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Insurance Coverage During Pandemic
What to do?
Step 1: Check Government Link for your destination
https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories
If your destination has a level 3 or 4 travel advisory there may be Emergency out of Country Restrictions.
You must be covered for travel insurance at the time you leave the province and for the duration of your trip. To find out if you are covered please contact your employer, online at Greenshield https://onlineservices.greenshield.ca/planmember or our CIBP line at 1-844-393-2334.
Travel insurance is based on an unexpected medical emergency taking place for you or a covered dependent while traveling out of country. Any condition that is not deemed as stable before leaving the country and a medical scenario pertaining to that medical condition arises while out of the country then the claim may be denied by your insurer.
Stable means that during the 90 days immediately preceding your departure:
- a) your pre-existing/pre-diagnosed medical condition:
- has been controlled by the consistent use of the same medications and dosages (excluding changes in medication that regularly occur as part of your ongoing treatment, or decreases in dosage resulting from an improvement in your pre-existing or pre-diagnosed medical condition) prescribed by a legally qualified medical professional;
- has not, in the reasonable opinion of a legally qualified medical professional, required additional treatment for a recurrence, complications or any other reason related either directly or indirectly to your pre-existing or pre-diagnosed medical condition;
- b) you have not consulted a legally qualified medical professional for, or had investigated or diagnosed, a new medical condition for which you have not received medical treatment;
- c) you have not scheduled/are not awaiting any future appointments for non-routine examinations, consultations, tests or investigations (including results) for an undiagnosed medical condition; d) you have not scheduled/are not awaiting any exploratory surgical procedures for an undiagnosed medical condition or surgical procedures for a diagnosed medicalcondition;
Step 2: Do your research
Insurers will determine eligibility of claims based on time of departure and travel advisories to your destination.
If you leave before the travel advisory was issued for your destination and contract the COVID 19 virus while at your destination, then your emergency travel coverage will be in effect. Your out of country emergency claim will be processed as normal. Subject to pre-existing conditions. If you are quarantined in the region then the insurer will extend your Emergency Travel coverage until you can be returned home.
If you leave the country after a travel advisory has been issued then your insurer may not cover you or your dependents for emergency medical expenses incurred due to that illness.
Step 3: Consult your Employee Benefit Booklet
Our Insurers wording:
Greenshield: No Coverage in Level 3 or Level 4 Countries
GSC standard language excludes claims related to a travel advisory if a person chooses to travel to an area under advisory.
Any claims arising directly or indirectly from any medical condition you suffer or contract in a specific country, region or city due to an epidemic or pandemic, if at the time of booking the trip (including delay of travel), or before your departure date, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) issued a formal travel warning advising Canadians to avoid all or non-essential travel to that specific country, region or city. In this exclusion “medical condition” is limited to the reason for which the formal travel warning was issued and includes complications arising from such medical condition.
Canada Life (Formerly Great West Life): Coverage in Effect
Claims related to the novel coronavirus that occurred during travel to a country with travel advisory warnings will be treated and assessed like any other claim under your plan. While travel to countries with travel advisory warnings won’t automatically exclude members from coverage, plans do vary, so that’s why we’re assessing claims individually – just like we do for all medical emergency claims.
Employment Insurance During Quarantine
The Government has waived the waiting period for those medically required to be quarantined.
You will be eligible from day 1 of the quarantine. See link below:
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canada-sick-leave-ei-benefits-coronavirus
To apply for Employment Insurance refer to the below link:
https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/notices/coronavirus.html