Category: Insurance

Author: Patrick Boyd, Sunlife Financial, Advisor

Should I Be Covered by Health Insurance?

Are you currently paying out of pocket to visit your local therapist or receive treatment not covered by our provincial plan or your group plan? Would you have to pay out of pocket should an emergency arise? Most Canadians would answer yes to this question and, if you did too, then personal health insurance could be right for you. 

Why Personal Health Insurance? 

Did you know the Provincial medical system only covers acute hospital care and you are responsible for further recovery treatments? Many Canadians believe that they won’t need to pay anything for medical expenses until it is too late and the consequences of not having any protection can have a serious impact on finances.

Consider something common such as a pulled muscle. It’s likely that you wont even need to go to the hospital, but a doctor will most likely recommend a series of physiotherapy and massage therapy treatments. If you were to go to each of these practitioners twice a week for a two-month recovery time, then you would be looking at expenses over $3000. Now consider the effects of something long term, more severe or requiring further treatment, and you can see how quickly this can become unmanageable.

The secret is that you can get coverage that, in many cases, has a lower monthly premium then just one practitioner visit!

What is Personal Health Insurance?

Personal Health Insurance provides affordable coverage for health and dental expenses, medical emergencies and many other services which are not covered by provincial plans. These insurance plans can include coverage for:

• Paramedical Practitioners such as: acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths, osteopaths, physiotherapists, podiatrists/chiropodists, psychologists, registered massage therapists and speech language pathologists
• Prescription drugs 
• Dental 
• Medical equipment and ambulance
• Emergency Travel
• Vision Care

Who Can Benefit from Health Insurance?

All Canadians should have some form of health protection through either personal health insurance or group insurance. Because of this, personal health insurance is ideal for individuals who don’t meet the employment status, those who are working for a company that doesn’t offer benefits, entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, contract workers and seasonal employees. It can also be used in addition to a group plan for families that need increased coverage room above their existing plans. 

Is It Hard to Apply For?

As far as insurance applications go, personal health insurance is one of the easiest to apply for! Applications are short and can be done online by visiting www.sunlife.ca/patrick.boyd or I can assist you over the phone at 250-385-1471 extension 2262.