Medipac Travel Insurance Review 2024

For over 30 years, Medipac Travel Insurance has positioned itself as an emergency medical insurance specialist, choosing not to insure baggage loss, trip cancellation and trip interruption. The reason? Because those “minor inconveniences” (compared to a heart attack or broken leg) are often covered by home insurance policies or by the travel operators. The company maintains that keeping this focus allows for efficient processing of claims and prompt and fair customer service.

Medipac Travel Insurance is exclusively endorsed by the Royal Canadian Legion and the Canadian Snowbird Association.

Medipac Travel Insurance is underwritten by Old Republic Insurance Company of Canada.

Medipac travel insurance offers comprehensive coverage for medical emergencies while travelling.

If you get ill or are injured on your trip, emergency medical insurance can pay for treatment-related expenses up to the coverage limits in your plan. These expenses can include doctor and hospital bills, medication and lab work, as well as medical evacuations, repatriation and arranging for a bedside companion if you are hospitalized.

Medipac Travel Insurance does not offer trip cancellation or interruption coverage, delay benefits or baggage insurance.

There is one emergency medical plan and two plan upgrades (or endorsements) for Canadian residents travelling outside of Canada:

Medipac Plan: This plan provides coverage for emergency medical treatment including:

• Hospital accommodation up to a semi-private room, intensive care unit or coronary care unit expenses
• Physician’s charges for medical and surgical care
• X-rays and diagnostic tests
• Local licensed ambulance
• Drugs and medication, up to a 30-day supply
• The cost or rental of casts, splints, trusses, braces, crutches, rental of a wheelchair or other medical appliances
• Private duty nursing, up to $7,500
• Paramedical services from a chiropractor, osteopath, chiropodist, podiatrist or physiotherapist, maximum $500
• Emergency dental treatment due to a blow to the face, up to $5,000
• Emergency dental treatment due to pain, up to $500

Medical coverage also provides additional benefits, such as the cost to transport a relative to your bedside if you are hospitalized, out-of-pocket expenses for an accompanying family member if your return is delayed due to hospitalization and the cost to return home (be repatriated) if medically necessary.

MedipacMAX Plan: This plan offers all of the medical coverage listed above with higher limits. This benefit also includes:

• Canadian Hospitalization Benefit: Paid if you are returned to Canada for medical reasons and you are hospitalized within three days of return.
• Pet Benefit: Paid to cover transportation costs to return your pet(s) to Canada if you are repatriated for medical reasons. This also covers boarding costs for up to one week.
• Excess Luggage Benefit: Reimburses shipment costs to return your excess luggage if you are repatriated due to medical reasons.
• Return to Canada Benefit: Covers the cost of return economy airfare if you fly home due to a covered reason, such as a family member who is not travelling with you dies, and later returns you back to your vacation destination.
• Relocation Benefit: Pays to cover the cost of temporary accommodations and transportation if your home becomes uninhabitable due to a hurricane, flood, forest fire, sinkhole or earthquake.
• Accidental Death Benefit: Pays if you die as a result of an accident while you are outside of Canada and your travel insurance is in effect.
• Inpatient Rehabilitation Benefit: Pays for the cost of inpatient rehabilitation if you suffer an orthopedic injury and are recommended for inpatient treatment at your destination.

MedipacPLUS Plan: This plan offers all of the medical coverage provided in the Medipac Plan and the MedipacMAX Plan, but with lower limits.

The MedipacPLUS and MedipacMAX plans both offer Claim-Free Discount Protection. If you make one medical claim that exceeds your deductible, your claims-free status (and therefore, your discount) will be protected for the following year’s purchase of travel insurance.

We’ve highlighted the key benefits for each coverage option available for the single trip plan when travelling outside of Canada to help you identify which is the best fit for you.

The benefit maximums are in USD unless otherwise indicated.

The price of a Medipac travel insurance plan depends on factors such as your age and the trip length, as well as your COVID-19 vaccination status (one dose earns a 5% discount) and whether you’ve smoked in the last two years (adds 20% to your premium if you have).

You can also choose a deductible, or the amount you pay out of pocket before your coverage kicks in, of $0, $99, $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000. A zero deductible adds 10% to the cost of the $99 deductible rates.

Here are some examples of the cost for the Medipac single trip plan for healthy, non-smoking travellers based in Ontario who have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. This assumes a $0 deductible and each includes a 10% discount.

