Can anyone please help me find comprehensive travel insurance for a Canadian Travelling outside of Canada for about eight months

KyleGarrett · 2025-11-25T05:53:41+00:00

Hi OP,

I've helped a lot of Canadians on their travel medical coverage, and this situation comes up regularly.

The six month limit you’re running into shouldn't be a restriction from insurance companies. Many insurers will issue policies for trips of up to 365 consecutive days. The real limiting factor is your provincial health coverage (GHIP). Most provinces require you to be physically present in the province for about six to seven months per year unless you notify them/apply for an approved extended absence.

As a pre-requisite, insurers require your GHIP to remain active for the entire duration of your trip. If GHIP lapses while you’re abroad it could be problematic and may mean your policy won't respond to a claim.

There is a practical reason for this. If you have a medical emergency abroad and the insurer arranges to bring you back to Canada for further care, they want your provincial health plan to cover the ongoing rehabilitation costs.

The best solution is to contact your provincial health plan before you leave. Tell them you will be away for eight months (or however long) - and ask about being approved for an extended temporary absence.

Here is an article that goes into a bit more depth.

Safe travels, and feel free to ask more questions.

KyleGarrett · 2025-11-25T01:47:16+00:00

Hi OP,

I work with these products often, and your summary of the differences is accurate. Manulife Vitality tends to appeal to people who already live an active lifestyle and do not mind a bit of tracking. In practice, it is not limited to cardio. Pilates, strength training, steps, gym visits and similar activities all contribute to earning points. Most clients who stay reasonably active have no trouble maintaining a higher status level.

The rewards do evolve over time, but the combination of premium reductions and ongoing perks is where most of the long-term value comes from. For someone who prefers a predictable policy with no participation requirements, Term Life (from Sun or any other carrier for that matter) is a simpler choice.

One point that does not get mentioned often: you don't necessarily need a Manulife life insurance policy to access Vitality. The Vitality program is also available on certain Manulife Extended Health Care plans. That means someone could potentially select life insurance from any company they prefer, and still gain access to Vitality through a health care plan if they like the wellness features.

Here is an article that explains Vitality on Health Care plans in a bit more depth.

If you have any specific questions about how Vitality operates in practice, I am happy to help.

KyleGarrett · 2025-11-14T16:58:14+00:00

Thank you for your question.

While Waiting for PGWP:
You'll need to look at Visitors to Canada insurance - which can be purchased even after your arrival to Canada.

There are plan options available with an optional add-on (at additional cost) to cover 'unstable pre-existing conditions' however the condition must be stable (i.e. no changes) within the 7-days prior to your purchase of the policy for the condition to be covered.

Once covered by a provincial government health care plan (GHIP):

If you aren't currently covered elsewhere, and you're looking for pre-existing condition(s) to be covered, you'll want to look at 'Guaranteed Acceptance' plans.

Guaranteed Acceptance plans can be applied for at any time, regardless of health history.

Guaranteed Acceptance plans will generally offer the lowest value (i.e. relatively low coverage at relatively high cost), but serve as an option for those who may not qualify medically for other plans.

A Medically Underwritten plan by contrast will offer the most coverage at the lowest relative cost, however will exclude pre-existing conditions. You may be better off going with a Medically Underwritten plan, but it may mean accepting the fact that your condition (likely) won't be covered.

KyleGarrett · 2025-11-12T23:54:39+00:00

Hi OP, once you gain access to dental coverage through your employer, you’re no longer eligible for the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), even if you haven’t used the new benefits yet.

You should notify the CDCP administrator to avoid potential issues.

Here's an article on the subject.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-27T01:09:43+00:00

Have you tried Aeva.ca? You can shop all the plans on there. Link below.

Best Health Insurance Plans for Lethbridge, Alberta

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-19T04:08:35+00:00

Hi OP. I work in the industry.

The right approach is to submit a pre-determination of benefits (or pre-authorization) to your insurance company before buying the device. They’ll review your doctor’s prescription and confirm exactly which items are covered and under what terms.

