BLUE CROSS  Travel Insurance

Administrated by: Blue Cross Canada.
Underwritten by: Blue Cross.
24 hours Emergency Assistance Center: CanAssistance.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The product-related information on this website is for illustration purposes only. For complete benefits, terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions, please see the policy booklet at the download section below. Please read and understand your policy before you travel.

BENEFITS:
- Maximum Benefits – $5,000,000
- Ambulance Transportation – air or land service. *
- Hospital and medical expenses – private or semi-private room.
- Incidental expenses – up to $100 per hospitalization for telephone, television, parking etc.
- Physician and registered nurse services.
- Medical appliances – purchase or rental cost for crutches, canes, wheelchair or other when prescribed by an attending physician.
- Professional services when referred by a physician – care received from a licensed chiropractor, osteopath, physiotherapist, podiatrist or dermatological emergencies up to $400 per category of practitioner.
- Diagnostic Services including laboratory tests and X-rays when prescribed by a physician.
- Prescription drugs except when required for the continued stabilization of a chronic medical condition.
- Accidental Dental – Up to $2,000 for repair or replacement of whole or sound natural teeth damaged by an external injury.
- Emergency Dental – up to $500 for emergency dental treatment, excluding root canal therapy.
- Repatriation to Province of Residence: the cost of transportation to the province of residence in order to receive immediate medical attention *
- Return of Traveling Companion in case of repatriation of insured. The cost of escort person is covered in case of child repatriation. *
- Transportation to visit the covered person – the cost of round-trip transportation and up to $300 per day, to the maximum of $1,200 for accommodation, meals and child care services, if the covered person is hospitalized for at least 3 days OR deceased (to identify the remains). *
- Vehicle return – up to $5,000 for the cost of returning own or rental vehicle due to illness or accident of the insured. *
- Baggage return – up to $500 in case of repatriation for medical reasons to the province of residence. *
- Pet return – up to $500 for the cost to bring back the covered person’s pet after repatriation. *
- Return of the deceased – up to $10,000 for preparing and transportation of deceased person to the province of residence or the cost of cremation and/or burial at the place of death (excluding the cost of a coffin, an urn and a gravestone). *
- Subsistence Allowance - up to $3,000 ($300 per day) for the cost of accommodation and meals, when a covered person’s return must be delayed due to illness or injury to the insured or to a travelling companion.
- Medical Follow-up in Canada Benefit – when a covered person is repatriated to Canada after hospitalization outside of Canada, the insurer will reimburse the following costs if they are incurred within 15 days of repatriation:
   - Up to $1,000 for the cost of staying in a semi-private room in a hospital or a convalescent and physical rehabilitation centre
   - Up to $50 per day, maximum 10 days, for the fees of a licensed practical nurse or orderly from a specialized agency when care is required at your home
   - Up to $150 for the cost of renting the following medical equipment: crutches, standard walker, canes, trusses, orthopaedic corsets, and oxygen
   - Up to $250 for transportation (ambulance and taxi) costs incurred to receive are
- Trip Break – Covered persons can return to their province of residence and go back to their destination without terminating the insurance contract.

* Some of the benefits must be pre-approved and arranged by CanAssistance. Please read the insurance policy (attached below) for full descriptions and condition of the insurance benefits.

   OTHER PLANS (additional rates apply)
   - Trip Cancellation & Interruption – before departure: up to $20,000 and after departure: unlimited
   - Pandemic Protection - $250 per day per insured person (up to $2,500 per person maximum $5,000 per trip) for accommodation and meals and up to $500 per person (maximum $1,000 per trip) for changing the date of the return ticket when the trip must be delayed due to a pandemic.
   - Accidental Death or Dismemberment – up to $100,000 
   - Air Flight Accident – $300,000
   - Baggage – up to $1,500
   - Package Plus Plan - Hospital and Medical up to $5,000,000; Trip Cancellation & Interruption up to $20,000; Accidental Death & Dismemberment $100,000; Flight Accident $300,000; Trip Interruption - unlimited and Baggage up to $1,500.

