everythingzoomer.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 (^) – 75
THE REALITY CHECK
The cost of foreign travel, which es-
sentially means travel outside of one’s
home province, rises with the risk
of illness or injury. The Westland
Insurance Group, a B.C.-based re-
tail insurance agency with scores of
offices, indicates that a heart attack
can cost C$305,000 in Colorado, a
bad case of sunburn C$185,000 in
Florida and diagnosis and treatment
of pneumonia C$66,000 in Arizona.
Travel insurance vendors have
plans that allow one to discount and
even to predict the cost of health
care when travelling. A Blue Cross
plan might, for example, allow for
up to 32 days of travel anywhere
within one year as many times as you
like – that’s something between 365
one-day trips or eleven 32-day trips
and a 12- or 13-day trip at the end
where you have to watch the clock.
Pre-existing conditions are exclud-
ed on this plan. You need to get ap-
proval for any health service when
using the plan lest it be thought you
have become a medical tourist try-
ing to make use of facilities some-
where other than your own prov-
ince. —Andrew Allentuck
PEACE OF MIND IN MEXICO
While the U.S. Sunbelt remains the
No. 1 choice for Canadian snowbirds,
Mexico is quickly gaining in popular-
ity. Last year, more than two million
of us packed our swimsuits and sun-
screen, lured by its beaches, moun-
tains, small-town colonial appeal
and low cost-of-living.
According to Jason Nagy, a trav-
el insurance expert with The
McLennan Group, the Mexican
health-care system has changed the
way it operates because of the in-
creased snowbird traffic. “Nowadays,
when they know you’re from out of
country, their [health-care] fees are
much higher than they’d normally
be,” he says. “And just because they’re
charging U.S. prices doesn’t mean
they’re providing a suitable level of
care.” That’s why anyone travelling
to Mexico needs the right travel in-
surance policy and should keep the
following in mind:
Does your provider have
experts who can navigate
the local health-care system?
“Say you get the stomach bug in
Mexico,” says Nagy. Ensure your
provider will direct you to a clinic
that will meet your specific needs
or, in some cases, send a doctor right
to your resort or property.
Does your provider offer plans
to suit your individual needs?
Snowbirds are used to buy-
ing insurance for their specific
trips. However, because so many
Canadians live close to the border,
they also want a policy that covers
them for quick one-off trips to the
U.S. Nagy advises to go for the safe-
ty of a longer plan and top-up your
policy for shorter trips.
What about pre-existing
conditions? As travellers age,
they often develop health issues
that require more frequent main-
tenance. Look for a provider
that offers products that give you
coverage for pre-existing con-
ditions while you’re travelling.
—Peter Muggeridge
Credit, where credit’s due
If you’ve maxed out your credit cards or are short of funds but desperately want to
take that once-in-a-lifetime winter getaway, don’t cancel your plans. Using Uplift (a
U.S.-based company that began operating in Canada this year), you can still quench
your wanderlust while paying off the bill in monthly instalments. By clicking on the
“Pay Monthly” button, you can pay for the trip by taking a small loan. Uplift will show
you the full cost of your trip (with fees and interest included), and you can take off to
the sun even before you’ve paid it off. “Uplift is currently available with well-known
Canadian travel providers, Tripcentral.ca, Travel Professionals International (TPI),
Travel Only, Redtag.ca, and Sunwing.ca — plus the launch of Uplift with retailers
i-travel2000 and SellOff Vacations is imminent,” says Denise Heffron, Managing
Director, Uplift Canada. uplift.com —PM
If you go, be prepared. Here,
insurance experts share their
strategies
SNOWBIRD PLANNER
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