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Snow birds needing travel insurance


J.Miller

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My sister and brother in law will finally retire in January and hope to head to Chapala sometime late in that month. My brother in law just called me to see if I know of any travel insurance for snowbirds. Since I live here full time I am seldom in need of "travel insurance" but thought that someone on this board might be able to advise me so I can pass on the information. By the way they are Canadian so would need to purchase coverage there.

I don't want to get into breaking any advertising rules here, so if you do have some advice, please PM me with the details.

Another thing that they will maybe be interested in, is joining someone in Laredo, in about the last week of January to drive south with. They have been here many times but have never driven, and are a little nervous. We had plans of meeting them but since we would be traveling with our dog, and since our car is still illegal, it is looking like we will not be able to do that. If you are driving to Chapala in late January and might be interested in a convoy, would you please let me know so that I can put you in touch with my BIL.

Thanks in advance.

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Check out World Nomads: http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-insurance/ They have great trip insurance which includes better health care coverage than anywhere I have looked. I have used them for several years. They are very easy to sign up with through their website I have never had to make a claim, but I researched people who have and the experience was almost universally good. The people who did express problems seem not to have read their policy.

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You indicate that they are "retiring" in Mexico. Do you mean permanently?

If so, (I believe the following to be true) be advised that many travel insurance policies in Canada require you to be on a provincial health (Medicare) plan for the policy to be valid.

If they will be travelling on a Tourist Visa then perhaps they'll be safe. We came down on Permanente and Temporal Visas so, as I understand it, we didn't qualify. We gave up Medicare as soon as we crossed the border so said our home province.

I don't have an actual answer to your question but can tell you that we're purchasing medical insurance here in Mexico.

I'm sure others will have suggestions. Medical insurance is always a hot topic. Giving up Canadian Medicare is a considerable consideration but living here is worth it. Just my 2 cents.

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They are retiring and they do have a home here(Mexico) but they only plan to spend the winter months in Mexico. Canada will remain their permanent residence. They will be living here only a few months of the year and will need coverage while they are out of Canada.

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I realize that each Province has it's own medical plan, but I thought you were covered (reimbursed) when away as long as it was less than 6 months. Not so?

You are reimbursed up to more or less the amount that they would have paid for the same thing in Canada--although I think Ontario, for instance, will only reimburse something like $50 a day for hospital. (But you have to pay up front and claim back so need to have a line of credit, or credit card with a good limit.)

So, getting sick in Mexico is at least not the disaster it is to get sick or injured in the US because Mexico is not so expensive. The problem is that if you drive down, you can buy relatively cheap insurance for that leg in the US. BUT, all trips must originate in Canada, so in order to be covered for the drive back, you need to cover yourself for the entire time you are away.

One company to look into is called Travel+Med out of Quebec. We got a really good deal with them. But costs depend on so many things-- age, etc.--that you can't say one is cheaper than another. Another to look into is Travel Underwriters in Richmond BC. They actually provide the coverage for CAA, Presidents Choice and many others. Another is Medipac. They cover all retired military and civil service people but also offer coverage to others. All can be accessed online.

A word of caution, however: You must not tell the slightest lie or innacuracy on the application. If they find out, it is grounds to deny any claim.

Bob

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  • 2 years later...
On ‎2013‎-‎12‎-‎20 at 5:30 AM, eagles100 said:

You indicate that they are "retiring" in Mexico. Do you mean permanently?

If so, (I believe the following to be true) be advised that many travel insurance policies in Canada require you to be on a provincial health (Medicare) plan for the policy to be valid.

If they will be travelling on a Tourist Visa then perhaps they'll be safe. We came down on Permanente and Temporal Visas so, as I understand it, we didn't qualify. We gave up Medicare as soon as we crossed the border so said our home province.

I don't have an actual answer to your question but can tell you that we're purchasing medical insurance here in Mexico.

I'm sure others will have suggestions. Medical insurance is always a hot topic. Giving up Canadian Medicare is a considerable consideration but living here is worth it. Just my 2 cents.

I AM SURE  Canada  DOES NOT HAVE I suggest KANETIX get quote from many suppliers

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