Whether travel insurance is worth buying comes down to one gap: the difference between what your provincial health plan pays for care outside Canada and what that care actually costs. For most trips abroad that gap is large. Ontario’s OHIP pays at most $400 a day for hospital care outside the country, and the Government of Canada warns that a provincial plan may cover none, or only a small part, of the cost of care abroad. This page covers what each province pays, what care abroad costs, when a credit card’s coverage is enough, and when it is not. For provider comparisons and prices, see our guide to the best travel insurance in Canada; every travel, pet and specialty insurance guide is listed in the travel, pet and other insurance hub.
What provincial health plans cover abroad
Inside Canada, provincial plans pay for insured services while you are temporarily in another province. Outside the country, the Canada Health Act only requires them to pay what they would have paid for similar care at home, so the plans pay a fixed daily amount at their own rates, whatever the foreign hospital charges.
| Province | Out-of-country emergency coverage |
|---|---|
| Ontario (OHIP) | Up to $400/day inpatient (critical care), $200/day other inpatient, $50/day outpatient |
| BC (MSP) | Up to $75/day inpatient hospital |
| Alberta (AHCIP) | Up to $100/day inpatient, $50/day outpatient (one visit per day) |
| Quebec (RAMQ) | Up to $100/day inpatient; up to $50 per day of outpatient care |
| Other provinces and territories | Each plan sets its own out-of-country amounts; check your provincial or territorial plan |
Two further limits apply. Provincial coverage stops if you move abroad permanently, and it can lapse if you spend longer outside your province than its residency rule allows. Long winter stays raise that second issue; the day-count rules are covered in our guide to snowbird travel insurance.
What care abroad actually costs
The Government of Canada’s travel advice is blunt: hospitals and clinics in other countries can be very expensive and may require immediate cash payment, and your provincial or territorial plan may cover none, or only a small part, of the cost of care abroad, including a medical evacuation. The daily amounts above are fixed, whatever the foreign hospital charges, so the gap grows with the size of the bill.
Is your credit card coverage enough?
Some credit cards include emergency medical coverage, trip cancellation and baggage protection. For a short trip by a healthy traveller that can be all the medical coverage needed. The limits are in the certificate of insurance, and these are the rules to look for:
| Requirement | What to check |
|---|---|
| Pay with the card | Whether the trip has to be charged to the card for coverage to apply |
| Trip length | The maximum number of days covered per trip |
| Age limits | Whether medical coverage ends or shrinks at a set age |
| Pre-existing conditions | The stability period a condition must meet |
| Trip cancellation | The maximum payout per person |
The trip-length cap is the limit that catches people, so check how the card treats a trip that runs longer than its maximum before you book. Travel credit cards are compared by their insurance benefits in the credit card section.
When a card leaves a gap
| Situation | What fills the gap |
|---|---|
| Trip longer than the card’s coverage period | A top-up policy for the extra days (for example, a 6-day top-up when the card covers 15 days of a 21-day trip) |
| Pre-existing condition that doesn’t meet the card’s stability rule | A policy that covers the condition, or a pre-existing condition rider |
| Above the card’s age limit | An individual policy, since some cards end or reduce medical coverage at a set age |
| Cruise or remote expedition | A standalone policy with medical evacuation coverage |
| Prepaid trip costs above the card’s cancellation limit | Separate trip cancellation coverage |
| High-risk activities | A policy that names the activity, since many policies exclude it |
When a separate policy is worth it, and when it may not be
| Situation | Why coverage matters |
|---|---|
| Any trip outside Canada | Provincial plans pay only a small daily amount, and foreign hospitals can require immediate payment |
| Expensive prepaid trips | Cancellation coverage protects non-refundable costs |
| Adventure travel | Higher risk, and many policies exclude high-risk activities |
| Older travellers | Some cards end or reduce medical coverage at a set age |
A separate policy adds less value for domestic travel inside Canada, a cheap refundable trip, or a short trip already covered by a good card. Inside Canada your provincial plan pays for insured services in other provinces (a condition of the Canada Health Act), although a doctor in another province may refuse a Quebec health card. Trip cancellation coverage can still be worth having for an expensive domestic trip with non-refundable bookings.
What travel insurance covers, and what it leaves out
Policies split into medical coverage (emergency hospital, surgery and doctors, ambulance, accident-related dental, medical evacuation and repatriation) and trip protection (cancellation, interruption, delays, baggage). Medical-only coverage is the core; trip protection matters when you have prepaid costs you can’t get back.
The main exclusions are pre-existing conditions that don’t meet the policy’s stability period (a set period before departure with no change in the condition), high-risk activities such as mountaineering, scuba diving or extreme sports, incidents involving alcohol or drugs, routine or non-emergency care, and travel against a Government of Canada “avoid all travel” advisory. Policies can also limit pregnancy-related and mental health claims. Pre-existing conditions need the most care: a stability clause requires no change in the condition during the stability period, and failing to disclose a condition can leave the whole bill with you. How stability clauses work in practice, with pass and fail examples, is covered in the snowbird insurance guide.
Cost, in brief
The price of a policy depends on your age, the destination, the length of the trip, whether it is medical-only or includes trip protection, and any pre-existing conditions. Prices by trip type and age, annual multi-trip plans and the main Canadian providers are laid out in our travel insurance comparison. Parents and grandparents visiting on a super visa have their own mandatory coverage rules, set out in the guide to super visa insurance.
If you need care while away
Policies set out what to do in an emergency, which often includes calling the insurer’s assistance line, so read that section before you leave. Keep every receipt, and get a detailed report and invoice from the doctor or hospital before leaving the country where you were treated, as the Government of Canada advises. The claim steps and documents are listed in how to file an insurance claim, and if a travel claim is turned down, the appeal route is explained in what to do when an insurance claim is denied.