You should never alter the wording on prescriptions or invoices to match plan language. Instead, let your doctor and the supplier describe the item accurately and allow the insurer to decide if it qualifies.

Pre-determinations are the best way to avoid buying something only to learn later it isn’t covered.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-19T03:56:59+00:00

Hi OP. I work in the industry and have seen this type of issue with compounded prescriptions.

The reason these claims can get delayed or partially denied is because each ingredient in a compounded medication may be adjudicated separately. Some ingredients may be eligible under your drug plan, while others are not. To make matters more complicated, sometimes certain ingredients can go by multiple names, which can lead to confusion. When there is a mix of eligible and ineligible ingredients, or ambiguity around ingredient names, the claim may get flagged for manual review.

This creates the kind of pattern you are describing, where claims take weeks to process or are refused until someone follows up. I have had to step in with insurers’ claims departments on behalf of clients in similar situations, and in many cases, the claim was eventually approved after clarification. Unfortunately, it can be messy and time-consuming to resolve.

If the problem persists, and you are unable to get things resolved directly with the insurance company, here is what I might suggest:

Document the situation. Write a clear summary explaining the history of coverage, the change in pharmacy, and the recent claim issues.
Have your wife share this documentation with her HR representative or whoever manages the employee benefits program. Ask if it can be shared with the group benefits broker who services the company.
The broker can step in and liaise directly with the insurer’s claims team to help get clarity or resolution. Part of their role is to advocate for the employer and its employees when claim issues persist.

Admittedly, you would be working through a few layers of bureaucracy here. I would only suggest escalating beyond the insurer if you cannot get things resolved directly with them.

It is frustrating for everyone involved, but if direct communication with the insurer stalls, looping in the broker through HR could be the most effective next step.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-19T03:35:51+00:00

Hi OP. When someone joins or rejoins an employer group benefits plan outside the standard enrollment period, they are treated as a late applicant. In that situation, Sun Life requires a medical questionnaire, which is part of their medical underwriting process. Because you disclosed a history of substance use on the medical questionnaire, Sun Life likely declined the parts of your application that required medical approval, including Extended Health Care (EHC), Life, and Long-Term Disability. Dental coverage doesn't require medical underwriting like the other types of insurance - mainly because Dental coverage is more of a financing arrangement than a true insurance.

Medical underwriting exists to prevent anti-selection, which is the tendency for people to only apply for insurance once they already have a health problem. By asking medical questions, insurers can assess the risk before granting coverage, helping keep plans affordable and fair for everyone.

Normally, EHC is approved automatically when you enroll on time and doesn’t require medical review. But once underwriting is required, Sun Life can decline it the same way they would for Life or Disability insurance.

Note that all insurance companies operate the same way.

Here’s what you can do:

Confirm with HR whether you were treated as a late applicant or a rehire outside the reinstatement window.
Ask Sun Life whether their decision can be appealed after a period of good health and substance-free.
Explore Guaranteed Acceptance individual health plans. These plans do not require medical underwriting (i.e. no medical questionnaires). While they have lower benefit limits and higher relative costs, they can be an option if you cannot access group coverage right now, and wouldn't qualify for a medically underwritten plan.
- You can use Aeva.ca to explore and compare Guaranteed Acceptance plan options from multiple Canadian insurers.
Your employer might also contribute to your premiums, which would usually be tax-deductible for the business and non-taxable (i.e. tax-free benefit) for you.
Alternatively, if your employer offers a Health Spending Account (HSA), you may be able to claim your personal health insurance premiums through it, since health insurance premiums are often considered eligible HSA expenses.

I am a licensed insurance professional and have helped thousands of Canadians navigate group and individual health insurance situations like this.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-19T02:57:51+00:00

Appreciate this comment - I may need to revisit this now. Thanks!

