Covid 19/touring

[nobbie48]

Who buys travel insurance when they don't plan on leaving the country...?
My OHIP will cover any health emergencies regardless of location. My auto/bike policy will cover what it says... There's NOTHING in it saying that they can deny/change coverage due to me not following some hypothetical "recommendations" that may some day come from somewhere.

Wrong.

A couple of years ago a lady from Quebec went to see the polar bears in Churchill MANITOBA. She saw them really up close when she got mauled, needing to be airlifted to Winnipeg for surgery. She had to pay the five figure medivac bill. PQ said tough luck. You should have looked at bears in northern PQ.

OHIP only pays certain basics based on reciprocal agreements but each province has it's own drug, ambulance and aftercare plan and each treats visitors differently. No it won't be as bad as the USA but it could add up.

My last ambulance ride here cost me $35.00. An aunt in Manitoba paid $200.00 last year but it used to be $500.00. She's a resident.

 

[Hack]

Well qc and pei wont let you in right now. Its not illegal to be there, but you cant get access.

Or can you...?

Reading the information off the gov't websites it's difficult to determine what "essential" travel is..
As well, there are so many exceptions to their "travel advisories" that i doubt the effectiveness.

I mean really... According to the PEI advisory, taking your dog to the vet is acceptable "essential" travel.

 

[Hack]

Wrong.


OHIP only pays certain basics based on reciprocal agreements but each province has it's own drug, ambulance and aftercare plan and each treats visitors differently. No it won't be as bad as the USA but it could add up.

Well... I haven't been to Churchill MB to look at bears, but... I've traveled a lot in Canada and I have one kid living as a student in another province and a nephew living here in Ont. from another province and both their respective provincial health insurance plans are honored...

B'sides... If I need an ambulance, regardless of where I happen to be at the time... I need an ambulance. I don't really care if it's costing me $35, $200 or $500.

The ambulance fee thing is pretty much the same across the country, yes.
If you're a visitor.. You pay.

 

[nobbie48]

Well... I haven't been to Churchill MB to look at bears, but... I've traveled a lot in Canada and I have one kid living as a student in another province and a nephew living here in Ont. from another province and both their respective provincial health insurance plans are honored...

B'sides... If I need an ambulance, regardless of where I happen to be at the time... I need an ambulance. I don't really care if it's costing me $35, $200 or $500.

The ambulance fee thing is pretty much the same across the country, yes.
If you're a visitor.. You pay.

If you ride cautiously in reasonable areas it isn't likely to bankrupt you but doing a Jame's Bay run might be iffy if money is tight.

The USA is a whole different animal. I know one guy airlifted to a hospital and when they found out he didn't have insurance or a fat credit card they released him with broken ribs, arm and fractured vertebrae. If they can get you to stand you're considered cured.

 

[yarddawg]

With the number of vehicles on the road, what are the chances of you having an accident in broad daylight???

 

[PrivatePilot]

With the number of vehicles on the road, what are the chances of you having an accident in broad daylight???

Problem is, based on personal observation....of the vehicles left out there 50% of them are driving like Mario Andretti wannabees.

 

[Wingboy]

With the number of vehicles on the road, what are the chances of you having an accident in broad daylight???

The lady telling her kids to shut up making a left turn out of the strip mall waiting for a break in the traffic.YES...GO...oops,didn't see the motorcycle.
And then the "Song of the Sausage Creature".

 

[GreyGhost]

With the number of vehicles on the road, what are the chances of you having an accident in broad daylight???

High. My neighbour got smoked while stopped at a light. Very high percentage of extreme speeding, DUI and red light runners. Not sure if there are more now (I suspect so) or if they just havent changed their behaviour and it is more obvious with less fish in the sea.

 

[kiley]

just some fyi I found

GOOD NEWS for a change..... The road blocks in Graham County - North Carolina will be REMOVED by Monday, April 20. This includes the road blocks on US129, Cherohala Skyway and Hwy 28. You will now be able to access the Dragon and the Cherohala from North Carolina. HOWEVER, for the safety of the citizens of Graham County which includes Robbinsville and Fontana, please either DO NOT STOP in the county or limit your stop for fuel only. The stores are open at the Dragon, where you can find food and fuel. NOTE: accommodations in North Carolina remain closed. For a list of open accommodations and more info see: https://tailofthedragonresorts.com/special-event-map/

 

[ReSTored]

Well... I haven't been to Churchill MB to look at bears, but... I've traveled a lot in Canada and I have one kid living as a student in another province and a nephew living here in Ont. from another province and both their respective provincial health insurance plans are honored...

B'sides... If I need an ambulance, regardless of where I happen to be at the time... I need an ambulance. I don't really care if it's costing me $35, $200 or $500.

The ambulance fee thing is pretty much the same across the country, yes.
If you're a visitor.. You pay.