ELIGIBILITY:
To be eligible for insurance, you must meet the following conditions:
Conditions applicable to people of all ages:
- Be a Canadian resident
- Be covered under the Health and Hospital Insurance Acts of your province of residence for the entire duration of your trip
- Be over 30 days old on the departure date of your trip
Conditions applicable only to people aged 55 and over:
In addition to the conditions set out above, if you are 55 years old or over, you must not:
1. Have received medical advice not to travel
2. Suffer from a medical condition in a terminal stage
3. Suffer from kidney failure treated through dialysis
4. Have been diagnosed with or treated for metastatic cancer in the past 5 years
5. Have been prescribed or treated with home oxygen in the past 12 months
You are insured if:
- The insurance was purchased before the departure date of the trip
- The insurance was purchased for the entire duration of the trip, including the departure date and the return date

PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS:
No amount is payable, under the terms of this coverage, if the loss sustained or the costs incurred result directly or indirectly from one of the following causes:
1. For people aged 54 and under, during the 3 months preceding the effective date of coverage:
a) Any medical condition that affects you and that is not stable, except for a minor ailment
b) Any heart condition for which you have used nitroglycerin more than once in a 7-day period for the relief of chest pain
c) Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy
2. For people aged 55 to 59 travelling less than 18 days, during the 6 months preceding the effective date of coverage:
a) Any medical condition that affects you and that is not stable, except for a minor ailment
b) Any heart condition for which you have used nitroglycerin more than once in a 7-day period for the relief of chest pain
c) Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy
3. For people aged 55 to 59 travelling 18 days or more and for people aged 60 or over:
A) The following specific medical conditions are excluded unless the insurance certificate stipulates otherwise:
a) During your life, any illness which related to one of the following medical conditions for which you have been diagnosed or treated:
               i) Cardiovascular condition (angina, angioplasty, aortic aneurysm, arrythmia, bypass, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, defibrillator, myocardial infarction (heart attack), myocarditis, pacemaker, pulmonary hypertension, valvulopathy or valve replacement)
               ii) Transplant of one of the following organs: bone marrow, heart, liver, lung, pancreas
b) During the 24 months preceding the effective date of coverage:
- Any chronic pulmonary condition (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis or pulmonary fibrosis) for which you have been hospitalized or prescribed any time of corticosteroid tablet, including prednisone
- Any treatment or diagnosis of kidney failure
c) During the 12 months preceding the effective date of coverage, any illness which related to one of the following conditions:
- Cancer (except basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell skin cancer or breast cancer treated only with hormone therapy) for which you have been diagnosed or treated
- Gastrointestinal condition (cirrhosis, hepatitis C, intestinal obstruction, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis, ulcerative colitis) for which you have been diagnosed or treated
B) Also excluded when occurring during the 6 months preceding the effective date of coverage:
i) Any medical condition that affects you and that is not stable, except for a minor ailment
ii) Any heart condition for which you have used nitroglycerin more than once in a 7-day period for the relief of chest pain
iii) Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy

The Option: Reduced Stability Period reduces the stability period required prior to the trip departure to be covered for pre-existing conditions from 6 months to 3 months. 
To be eligible for the Option: Reduced Stability Period, you must be aged between 55 and 59 and travelling for 18 days or more, or aged between 60 and 84, regardless of the length of your trip.

Stable means a pre-existing medical condition that has remained unchanged for several months prior to the effective date of insurance.
For a pre-existing medical condition to be considered stable, it must meet all the following criteria:
1. No new medical diagnosis has been made
2. No new symptoms appeared and there was no worsening or increase in the frequency of existing symptoms
3. No hospitalization has taken place
4. No new medication was prescribed or recommended
5. No change of dosage was made to a medication already prescribed or recommended (dose increased or decreased, or consumption stopped)
6. No new treatment or medical test is pending or has been prescribed, ongoing or recommended
7. No ongoing treatment has been changed or discontinued
8. No prescribed or recommended treatment, nor medical advise has been ignored
Blue Cross do not consider the following elements as a change of dosage of existing medication:
- Routine insulin or Coumadin® adjustment
- Replacement of a medication by an equivalent generic brand if its dosage remains unchanged
- Decrease in dosage of cholesterol medication
- Change to hormone replacement therapy treatment
- Change in consumption of non-prescribed medication such as: Aspirin®, vitamins, minerals, etc.
- Use of cream or ointment prescribed for skin irritation

Minor ailment means a non-chronic medical condition, which ends at least 30 consecutive days before the effective date of the coverage, and which does not require:
- Consumption of medication for a period of more than 15 days (consecutive or not), or
- More than one follow-up visit to the physician, or
- Hospitalization, or
- Surgery, or
- Consultation with a medical specialist

EXTENSION:
If you wish to extend your trip beyond the dates specified in the contract or beyond the maximum stay included under your Annual contract, you must extend your insurance coverage.
To remain valid, the contract must cover the entire duration of the trip, including the return date, except when the extension request is refused by Blue Cross.
An extension purchased from another insurer nullifies your Blue Cross coverage for the entire duration of this trip, except when the extension request is refused by Blue Cross.