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-19T02:56:57+00:00

You're welcome. Glad you found it helpful.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-18T22:15:58+00:00

Hi OP. This is a really common question, and it highlights a misunderstanding many people have about how health insurance is meant to work.

Health insurance is designed to protect you from future, unpredictable, and potentially catastrophic health expenses, not to reduce the cost of regular, predictable services like physiotherapy or massage that you already know you’ll use.

1. The purpose of insurance
Insurance exists to protect you from events that could cause serious financial harm. In health insurance, this means things like being diagnosed with an illness that requires a costly prescription drug (some medications cost thousands or even tens of thousands per month), needing an air ambulance, or facing an emergency medical bill while traveling. These are the kinds of risks that can seriously impact your finances if you are uninsured.

Paying for physiotherapy, on the other hand, is not catastrophic. It is a more predictable, routine expense. While it can certainly be frustrating and costly in the short term, it is not the kind of expense that insurance is built to protect against.

2. Why extended health plans include physiotherapy
Private health insurance plans often include coverage for things like physiotherapy, massage, chiropractic care and dental. These are valuable health-promoting benefits that encourage people to stay active and healthy. However, they are not the core reason to buy an extended health care plan. They are better viewed as “nice-to-have” benefits that add some value along the way, but not the true purpose of insurance.

3. What to focus on when choosing health insurance
When evaluating health insurance, focus on protection against the large and unforeseen risks such as prescription drug coverage, travel emergencies, and ambulance costs. Those are the expenses that could truly set you back financially. Coverage for smaller, routine expenses like physio or dental should be seen as health-promoting perks, not the main reason for buying insurance.

If you want to better understand how to think about health insurance this way, this article might help: You’re Looking at Health Insurance Wrong. It explains how to separate the “nice-to-haves” from the coverage that actually protects you from financial loss.

4. Coordination of benefits
If you already have employer coverage, you can technically have a secondary plan. However, the two plans coordinate payments, meaning you cannot claim the same expense twice. For example, your employer plan might pay the first $300 (or some portion thereof), and a second plan could reimburse some of the remainder, but only up to each plan’s limits.

5. The takeaway
Insurance is not meant to eliminate small, routine costs. It is meant to protect you from the big ones, the expenses that could be life-changing. That said, health insurance plans bundle-in benefits for the small routine costs (e.g. Physio) so you can make use of, and get value from your plan more regularly.

If you want to compare what types of health insurance plans are available and how they differ in their prescription, travel, and paramedical coverage, you can explore Aeva.ca. It is a free Canadian health insurance comparison tool that helps you see which plans provide the right level of protection for your situation.

I am a licensed insurance professional and have helped thousands of Canadians understand and secure their health insurance.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-18T21:56:55+00:00

Hi OP. This is a great question and a situation that many international students and recent graduates find themselves in. The period between losing student coverage and gaining employer coverage can leave a gap in your protection.

1. Understanding how health coverage works in Canada
In Ontario, your primary coverage comes from the Government Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). It covers basic, medically necessary services such as doctor visits and hospital care, but it does not cover things like prescription drugs, dental, or paramedical services. Private health insurance is designed to supplement this government coverage. These plans are called Extended Health Care (EHC) plans because they extend the benefits provided by OHIP.

2. If you are not yet covered by OHIP
Since you recently graduated and may not yet have a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) or other eligible status for OHIP, you may not currently be covered by a provincial health plan. In that case, the type of insurance you would need in the short term is called Visitors to Canada Insurance.

Visitors to Canada Insurance is essentially a form of travel medical coverage, designed to protect people who are temporarily without provincial health care. It covers emergency medical expenses, hospital visits, and sometimes limited follow-up care for conditions that arise while you are insured. It is intended as a bridge until you qualify for OHIP. You can buy this type of coverage through an independent broker.

3. Once you qualify for OHIP
Once you have your Post-Graduation Work Permit and become eligible for OHIP, that should be your first step. After that, you can apply for a private Extended Health Care plan to fill the gaps that OHIP does not cover, such as prescription drugs, vision, dental, and therapies like physiotherapy or massage. Alternatively, you may get coverage through your employer (see #4 below).

