The high cost of emergency medical treatment outside of Canada makes travel medical insurance a must-have before leaving the country, but many families are financially stretched as it is. This is particularly true for the almost 200,000 single-parent families in British Columbia, who often have a tougher time making ends meet.

Pacific Blue Cross wants all families to have a safe travel experience and equal and affordable access to emergency medical coverage. While some travel insurers offer “Kids go Free” when you have two paying adults, we’ve taken it one step further—we now offer free coverage for kids whether it’s for one parent families or two.  This allows single parent families to get the same value and protection as a family with two parents.

As a Health Benefits Society, it’s our mission to improve health and wellbeing for British Columbians. We care deeply about all families in the province, no matter how they’re constructed, and believe they should all be treated equally if they want to protect the health and wellness of their kids when they travel.

And every time you buy travel insurance from Pacific Blue Cross, you’re helping Children’s Wish dreams come true. We ensure children and families have travel protection when a travel wish is granted. Without it, many of these wishes would not be fulfilled.

Quick facts about travel medical insurance:

• If you have a medical emergency outside the country, Canadian health insurance won’t cover treatment costs. Foreign hospitals in countries like the U.S. are very expensive and may require you to pay up front.
• If your employer provides travel medical as part of your benefits package, don’t assume this coverage will be enough to cover the costs associated with an emergency out-of-country illness or medical event. You’ll get emergency medical treatment (ambulance, physician fees, diagnostic services, and drugs), but not much else.
• Employer-based travel medical coverage has lifetime maximums—one major claim (or other costs that are paid by your plan, like expensive ongoing medications) might mean you don’t have the coverage you think you do for future travels.
• An individual travel medical insurance policy protects the lifetime limits on an employer-based benefits plan (it covers the costs, not the group plan).
• Some premium credit cards offer travel medical coverage, but the amount is generally much lower than private insurance. They also limit the number of consecutive days you can be away, which is particularly important if you’re travelling with aging relatives. The other thing you should know is that most cards will provide this coverage only if you charge 75% or more of your travel costs to the card.

Check out the Travel Insurance section for more information.