Jill Wykes – Editor, Snowbirdadvisor.ca
For more travel tips for Canadian snowbirds, visit SnowbirdAdvisor.ca and SnowbirdAdvisorInsurance.ca!
All travel medical insurance policies stipulate that you must contact your insurance provider’s 24/7 Emergency Assistance Centre before seeking medical assistance.
Your policy may also specify that if you cannot reach the Emergency Assistance Centre prior to getting medical treatment, you or someone on your behalf must notify your provider as soon as possible.
The exact phrasing of these clauses may vary by provider, but it’s crucial to understand and comply with these requirements, as failure to contact your provider according to your policy’s terms may lead to partial or total denial of medical coverage.
Here’s what you need to know about these requirements and some helpful tips to ensure compliance.
Why is it necessary to contact travel insurance companies before seeking medical treatment?
Travel insurance providers have multiple reasons for requiring contact before treatment, including:
- Guiding you to treatment facilities: Insurance providers maintain a list of preferred hospitals, clinics, and doctors, directing you to these facilities to ensure quality care, appropriate treatment options, and effective management of your care.
- Arranging direct billing with your treatment provider: Your insurance provider can often set up direct billing with a preferred provider, reducing your out-of-pocket expenses.
- Simplifying the claims process: By coordinating care from the start, your insurance provider can obtain necessary documentation directly from the treatment facility, expediting your claim.
- Informing you about coverage: Contacting your provider allows them to verify if the treatment you need is covered by your policy.
- Determining “medically necessary” treatment: Emergency travel medical insurance only covers treatments deemed “medically necessary.” If you receive treatments that your insurer does not classify as such, they may not be covered, leaving you with personal expenses. Contacting your provider beforehand helps mitigate this risk.
What if I can’t contact my insurance provider in time?
Insurance providers acknowledge that there are situations where contacting them before treatment is not feasible, such as during severe medical emergencies like a heart attack or stroke.
In these cases, prioritize seeking medical attention first, and contact your insurance provider—or have someone contact them on your behalf—at the earliest opportunity.
Tips
Here are some simple tips to help you contact your insurance provider more efficiently when seeking treatment:
Ensure You Call the Right Department
Typically, your travel insurance provider will have two different departments with distinct phone numbers. Knowing the difference and contacting the correct one is vital:
- Emergency Assistance Centre: This department is accessible 24/7 and should be contacted for medical emergencies, urgent claim assistance, or immediate questions about your coverage. They provide a toll-free number for calls within Canada and the U.S., and a collect number for international calls. It’s wise to carry both numbers, as the toll-free number may occasionally not work. If traveling outside Canada and the U.S., ensure you understand how to make a collect call back to Canada prior to your trip.
- Sales and Service Centre: This department assists with policy purchases, modifications, and non-urgent inquiries. They operate on regular business hours and have different contact numbers from the Emergency Assistance Centre. Do not call this department for medical emergencies, as they may be closed or unable to assist.
Quick and Easy Access to Emergency Contact Information
To ensure you can swiftly reach your insurer when necessary, we recommend that you and your travel companion:
- Keep the emergency contact card from your provider readily available while traveling. This card may be physical or included in your digital policy confirmation letter.
- Save your insurer’s emergency contact information in your mobile phone.
- Download your insurer’s emergency assistance mobile app, if available.
Keep Your Policy and Policy Numbers Handy
To streamline the contact process with the Emergency Assistance Centre, have your policy and policy numbers readily available.
We recommend that you and your travel companions keep a hard copy of your policy and confirmation letter on hand, and also download these documents to your phones in an easily accessible location. You can add your policy numbers in the emergency contact information section on your cell phone as well.
This article originally appeared on Snowbird Advisor Insurance as Do I Need to Contact My Travel Medical Insurance Provider Before Seeking Medical Assistance While Traveling?
For more travel tips for Canadian snowbirds, visit SnowbirdAdvisor.ca and SnowbirdAdvisorInsurance.ca!
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