Travel insurance in Pickering, Ontario
Pickering travellers need private emergency medical travel insurance because OHIP pays little or nothing outside Canada and never up front. A Canadian plan from an insurer like TripCovered covers hospital, physician and emergency transport abroad, with cost set by age, trip length and coverage amount.
Key takeaways
- OHIP's out-of-country reimbursement ended in 2020 — plan as if you have none abroad.
- Emergency medical covers hospital, doctor, prescriptions and emergency evacuation.
- Under 60, no medical questions; 60+ complete a questionnaire that sets price, not eligibility.
- Choose Worldwide, Excluding-USA or Within-Canada to match where you are going.
- Coverage must be bought and active before you leave the province.
Pickering sits in Durham Region with easy access to both Pearson and Billy Bishop, so residents here fly often — for work, for family and for holidays. On every trip out of the country, your Ontario health card stops being useful the moment you leave.
OHIP stops at the border
Ontario’s health plan is built for care inside the province. It has never paid foreign hospital bills in advance, and the limited out-of-country reimbursement it once offered was cancelled in 2020. If you need treatment in the United States, the Caribbean or Europe, the hospital bills you directly and expects payment or an insurer’s guarantee before care. Overseas emergencies routinely run into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Emergency medical travel insurance is what keeps that bill off your shoulders.
What a plan actually covers
Emergency medical travel insurance is designed for sudden illness or injury away from home. It typically pays for hospital admission, physician and specialist care, diagnostic imaging, emergency prescriptions, and emergency air evacuation or repatriation to Canada when needed. Our underwriting partner, a Canadian insurer since 1964, offers emergency medical plans in Worldwide, Excluding-USA and Within-Canada versions, plus optional Sports & Activities coverage for higher-risk pursuits. There is no age limit to buy, and assistance is available around the clock in multiple languages.
Frequent flyers and the annual plan
Because so many Pickering residents travel for work as well as leisure, the multi-trip annual plan is often the sensible choice. It covers any number of trips within a 12-month period, each up to a set maximum number of days, and usually costs less than buying a fresh single-trip policy every time you leave. Match the per-trip day limit to how long your longest trip tends to run so you are never caught short.
Check what you already have
Many employers and premium credit cards include some travel medical coverage, but it frequently comes with age limits, trip-length caps or conditions that create gaps. Read your existing coverage carefully, then buy a dedicated emergency medical plan to fill whatever is missing. Assuming you are covered and discovering otherwise at a foreign hospital is the expensive way to find out.
Matching coverage to the trip
Pick the coverage region that fits your destination, since a plan excluding the United States costs less than a full Worldwide one. Consider your activities: a ski week or a diving holiday may need the Sports & Activities add-on. If you have prepaid, non-refundable arrangements, Trip Cancellation and Interruption coverage protects that money if you cannot go or have to come home early. Add what your trip genuinely needs and leave off what it does not.
On price and buying
Premiums reflect your age, trip length, chosen coverage amount and, for those 60 and up, your health questionnaire answers. Nobody can quote a fair price without those details, so treat any flat number you see online with caution. The one firm rule is timing: buy before you leave Ontario, because you cannot start coverage once you are already abroad or after an incident.
If something happens while you are away
Carry your policy number and the 24/7 assistance line with you, and call before non-emergency treatment where you can. The assistance team can direct you to a suitable hospital, arrange a guarantee of payment so a facility treats you without demanding cash up front, and start a claim immediately. Hold on to receipts, medical records and any incident or police reports — a claim moves faster when it is documented.
Heading out of Pickering soon? Get a quote and compare your options before you go.
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Purchase now →Frequently asked questions
I'm a frequent flyer out of Pearson — is an annual plan worth it?
Often, yes. If you leave the country more than twice a year, a multi-trip annual plan usually costs less than buying a separate single-trip policy for each trip. It covers multiple trips in a 12-month period up to a set number of days each.
Does my work or credit-card coverage replace a travel plan?
Sometimes partly, but these often have limits, age cut-offs or conditions that leave gaps. Read what you already have, then buy a dedicated emergency medical plan to fill any shortfall rather than assuming you are fully covered.
Can I buy a plan if I have a health condition?
Usually yes. Under 60 there are no medical questions. At 60 and over you complete a medical questionnaire, which determines your premium rather than your eligibility, so many pre-existing conditions can still be covered.
TripCovered is a licensed insurance referral service operating in Ontario. Insurance is administered by North American Air Travel Insurance Agents Ltd., doing business as TuGo®, a licensed insurance broker in all provinces and territories. The issuer of the contract is Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. and Industrial Alliance Pacific General Insurance Corporation. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy. This website provides general information only and is not a contract of insurance. Always read your policy wording before you travel.