Travellers under the age of 56 travelling for less than 41 days do not have to complete a medical questionnaire and automatically qualify for the Preferred Plus (or best) rate.

Purchasing the MedipacMAX plan endorsement adds $147 to the base Medipac Plan cost, while the MedipacPLUS plan endorsement adds $59.

Travellers interested in getting a quote can either check online or refer to the Medipac Travel Insurance Guide that provides pages of comprehensive charts that detail premium costs according to different trip lengths and age bands, for example, up to 55, 56 to 60, 61 to 65, all the way up to 86 plus, for different rates and deductibles.

RBC Insurance

Emergency medical: Unlimited
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,000

Related: RBC Insurance Review

TuGo Travel Insurance

Emergency medical: $10 million
Cancel For Any Reason: Yes, 50%
Baggage insurance (maximum): $500

Related: TuGo Travel Insurance Review

Manulife Financial

Emergency medical: $10 million
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,000

Related: Manulife Financial CoverMe Review

Medipac Travel Insurance does not offer any optional add-ons, upgrades or endorsements besides the MedipacMAX and MedipacPLUS endorsements noted above.

Yes. Medipac Travel Insurance offers several ways to save money:

• Early Bird Travel Discount: Purchase before August 31, 2023 and receive a 5% discount.
• COVID-19 Vaccine Discount: Receive a 5% discount off your premium if you have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before your departure date.
• Claim-Free Advantage Discount: Receive a discount for the number of consecutive years you have remained claim-free (with a minimum of three years), receiving 1% for every year you qualify, up to 5%.
• Loyalty Credit: Receive a 1% premium credit for each consecutive year you purchase Medipac travel insurance, up to a maximum of 10%.
• Claim-Free Discount: Receive a discount of 1% for each claim-free year, up to a maximum of 10%.
• Provincial discounts: Save an additional 5% if you live in PEI, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
• Superannuate Special: Retired civil servants, military personnel and retired RCMP officers who participate in the Public Service Health Care Plan can receive a premium credit and an upgraded 40-day annual plan at no extra cost.

Yes. You can buy multi-trip annual insurance if you travel more than once a year for multiple individual trips. Medipac Travel Insurance offers an annual plan for 23 days or 33 days. Coverage can be topped up by calling for an extension for the full duration of your trip. The cost of the add-on depends on the trip length and your age.

For example, assuming a $99 USD deductible and a trip length of 41 to 50 days, the cost is as follows:

Medipac Assist provides a 24-hour assistance hotline staffed with in-house medical professionals. Emergency services may include:

• Verifying your insurance coverage
• Referral or transfer to one of network of physicians or medical providers
• Managing your claim
• Providing multilingual interpreters to communicate with physicians and hospitals
• Contacting your family and physician
• Paying covered expenses to medical providers on your behalf
• Monitoring your medical condition
• Arranging for return transport to a hospital in Canada, if necessary

If a medical emergency happens while you are on your trip, you or someone acting on your behalf, must notify Medipac Assist before seeking medical treatment, or as soon as reasonably possible. If you do not, Medipac will reimburse only 75% of eligible covered expenses, to a maximum of $50,000 USD. Also, some medical procedures and tests, such as MRIs, CAT scans and angiograms, as well as any surgery, must be approved in advance.

No.

No.

Medipac travel insurance does not provide coverage for any pre-existing medical condition that was not stable and controlled in the 90 days before your coverage takes effect.

A medical condition is considered stable and controlled when, in the 90 days before your trip:

• The medical or physical condition, symptom, illness or disease did not first manifest itself, and/or
• The medical or physical condition, symptom, illness or disease was not first investigated, and/or
• The medical or physical condition, symptom, illness or disease has not worsened, and/or
• No change in medication or its usage or dosage occurred, was prescribed or recommended by a physician, and/or
• No medical attention was received, prescribed or recommended by a physician.

If you are not eligible for Medipac Travel Insurance due to a pre-existing condition, the company offers an Individual Underwritten Application for travellers who do not qualify for coverage due to recent changes in their health, medication or recent hospitalizations. You will be required to complete a more detailed health questionnaire, which is then reviewed by the medical underwriting team. It takes between seven to 10 days to receive an offer of acceptance or decline.

