Do you get travel insurance when traveling outside of B.C.?

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While most Canadian travellers booking trips abroad know they should purchase travel insurance, particularly an emergency medical plan, they might not realize that they won't have coverage when travelling outside of their province.

Most doctors in other provinces and territories (except Quebec) will bill their own health plan for services provided for travellers who present their valid B.C. Services Card. The provinces/territories recover the funding monthly from each other, according to the B.C. government.

But Will McAleer, executive director at the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada, says locals might be in for a rude awakening travelling to other provinces if they haven't purchased travel insurance that covers them outside of B.C.

"Universal health care doesn't always fit," he underscores, noting that there may not be an agreement between provinces on certain medical conditions. "If there's no agreement between the two, then you might be out for the additional charge."

Travellers should also consider that there are several services that aren't covered under a provincial medical plan, to begin with. Some of these include ground and air ambulances, with the latter often required for people who are injured on ski trips and require a helicopter to get off a mountain, McAleer explained.

If a B.C. resident visits a hospital in another province and has to get a prescription for a medication filled afterwards, this cost will not get covered.

In the case of a non-emergency medical issue, many types of specialists will not be covered, such as a visit to a physiotherapist, McAleer added.

Some insurance providers offer a travel insurance policy for travel within Canada that is generally much less than the cost of one for international travel "because the risk is significantly less," McAleer said.

Savvy savers can stretch their travel dollars the furthest by booking annual multi-trip plans if they plan on leaving B.C. several times a year.

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