Going South This Winter? The Date That Decides Your Travel Insurance

Heading somewhere warm this winter? Your province pays something toward a hospital outside Canada, and it's small. Nova Scotia pays up to $525 a day once you're admitted. BC pays up to $75. A Florida hospital spends about $4,400 Canadian per inpatient day, and that's the hospital's own cost. Your bill can be very different. Going to Mexico, the Caribbean or Europe instead? Your province pays the same small amount there, and some countries want your credit card before they treat you. Your credit card may come with travel insurance. On the 3 big bank cards I checked, it drops to 3 or 4 days a trip at 65. Riveting reading, the certificate, and it's the only place the day count lives. The date that matters most is your policy's stability window. A policy can require a condition to have been stable for a set number of days before you leave, such as 90 or 180. A new prescription or a dose change inside that window can leave that condition uncovered. Count back from the day you leave and book your medication review before that date. If your doctor wants a change after it, take the change and call the insurer. And answer the health questions exactly. A wrong answer can shrink a claim or cancel the policy. 5 things I'd keep 1\. Your province pays a small part, anywhere in the world. Get cover for the rest, including the flight home. 2\. Check work, your pension and your card first, then top up or buy 1 policy. 3\. Save with the deductible or by shopping around, and answer every health question exactly. 4\. Book your medication review before your stability date. 5\. Outside the US, check the travel advisory and bring a card that can cover a hospital deposit. My snowbird guides are in my community at calmmoneycoach.com, and my email list is free. I'm Brian Orlando, CPA, in Halifax. Advice-only planning through Calm Money Coach. No products, no commissions. Provincial rates from each plan's page. Florida: KFF 2024 hospital cost per inpatient day, at the Bank of Canada rate. Trips: Statistics Canada. Card days from each card's certificate, read September and October 2026. Your policy's wording decides your cover. Education only.