As COVID-19 pandemic restrictions lift and seniors are getting brave enough to resume their normal activities, many are considering going back to their snowbirding lifestyle.
As with everything else, the cost of travel and the insurance coverage that should be the companion that cushions the blow if something goes wrong is an essential part of that idyllic winter vacation plan.
Gary Clarke of Snow Owl Travel Insurance, who has been a Prince George insurance broker for the last 45 years, knows the ins and outs of insurance and has taken the guess work out of it for his clients.
“Restrictions or additions have been eliminated now, so for any reason you have a medical emergency, including COVID-19, the insurance company will pay,” Clarke said. “The companies I use have a $10 million overall policy that you are covered for and pricing is always dependent on your age, health, the destination and duration of the trip.”
Clarke said there are some new trends.
“A lot of folks are going for longer terms now. Recently I’ve done quotes for up to seven-month trips. That’s a long time and it can get quite expensive and that would be determined by how long you’re going and your health – if you’ve got no underlying health conditions it makes a big difference compared to someone who has underlying conditions – a big difference.”
Another factor that determines cost is if your destination is the United States.
“You can have world travel insurance that excludes the United States and it’s quite a bit cheaper because the USA is the most expensive place in the world to get sick,” Clarke said. “If you go into hospital down there it’s very expensive and believe it or not Canada is the second most expensive. Most people don’t realize that because we’re covered through our medical services plan."
He's also noticed a recent trend where now that pandemic restrictions are lifting and people are ready to go exploring they are getting multi-trip insurance, where they buy a policy that spans say 35 days over a year because they may go on vacation twice a year but then there’s that visit to family that takes them away from home as well.
“They don’t know exactly when they’re going so they’ll buy a multi-trip policy that covers as many trips as they’d like to make in that year,” Clarke said. “I find that’s very popular now as it leaves all your options open.”
Clarke said to get any kind of travel insurance, people must first be covered by their provincial medical services plan.
“I want to emphasize something, especially when it comes to older folks,” Clarke said. “Even if you do have an ongoing medical condition the rates are based on the stability of that condition. So let’s say you are on medication for high blood pressure so you declare that and that’s ok, there’s no increase in the rate for that as long as you declare it, but it has to have been a stable condition for at least six months – so no increase in medication for six months and if there is a change in medication there’s going to be a surcharge. These are things to keep in mind when getting insurance.”
Here's something that Clarke likes about the companies he uses, particularly for his older clients.
“You’ve heard the horror stories about how people get insurance and because they’ve forgotten to declare a pre-existing condition their insurance company won’t cover the cost of a hospital stay,” Clarke said. “That’s everybody’s nightmare. So one company that I use will never deny the claim. Older people forget stuff, OK? They forget their doctor told them this or that. They are not being fraudulent, they just have a lot of stuff going on and they forget.”
Clarke said the company never denies a claim so if an error was made on the medical questionnaire the company will just change the deductible.
“I just use the top five insurers in Canada and that way you know they will stand behind their policies,” Clarke said. “And that’s what it’s all about – having peace of mind when you travel.”