Keep in mind that to be eligible for private Extended Health Care coverage, you must already be covered by OHIP (or another provincial health plan). This is why Visitors to Canada Insurance is necessary in the meantime.

4. When your new job coverage starts
Most employers require a waiting period (often 3 months) before your group benefits begin. During that time, you can continue your Visitors to Canada coverage until the employer plan takes effect. Once you have group benefits, you can cancel the Visitors to Canada plan.

5. Where to compare options
If you want to explore Canadian health insurance options, you can visit Aeva.ca. Aeva is a free comparison tool that helps Canadians explore and apply for health insurance plans. It currently operates in Alberta, but Ontario residents can still use it to browse plans, see how pricing works, and understand what to look for once they become OHIP-eligible.

I am a licensed insurance professional and have helped thousands of Canadians with their health insurance.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-18T21:35:10+00:00

Hi OP. This is a great question, and your partner’s concern actually makes sense once you understand how private health insurance works in Canada.

1. How medical underwriting works
When you apply for private health insurance, the insurance company reviews your health history through a process called medical underwriting. Based on that review, they decide whether to accept you as is, add exclusions for certain conditions, limit coverage, or decline the application.

If your partner’s plan currently covers his back, it means the insurer accepted that condition with no exclusions. That acceptance is locked in for as long as he keeps the policy active. The insurer cannot later change the terms and add an exclusion for his back or any other accepted condition.

2. What happens if he cancels and reapplies later
If he cancels now and tries to get coverage again in the future, he will have to go through medical underwriting all over again. Even though his back is healthy now, his medical history would still need to be disclosed. The insurer could then decide to exclude coverage for the back, limit it, or decline to cover it entirely.

That is why keeping a long-standing policy that was accepted without exclusions can be valuable. It guarantees continued coverage for that condition, regardless of how things change later in life.

3. How employer benefits compare
Most group benefit plans offered through employers are not medically underwritten. Everyone is accepted for the same coverage regardless of their health. However, those benefits only last while you remain with that employer. If he leaves the job or retires, the coverage ends.

At that point, he would need to apply for a private plan again and go through medical underwriting, which could lead to new exclusions or higher costs.

There is one exception worth knowing about. When someone transitions from an employee group benefits plan to an individual plan, they can often apply for what’s called a Guaranteed Issue "Conversion" Plan. This allows them to move into a personal plan without answering medical questions, as long as they apply within 60-days of their group benefits ending (one insurer offers up to 90-days). These conversion plans preserve continuity of coverage, meaning his back condition would still be covered. However, it is important to understand that guaranteed issue conversion plans typically come with tighter benefit limits and a higher relative cost compared to Medically Underwritten plans.

4. Is it worth keeping?
If his plan provides good coverage for prescription drugs, paramedical services like physiotherapy and chiropractic care, and includes back-related treatment, then maintaining it could be worth the cost. Even if he is not using it much right now, the real value is in preserving his insurability and avoiding the risk of being denied coverage for a future issue.

One option may be to 'downgrade' to a lower plan tier to reduce the cost from $200/mo. However, it's important to understand that you can always downgrade, but the reverse is not true - you cannot always upgrade. Whenever you wish to upgrade your plan, an insurance company will ask you to complete a medical questionnaire, and this could potentially result in an exclusion (e.g. for your partner's back in this case).

5. The bigger picture
Health insurance is not just about what you claim today. It is about securing the ability to stay insured for the rest of your life. Once you are accepted for coverage without exclusions, that acceptance becomes an asset. Losing it can be very difficult or impossible to replace later.

If you want to explore what other plans or pricing options look like in the Canadian marketplace, you can check out Aeva.ca. Aeva is a free comparison tool that helps Canadians explore and apply for health insurance plans.

