We just learned today that the company (Certas) that purchased State Farm Canada WILL NOT insure your vehicle for more than 180 days in the U.S. This was told to me at the renewal of our policy, by our local agent, and confirmed by a call to the company underwriters. In the past, with State […]

I am travelling to the U.S. in August with my truck and travel trailer and vacationing for three weeks in different states. I am planning on being in Tennessee at the end of the three weeks and then storing the truck and trailer for the winter and flying back to Canada. I am planning to […]

I recently read an article where a Canadian couple had to make a significant claim on their travel insurance. The insurance company then went after their in-province insurance company for a good portion of the claim. This reduced the total life claim available from the person’s normal health insurance. If the travel and health insurance […]

As a result of a recent medical trauma, I have discovered a disturbing aspect of the use of top-up insurance. In the event of a medical incident occurring late on the last day of primary insurance, it will probably not be covered by the primary insurer if treatment is not sought until the next day. […]

Dear Bird Talk, How many days can a resident of Ontario be out of the province before losing OHIP coverage? Shirley Lawson Norwich, ON Response: Ed.: You are allowed to travel out of the province for a period of seven months under Ontario regulations. You may apply for an extended absence and still maintain your […]

Dear Bird Talk, This past winter in Florida, I went to a walk-in clinic and paid cash for the visit. The doctor sent me to the nearby hospital for an ultrasound of my leg and, again, I paid them cash. After arriving back in Ontario, I mailed my receipts to the London OHIP office. They […]

Dear Bird Talk, I have a question that hopefully, you can answer. Why do insurance companies that provide outside-of-Canada health insurance have you pay a higher premium for health insurance if you have a change in medication, with higher or lower dose, and you are deemed unstable for 180 days and you are not covered […]

Dear Bird Talk, I was told that if you have coverage (we have six-month coverage Nov-Apr) and we go back to Canada for Christmas, that coverage is void and we have to reapply for more coverage when we go back to Arizona? Nikki D. Edmonton, AB Response: Ed.: You must be very careful about this. […]

Dear Bird Talk, My husband and I have completed Representation Agreements in lieu of Advance Directives. We plan to register these with Nidus. What steps can we take to ensure that our representative is involved when we are out of province and, particularly, in the U.S.? Do Medipac and other carriers typically check NIDUS? If […]

Dear Bird Talk, I am a retired federal employee spending each winter in Florida. I have medical coverage under the Public Service Health Care Plan for up to 40 days outside of Canada. To extend this, I fly back and forth to Ontario every few weeks to keep renewing the 40-day coverage, a rather expensive […]