HEALTH INSURANCE QUOTE AND EXPERT TIPS

Sample health insurance quotes

* Please note that health insurance quoting is very complex and quotes above were calculated for particular insured profiles; each quote depends on numerous variables and can widely vary depending on person’s profile and coverage chosen.

What does health insurance cover?

Health insurance can cover numerous health care costs that are not covered under your provincial plan, such as:

• Prescription drugs
• Vision care, including eye exams, glasses, and contact lenses
• Dental care
• Practitioners such as physiotherapists, etc.
• Travel insurance and travel emergency medical services
• Ambulance and other health care services and medical equipment

When do you need health insurance?

In many cases, health benefits are provided by your employer as a part of a group plan, but there are particular cases when you might need health insurance coverage:

1. Your employer does not provide group benefits, as is the case with many small businesses or startups.
2. You left your current employment and do not have health benefits any more.
3. You work as a freelancer and need to take care of your benefits yourself.
4. Your existing benefits (via an existing position or via your spouse) are not extensive enough and you need to top them up.

What is important to know when you get health insurance?

There are some things that are important to know if you are planning to get health benefits.

1. Explore the market: There are many providers on the market offering various packages; pricing can vary greatly. It is a good idea to work with an experienced insurance broker who knows the various plans and can advise you on which plan will be your best fit. Some plans are catered for more advanced dental services, others focus on drug prescriptions.
2. Only partial benefits are available at the beginning: Very often, insurance providers do not offer full benefits in the first years of coverage, and then cap them at a pre-defined value. This is done to prevent the situation where people buy insurance only to pay for a treatment while knowing that they already have an issue. As an example, if you purchase dental coverage with a maximum value of $3,000 per year, in the first year, you might be able to expense a maximum of $750, in the 2nd year $1,500, and $2,500 in the 3rd year. In any year after that, your coverage will be capped at a maximum of $3,000 per year.
3. Tailor the health plan to your situation: There is often no point in paying for things that you do not need. If your main focus is on getting overall round-up coverage, there is no point in getting coverage offering extra high coverage for prescription drugs – these are tailored for people with chronic diseases. Choose the pieces of your coverage wisely and make sure that you are cost-savvy.

What are the most frequent health insurance myths?

1. A provincial plan always covers me: There are many things that are not covered by provincial plans, such as OHIP in Ontario. Most emergency issues will be covered, but other health care services, such as regular dental or vision care, will not be covered.
2. A provincial plan covers me when I am travelling: This is a dangerous myth that has proven many times to lead to costly mistakes. Your provincial plan covers only a couple hundred dollars per day in medical costs, but in some countries, such as The United States, one night in a hospital can cost over $10,000.
3. Once I purchase health insurance, I am fully covered: As mentioned earlier, your health insurance coverage is often capped at values that are lower in the first two years, and later has a maximum cap.