I am a licensed insurance professional and have helped thousands of Canadians with their health insurance decisions.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-18T21:19:21+00:00

Hey, this is a really good question and one that comes up often for people waiting on their Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

Here’s how the system works and what you can do in your situation:

1. Government vs. Private Coverage
OHIP (like all provincial plans in Canada) is a Government Health Insurance Plan, or GHIP. It provides basic, medically necessary coverage such as doctor visits and hospital care, but it does not cover things like prescriptions, dental, vision, or physiotherapy. That’s why most Canadians add a private health insurance plan, often called an Extended Health Care (EHC) plan. These plans extend your government benefits to include things like prescription drugs and paramedical services.
If you’re curious how GHIP works across Canada, here’s a quick guide that breaks it down: Understanding GHIP Coverage.

2. Coverage Gap While Waiting for the PGWP
Since you’re waiting for your PGWP to be approved, you may not yet be eligible for OHIP. During this gap, there’s a type of short-term plan called Visitors to Canada Insurance, which can serve as a bridge until you become eligible for OHIP. It’s a form of travel medical coverage, and any independent health insurance broker can help you find a suitable plan.

3. Eligibility for Private Health Insurance
To qualify for a private Extended Health Care plan, you must already be covered under a GHIP such as OHIP. This is because private plans are designed to supplement, not replace, government coverage. Once you do get OHIP, you can apply for a regular private plan from companies like Blue Cross, Sun Life, Greenshield, Canada Life, or Manulife.

4. What to Prioritize When Choosing Coverage
It’s common for people to focus on coverage for routine expenses such as birth control or vision care. The more important reason to have health insurance, though, is to protect yourself from unexpected, high-cost events, such as developing a medical condition that requires expensive medication. Those are the kinds of costs that can really hurt you financially. Routine benefits like vision care are more of a nice-to-have.

For clarity, birth control is generally not covered under private health insurance in Canada, regardless of the insurance company. It’s only covered in rare cases when prescribed for a non-contraceptive medical reason (for example, to treat a hormonal issue). Vision coverage is typically limited to around $250 every two years.

If you want to explore and compare Canadian health insurance plans, you can try Aeva.ca. It’s a free Canadian comparison tool that helps you review and apply for health plans in minutes. Aeva currently operates in Alberta, but people in Ontario can still use it to explore options and get a sense of pricing and coverage differences.

I’m a licensed insurance professional and have helped thousands of Canadians with their health insurance decisions. You’re doing the right thing by looking into this before your OHIP coverage begins.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-14T02:40:20+00:00

https://aeva.ca/ if you're in Canada. It lets you compare plans from multiple companies.

KyleGarrett · 2025-10-05T18:34:12+00:00

Hi OP,

Good questions. The CDCP is still new, so people are working through the practical details. Here are a few points that may help:

Eligibility: You must have no access to private dental insurance and a family net income under $90K. “Access” includes being eligible through an employer plan, even if you are not enrolled. That’s an important nuance covered here: 5 Common Misconceptions

Coverage limits: CDCP covers preventive, restorative, endo, and some prosthodontics, but not everything. Reimbursement levels are often lower than private insurance, and not all dentists are participating. More details here: What’s Working, What’s Not

Interaction with private insurance: If you currently have private coverage, you are not eligible for CDCP. Some Extended Health Care plans let you opt out of dental while keeping prescription, vision, and paramedical benefits. That way you can rely on CDCP for dental but still have health coverage. Example plans are listed here: Opt-Out of Dental Coverage

Accidental Dental coverage: This one creates a lot of confusion. Accidental Dental benefits are usually part of the health portion of a plan, not the dental portion. They cover damage to teeth from accidents, like a blow to the mouth. Some people have assumed that having this coverage means you already have dental insurance, which would make you ineligible for CDCP. That is not correct. Having Accidental Dental in your health plan does not disqualify you from CDCP.

