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The Travel Health Insurance Association of
Canada

Oct 27, 2008 09:00 ET

Travel Insurance More Essential Than Ever; THIA Offers Tips

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 27, 2008) - With Canadians expected to
make more than seven million trips out of the country this winter season, the
importance of packing adequate travel insurance policies with their essential
documents has never been more important.

"Whether it's a one-week trip to
Cuba or a six-month snowbird vacation to Florida, Texas or Arizona, the risks of
travelling without supplemental health insurance coverage are enormous," says
Martha Turnbull, president of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada,
the organization representing private travel insurance companies, brokers and
agents. "Medical costs in all foreign countries, especially the United States,
have risen so dramatically they are capable of wiping out many a family's life
savings."

Since Canada's provincial health insurance plans cover only a
small proportion of out-of-country health costs that it's not unusual for
travellers to foreign countries to generate thousands of dollars of medical
bills for even a few days of hospital confinement or outpatient treatment, adds
Ms. Turnbull.

Recently, Ed Doucet a 33-year old Canadian on a cycling
vacation in Spain flipped over his handlebars while riding down a mountain road
and was hospitalized for five days with three pelvic fractures and four cracked
ribs. His total hospital bill was $6,300.62 and his air ambulance repatriation
with a special nurse cost another $16,426.88-a total of $22,727.50. Of that,
OHIP paid $974.20. Astounding? Certainly. But if the accident had happened in
the U.S. the hospital bill could easily have been $6,000 per day.

"We
hear these kinds of stories every day," says Ms. Turmbull. "That's why we urge
all Canadians planning out-of-country travel, even for one day, to take their
time when assessing travel insurance and not wait to the last minute. It's best
to do some homework. This is an important decision.

Ms. Turnbull suggests
the following tips:

- Read your travel insurance policy. Understand its
terms. And if in doubt, ask your agent to clarify or contact the insurer
directly. Remember that travel insurance is not a substitute for your provincial
insurance, it is a supplement to it and it has exclusions and
limitations.

- Based on your age or trip duration, you may be asked to
complete a medical questionnaire. Be honest with your answers. If you do not
know how to answer a question, speak with your doctor.

- Consider plans
that offer deductibles. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium. For
those who feel comfortable with a higher deductible, this is an excellent way to
reduce insurance costs and therefore the overall costs of travel. But maker sure
you can pay the deductible to the hospital, doctor, or clinic if and when you
have to.

- Know your insurer. Deal with a reputable company licensed to
sell travel insurance in your province. Make sure you know who the assistance
company is, and that they provide you with a contact number, when and where you
need help, on a 24/7 basis.

- If dealing with a foreign travel provider
online, such as a cruise company, the travel insurance they provide may not be
adequate. Check with a Canadian travel insurance agent or broker to see if you
need to fill in any gaps in coverage.

- If you have only credit card
travel insurance, check out its benefit and exclusion terms carefully.

-
Only a few cards with relatively high annual premiums offer out-of-country
health benefits comparable to stand-alone travel insurance. Check your contract
carefully.

About THIA. THIA is the national organization representing
travel insurers, underwriters, re-insurers, emergency assistance companies, air
ambulance companies and allied services. Its website is http://www.thiaonline.com/.

For more information, please contact
Travel Health Insurance
Association of Canada
Martha Turnbull
President
Cell: (416)
471-4221
Email: [email-masked]
Website: http://www.thiaonline.com/

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