To extend your insurance coverage you:
- You must contact the authorized Blue Cross agent who sold you the original contract before the end of the coverage period of your contract or before a trip exceeds the maximum stay of your Annual
- You must still be eligible for insurance
- Your health must not have changed since your departure date
- You must pay the required additional premium
The sale of the extension is condition on the approval of the insurer. Such approval could be refused if:
- You have a claim for the initial period of the trip in progress, whether it is already made or not, or
- the Canadian government issues a travel advisory recommending not to travel to the region or country that is the destination of your trip, or
- The Canadian or provincial government recommends that travellers return home
When an extension is refused by the insurer, coverage ends at the contract expiry date indicated on the insurance certificate or when the maximum stay of the Annual is surpassed.
When requesting an extension, you must notify us of any claim made or to come in connection with costs incurred since the start of your trip. If you fail to do so, no claim for the coverage period prior to your extension request will be accepted if it is submitted after the extension has been granted.
An extension may result in a change to the terms of the contract, including to the exclusions due to pre-existing medical conditions and the rate for the entire duration of the trip.
When an extension requires that a new contract be issued, specifically when a trip exceeds the maximum stay under the Annual, only the coverage offered by the new contract applies to the trip, including its conditions, limitations and exclusions. The contract holder must file a request for extension prior to the end of the initial period of coverage by contacting us at 1-877-838-0020.

REFUNDS:
You can request the cancellation and full refund of your contract:
a) Before the effective date of the contract, or
b) After the effective date of the contract, during the 10 days following the date of purchase, unless:
- You have made or intend to make a claim related to the contract, or
- The contract is for a period of 10 days or less, or
- The contract was purchased within 11 days before the trip and includes Trip Cancellation or Interruption coverage.
If you return from your trip before the contract expiry date and you have not submitted and do not intend to submit a claim under this contract, you can ask to terminate it and get a partial refund of your premium.
When authorized, reimbursement is for unused contract days, less an administrative fee of $25.
- Upon submission of proof of your return date, unused days are counted from the day after this date.
- In the absence of proof of your return date, unused days are counted from the day after the date on which we receive your request.
The proof in question must clearly demonstrate that you were in your province of residence on the date indicated at the time of the request (for example, your transportation ticket for the return to your province of residence or a baggage tag issued by the carrier on which your name, the date, and the place of return appear.
No refund is granted if:
- You have a contract that includes the Trip Cancellation or Interruption coverage, or
- You hold an Annual contract, or
- You have submitted or intend to submit a claim related to the contract, or
- You are repatriated at our expense

CLAIMS:
IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, YOU MUST CALL CanAssistance IMMEDIATELY: 1-800-361-6068 toll free from Canada or United States, or 514-286-8411 collect call from anywhere else. Assistance agents offer the covered person 24-hour service, 7 days a week.
NOTICE: Failure to contact CanAssistance in the event of medical consultation or hospitalization following an accident or sudden illness could result in the compensation requested being refused. 
To obtain a claim form you may call 1-800-387-2538 or visit https://canassistance.com/en/policyholder/claims
You can submit a claim via the secure website: https://canassistance.com/en/policyholder/depot