Not to flog this to death, but you're mistaken about the potential liability and cost. If you're in a serious accident then the different between what OHIP pays and what another province charges "out-of-province" patients could end up being tens of thousands of dollars, not a couple of hundred buck re your ambulance example. Simple thing is to have a premium credit card and for $120/year I get all Canada and US health coverage for trips and increased loyalty points as well.

 

[Hack]

Not to flog this to death, but you're mistaken about the potential liability and cost. If you're in a serious accident then the different between what OHIP pays and what another province charges "out-of-province" patients could end up being tens of thousands of dollars, not a couple of hundred buck re your ambulance example. Simple thing is to have a premium credit card and for $120/year I get all Canada and US health coverage for trips and increased loyalty points as well.

The info/fee schedules are all available online.

 

[Trials]

Yay, we can joy ride the most infected country in the world again very soon. ?

 

[Wingboy]

Pennsylvania will be fine.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Simple thing is to have a premium credit card and for $120/year I get all Canada and US health coverage for trips and increased loyalty points as well.

What card is that out of curiosity.

Yay, we can joy ride the most infected country in the world again very soon. ?

If I *do* travel in the USA this summer I'll be personally going to great lengths to avoid any unnecessary exposure. That means pretty much exclusively camping unless the weather goes to hell unexpectedly (the less time I need to spend inside anywhere with even a remote chance of leftover whatever from the last person who was there), takeout versus dine-in, and careful sanitation practices along the way...IE, a 55 gallon drum of hand sanitizer, and wearing a mask whenever I do need to deal with anything dodgy - I have a few N95's in my garage and I expect both they as well as regular masks will be more easily obtainable by then.

 

[ReSTored]

What card is that out of curiosity.

Every bank has a premium card that includes limited duration health insurance, trip interruption, lost luggage, rental vehicle CDW, extended consumer warranties etc... Mine is from CIBC. Terms vary, but in general you get 15 days coverage out of province per trip. If you plan to be away for months then this isn't going to work for you.

Note that many insurance companies are now specifically excluding COVID related healthcare expenses. Given lax attitudes in the US I think travelling there in the short term is relatively risky and I plan to stick close to home for the next few months. As the US "opens up" I think we're going to see a rebound of infections 2 - 3 weeks later.

 

[shanekingsley]

What card is that out of curiosity.

I have the TD First Class Visa Infinite Travel.

TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite* Card | TD Canada Trust

Enjoy travel rewards and more with the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite* Card. It may be the best travel card for you in Canada. Learn more.

www.td.com

Normally it's $120/year, but this fee is waived if I maintain balance of $5k in the linked account. I've had the card for about 10 years or so and it gives free travel insurance all over the world, including trip cancellation/interruption. It provides emergency medical coverage for 21 days. All I need to do to activate the free insurance is use the card in the US. So when I cross the border, at the point I fill up my first gas tank, the insurance is active from then on. To extend the coverage for a longer trip, I just make a phone call. Considering we travel multiple times a year, the savings in travel insurance make the card a no brainer right there.

The loyalty points are quite nice. Each year I redeem around $1000 worth of points, which can be redeemed before or after point of purchase for almost any major travel related product, including any flights, hotels, rental cars, etc. - as long as that purchase was made with the card. Lastly, TD has partnered up w/ Expedia, so any purchases made using the card via this partnership nets back 3x the loyalty points. So for a pair of flights I was going to buy anyways, I now make back enough points to do something fun with.

 

[PrivatePilot]

All I need to do to activate the free insurance is use the card in the US. So when I cross the border, at the point I fill up my first gas tank, the insurance is active from then on.

With my luck I'd crash or be run over 100 feet past the customs booth at the border before I get a chance to activate it by buying something. ?

The loyalty points are quite nice. Each year I redeem around $1000 worth of points

My latest points card is a Amex Cobalt. I got it in August last year and after redirecting every $ of normal spending we'd usually do (paid off immediately afterwards) and the first year bonus points offer I just checked and we're just a few dollars short of $1000 in redeemable rewards as of right now....and it can be applied instantly to ANY travel related charges put on the card. Our plan was to use it for a cruise.

At the pace we're going I expect to have around $2000 in rewards by the 12 month rolls around.

No travel insurance or other perks on it though.

And who knows when we'll do our next cruise. Might use it for a whirlwind trip to Vegas or something with the wife. It's good for almost anything classified as travel.

Bonus thing with the Cobalt is when you're travelling in the USA (where the Cobalt doesn't exist) some people mistake it for the infamous Amex "Black" card. It's funny to watch the reactions sometimes when we're checking into some modest hotel/motel in the USA and we pull out a "Amex Black".

 

[shanekingsley]

With my luck I'd crash or be run over 100 feet past the customs booth at the border before I get a chance to activate it by buying something. ?

The past practice was to call the office before your trip and just let them know of your upcoming travels. This can still be done for people like you.

 

[Jayv]

Yay, we can joy ride the most infected country in the world again very soon.

You want to ride in China

 

[Trials]

You want to ride in China

Heck no I want to ride in Canada where my money is accepted at face value instead of 40%+ more expensive US$'s only accepted.