Recommendations for Private Medical Insurance before OHIP kicks in ??

[CanadianWife13]

Hello,

My family and I are landing in Toronto August/September 2014 and are trying to figure out which company offers the best private medical insurance. On a previous trip to Toronto I took out "visitor to Canada insurance" for myself and our two boys from CAA. One ear infection later cost us about $100 for the walk-in clinic visit and another $60 for the prescription. We were reimbursed about $100 because of the deductible but we did pay around $300 for 2 weeks of coverage.

My questions are:

(1) From what I understand, insurance providers out there cover accidents and emergencies but are there any that cover a normal visit to a doctor (for a cold or 2 year vaccination well visit for a toddler?)

(2) If there are any people on the forum that have taken out GAP insurance and were happy with their providers could you please make let me know? I notice that there are a few private insurance sales people in the forum but I'm really interested in hearing from people who have been happy with their providers.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Steevy]

1. Private insurance companies in Canada will only cover medical emergencies. There are absolutely no regular doctor visits included for visitors to Canada.

2. I am not familiar with GAP insurance at all. But you could try to check out <a href=http://arbetovinsurance.com/visitorstocanada/>THIS</a> website. Pretty good experience so far. I get travel insurance with them when I go abroad.

 

[CanadianWife13]

Thanks for your reply Steevy.

Do you know if different doctors can charge different rates? I've read in the forum that some people paid $30-50 for a visit where as I was charged $100 at a walk-in clinic.

I should have been more clear in my second question. When I wrote GAP insurance I just meant any insurance that would cover the 3 month waiting period. I assume that people are constantly immigrating to Ontario and have to go through the 3 month waiting period for OHIP but I don't see much on here about Visitors to Canada insurance recommendations from people who have gone through it themselves.

Thanks again for your response.

 

[Steevy]

Thanks for your reply Steevy.

Do you know if different doctors can charge different rates? I've read in the forum that some people paid $30-50 for a visit where as I was charged $100 at a walk-in clinic.

I should have been more clear in my second question. When I wrote GAP insurance I just meant any insurance that would cover the 3 month waiting period. I assume that people are constantly immigrating to Ontario and have to go through the 3 month waiting period for OHIP but I don't see much on here about Visitors to Canada insurance recommendations from people who have gone through it themselves.

Thanks again for your response.

Yes, different doctors charge differently. It also depends on the situation. Let's say when you have an emergency and you are not covered, you might end up paying more rather than in case of regular doctor visit with an appointment.

As for the second question, I get it now. Well, it is not a huge deal to find and buy the insurance for 3 months as, depending on your age and pre-existing condition status, the price will still not be too high. When you deal with an insurance company, check what is covered and what are the circumstances under which these things are covered. That is all.