Crippling insurance costs
Just got a quote back for supplementary travel insurance to stay at our little place in Texas for 4 months. Cannot afford to take it out but the consequences could be grave if we do not. Damned if we ...
Forum Discussion
joebedford wrote:John & Angela wrote:OK, I don't get that. Why would a Canadian not need emerg. medical insurance in Spain?
Exactly. Three months in southern Spain will run you about 4500 Canadian in rent and no need for travel insurance although I would still get a repatriation policy that gets you home.
Canadian medical covers you anywhere in the world up to what it costs in Canada. That's why Canandians need health care coverage when travelling in the USA. The procedural costs and hospital costs are 3 to 15 times more expensive in the US than Canada. If you need a procedure in the US your emergency health care coverage pays the difference between what Canada health covers (through your provincial plan) and the actual billed amount. This is transparent to the Canadian as the emergency health insurance provider (medipac or whoever) does all the submitting. In the case of Spain (and some other European countries) the procedural and hospitalization numbers are similar so there is little or nothing to pay. You as a patient will have to pay the bill and then submit it to your province. Germany is more expensive than Spain, France us in the middle, other countries are more or less. That's why for those to still choose to buy supplemental health care coverage for European trips it is quite a bit cheaper.
Still recommend a repatriation policy though.