There are a number of scenarios not covered by travel insurance and it’s critical to know what not to do before you make a claim. The following are general exclusions to coverage provided by Medipac travel insurance:

• War, rebellion, insurrection or terrorism, or participation in a riot, civil commotion, demonstration or any military service
• Suicide, attempted suicide or self-inflicted injury
• Normal pregnancy and childbirth, or any complication or symptom in the last 18 weeks before the expected due date or the nine weeks after
• Any child born during a trip
• A trip made for obtaining a diagnosis, treatment, investigation, surgery or palliative care
• Emotional, psychological or mental disease, disorder or condition
• Cosmetic or experimental medical/surgical treatment
• Rehabilitation, continued treatment or complications of the condition that caused the medical emergency after discharge
• Any expenses incurred after declining medical repatriation and/or evacuation
• Any criminal act
• Any treatment, services or supplies deemed not medically necessary
• Any medical procedures and/or test, including MRI, CAT scan, angioplasty, etc., not authorized in advance
• Any treatment, services or supplies provided by a home for the aged, rest home, health spa, nursing home, convalescent home, hospice, palliative care facility, rehabilitation facility or a facility for the treatment of drug addicts and/or alcoholics
• Any damage or loss of hearing aids, eyeglasses, contact lenses, sunglasses, artificial teeth or artificial limbs
• Non-compliance with recommended medical treatment, including medication, before or during your trip
• Abuse of alcohol, drugs or prescription medication
• Regular treatment of any condition that existed before your coverage started
• A heart, lung, liver, kidney or bone marrow transplant
• Any medical emergency resulting from the practice or, training for or participation in any high-risk sport, including scuba diving, mountaineering, rock or precipice climbing, hang gliding, paragliding, sport parachuting, skydiving or bungee jumping, or any speed or endurance contest, or any athletic or sport activity for remuneration or prize money
• Any medical condition that occurs in any destination where the Government of Canada issued a “avoid all non-essential travel” or “avoid all travel” advisory before your coverage starts or your departure date, excluding any COVID-19 travel advisories
• A general health examination or check-up
• A COVID-19 test that is required for entry or exit from a country or jurisdiction

To be eligible for coverage, the following must be true:

• You are a Canadian resident
• You purchase your insurance before leaving on your trip and from within Canada
• You must be covered under a provincial or territorial health plan

In addition, if you are 56 and older, you are ineligible for coverage if between your date of application and your effective date of insurance any of these situations apply:

• You have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and been advised not to travel
• You have been diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis or interstitial lung disease
• You had an organ or bone marrow transplant
• You had been treated for or diagnosed with lung cancer, metastatic cancer or two or more cancers (excluding basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer)
• You had a cardiac condition with an ejection fraction of less than 40% or a ventricular function grade of three or four
• You had moderately severe or severe cardiac valve stenosis
• You had an aneurysm or dilated artery greater than 4.5 cm in size that remains surgically untreated
• You underwent chemotherapy, immunotherapy or targeted drug therapy for cancer or malignant tumours
• You had surgery or stenting on any artery or had cardiac pacemaker surgery
• You had a heart attack, a cardiac arrest, an episode of congestive heart failure, or one of a list of cardiac-related surgeries and/or procedures
• You had a stroke, a transient ischemic attack or a ministroke
• You had any chronic lung disease that caused you to be hospitalized for more than 24 consecutive hours or for which you have been prescribed or taken prednisone or Solu-Medrol (a corticosteroid)
• You had taken or been prescribed home oxygen
• You had taken or been prescribed insulin or two or more medications for diabetes and medication (including nitroglycerin) for a heart condition

If you are under the age of 56 and travelling for less than 41 days, these situations do not apply.

To make a claim, you must first contact Medipac Assist prior to seeking medical attention that, in turn, initiates the claims process. Medipac Assist can mail you a claims kit or you can download the forms from the website. Once completed, you mail your claim package to the address provided on the form.

In addition to your claim form(s), you may be asked to provide:

• Medical records, including final diagnosis by the attending physician
• Official billing from other providers, including proceed codes, diagnostic codes, the tax ID of the medical provider, etc.
• Original invoices and receipts for any expenses paid out of pocket
• Medical records relating to the continuation of any treatment after your return to Canada
• Proof of departure if making a claim under the Annual Add-on
• Death certificate and boarding pass/flight information if making a claim under the Return to Canada benefit

Once the claims process is initiated, forms must be returned to the Medipac office within 30 days of receipt or the company will reduce the amount paid under your policy. You have 90 days to submit written proof of the claim.