prepayment of land or sea arrangements or transportation ticket are compulsory.

Please refer for the Policy Wording for details.

NOTE: The product-related information is for illustration purpose only. Please refer to the Policy wording for details on the coverage provided, conditions, exclusions, limitations and claim procedure.

If you have questions about this insurance coverage, or need help to complete the online application, or you want to purchase a policy, please, call at 416-493-0101 or 1-877-443-0101 or click here to ask your question Online.   What to do if you need medical attention If the insured needs health care abroad, he or a travelling companion must call CanAssistance immediately. Canada, United States:  1-800-361-6068 Mexico: 1-800-062-3174 Dominican Republic: 1-800-203-9666 Elsewhere: 1-800-7328-7473 Elsewhere in the world, collect:  514-286-8411 Assistance agents offer the covered person 24-hour service, 7 days a week. If the covered person cannot call collect, the Insurer will reimburse the cost. The Insurer will not pay for roaming charges. For better service, the covered person must give his name, the phone number where he is calling from and his contract number.   Extension To obtain an extension, the covered person must contact the Insurer at: Canada, United States:  1-877-986-7681 Elsewhere in the world, collect:  514-286-7681   Settlement of Claims To obtain a claim form, the covered person may contact our Customer Service Department at one of the following numbers: Ontario and Atlantic region:  1-800-557-3907 Quebec:  514-286-6690 /1-800-387-2538