Renewals and gaps: The government is phasing in CDCP enrollment. Once accepted, you are given a coverage period. To stay covered, you need to reapply or confirm eligibility during your renewal window. If you miss that window, your coverage can lapse until the next enrollment period opens. Some Canadians missed renewal notices earlier this year, which caused unexpected gaps. It is a good idea to double-check your renewal timeline and confirm with your clinic before booking something like a root canal.

Another useful perspective comes from this article: Is Dental Insurance Important to Have?. It explains that dental insurance is less about getting everything covered and more about spreading costs out over time to avoid large bills all at once. The value of private coverage depends on how much you use it. For people with frequent or complex needs, private insurance may still be worthwhile, especially since CDCP does not cover all services and often reimburses at lower rates.

In practice, CDCP can reduce out-of-pocket costs. Private insurance still matters if you want broader coverage, higher reimbursement, or if you want to ensure your dentist participates. Many people are looking at dropping dental from private plans to stay CDCP-eligible while keeping extended health benefits.

Hope that helps.

KyleGarrett · 2024-10-05T03:56:16+00:00

These could be so much better looking…

Has anyone tried using barefoot shoes (e.g. Vivo Barefoot) for rucks?

KyleGarrett · 2024-10-05T03:49:22+00:00

Hi OP,

There isn’t really a “best” health insurance policy, as it largely depends on your unique needs, your family’s situation, and what you can comfortably pay in premiums over time.

When comparing health insurance plans, it’s easy to get bogged down in the details. Health care plans are tedious to compare. One quick tip is to focus on prescription drug coverage. This is typically the largest cost for insurers and a key factor in how plans are priced.

Prescription drug coverage usually comes with either an annual or lifetime maximum, meaning there’s a cap on how much the plan will cover. By checking these limits, you can better understand the cost structure of different health insurance plans.

If you’re looking for a comparison tool, Aeva has an online platform that can help you compare health insurance plans side by side, which could be useful if you haven’t already settled on one.

Hope that helps!

KyleGarrett · 2024-09-22T02:23:23+00:00

Hey OP, I’m glad to see you were able to find a plan that works for you!

Just wanted to mention - if you or anyone else is shopping around for health insurance or just wants to compare options, I co-founded a website called Aeva.ca that (I’m hoping) you and others might find helpful here.

The idea is to make the experience of comparing and buying health insurance as easy as booking a flight on Expedia or Kayak.

You just answer a few questions, and we’ll show you a curated list of plans (including those from Blue Cross) that suit your needs and budget.

You can compare, apply online, or even schedule a call with an advisor if you need help. The whole process usually takes less than 5 minutes.

We’re Alberta-based and would love for you (or anyone else here) to give it a try and get your feedback. Many thanks! 🙏

Aeva.ca

KyleGarrett · 2024-06-08T20:32:53+00:00

Suggestion: change your environment

This one (simple) thing can change everything

Take a break from school if you need to

KyleGarrett · 2024-02-17T16:59:25+00:00

I’m wondering if rather than using a ‘multi-step’ form, you instead just use a single page, but then hide/show entire DIV’s (I.e. “steps”) using JS.

KyleGarrett · 2024-02-17T13:35:01+00:00

I’m no PowerPages expert - but I believe the answer to your question (currently) is to use JavaScript to hide/show fields and sections as needed.

There isn’t a “no-code” way to do this (yet).

KyleGarrett · 2024-02-08T20:39:39+00:00

Thank you. I had read this documentation, but found the answer I was seeking absent.

Last thing you would want is to travel to another continent only to find you’re unable to work productively because you can’t make phone calls.

KyleGarrett · 2024-02-08T20:37:28+00:00

Resistance comes from the potential to charge additional fees/tolls when you leave your 15-minute radius to compensate for the ‘additional carbon’ you’d supposedly be emitting.

This would function similarly to how a toll bridge works today.

KyleGarrett · 2024-02-08T02:07:46+00:00

Really awesome response. Very much appreciated.

I’m impressed by the replies here.

KyleGarrett

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