EXCLUSIONS: 
No amount is payable, under the terms of this coverage, if the loss suffered or costs incurred result directly or indirectly from one of the following situations:
1. Treatment received without approval from Blue Cross Travel Assistance
a) Costs incurred during a medical consultation or hospitalization when you failed to communicate with Blue Cross Travel Assistance in advance, as mentioned in the “In case of a medical emergency while travelling” section of this coverage.
b) Costs incurred as a result of a situation where you chose to receive a treatment or undergo surgery without receiving prior approval from Blue Cross Travel Assistance and/or when we do not consider such care to be urgent.
c) Once your treatment has started, costs incurred when you failed to communicate with Blue Cross Travel Assistance to assess and approve any additional treatment.
d) Fees exceeding $10,000 for emergency air evacuation to the nearest suitable medical facility, when transportation has not been scheduled by Blue Cross Travel Assistance.
2. Foreseeable treatment - Costs related to a medical condition for which it is expected that, or it is reasonable to believe that, treatments will be required during this trip.
3. Pending treatment or failure to comply with a prescribed treatment - A condition for which medical advice has not been followed or investigations, treatments, examinations, or recommended interventions have not been carried out.
4. Non-urgent, experimental, or optional treatment - No benefit will be paid for a non-urgent, experimental, or optional treatment. For example, the costs of the following consultations or treatments are excluded: Routine check-ups, any treatments required for the continuous stabilization of a chronic medical condition, including the renewal of a prescription, aesthetic care or treatment, rehabilitation care, convalescent care, care given for the convenience of the patient, clinical research, experimental drugs. The mere fact that treatments provided in your province of residence are of inferior qualify or take longer to obtain than those which can be obtained outside your province of residence does not constitute, within the meaning of this exclusion, a medical emergency.
5. Continuing a treatment if Blue Cross determines that the medical emergency is over.
6. Treatment received further to your transfer or repatriation refusal - If Blue Cross determined that you should be transferred to another facility or that you must be repatriated to receive treatment, and you choose not to consent, no benefit will be paid for this treatment or for subsequent treatments related to this medical condition.
7. Abusive or unreasonable billing - Any invoiced amount that is not considered a customary and reasonable expense.
8. Trip without continuous coverage from a public health insurance plan - No benefit will be paid if you are not covered under the Health and Hospital Insurance Acts of your province of residence for the entire duration of your trip. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have such coverage.
9. Treatment not covered under government programs - Treatments received outside your province of residence and that are not insured under government programs.
10. Medical expenses incurred after an extension - Expenses incurred during the extension period of your contract if they are linked to a medical condition that occurred during the coverage period preceding your extension request.
11. Expenses incurred during a "Trip Break" - Expenses incurred during days spent in your province of residence while the “Trip break” is ongoing.
12. Trip undertaken for medical purposes - No benefits will be paid if you trip is undertaken for the purpose of receiving a diagnosis, a treatment, surgery, a medical assessment, palliative care, or any other form of therapy.
13. Pregnancy, childbirth or related complications:
a) Expenses related to routine prenatal and postnatal care.
b) Expenses related to pregnancy, childbirth, or their complications:
   - When the care requires results from a high-risk pregnancy, or
   - When care is required during the 9 weeks preceding or following the expected delivery date.
High-risk pregnancy means: Multiple pregnancy, pregnancy resulting from in vitro fertilization, pregnancy requiring follow-ups in a clinic specializing in high-risk pregnancies, pregnancy for which a medical leave of absence was prescribed to you for a reason other than preventive withdrawal due to the nature of your work, pregnancy for which the physician has established one of the following diagnoses: preeclampsia, eclampsia, gestational hypertension, placenta previa, cervical incompetence.
14. Child born during the trip – When the expenses related to your pregnancy are excluded, care or treatment provided to your child born during the trip is also excluded.
15. Mental health disorders - Any medical condition resulting from a mental health or psychiatric disorder unless you must be hospitalized for this condition.
16. Suicide and intentional injury - Suicide, attempted suicide, or intentional injury, whether it is due to a psychological disorder or not.
17. Use of alcohol, drugs, and other intoxicating substances - Any medical condition resulting from or in any way related to:
- your chronic use of alcohol, drugs, or other intoxicating substances, including withdrawal symptoms
- your excessive use of alcohol, drugs, or other intoxicating substances
- driving a motor vehicle while you are impaired by any drug, whether it is legal or not, or with a blood alcohol level greater than 80 mg per 100 ml of blood (0.08).
18. Illegal act - Your participation in any criminal or illegal act or any attempt to commit such acts, under any law.
19. Act of war and civil unrest - Costs related to a) any act of war, whether war is declared or not b) a revolt c) a revolution d) your voluntary participation in a riot or insurrection.
20. High-risk sports or activities - Any medical condition resulting from your participation in a high-risk sport or activities.

High-risk sport or activities means:
   1. All sports or activities for which the safety instructions, warning signs or prohibited areas are not observed.
   2. All extreme sports or activities involving stunts, aerobatics, or improvised installations.
   3. All motor sports in the context of competition or training, including or an approved circuit or elsewhere.
   4. All sports practiced as a paid professional.
   5. All high-level sports competitions, including the Olympics and national and international championships.
   6. All areal sports, including: Hang-gliding; Parasailing; Bungee jumping; Skydiving or free fall.
   7. All combat sports, including: Boxing; Judo; Karate.
   8. All sports authorizing tackling or body checking, including: American football; Hockey; Rugby
   9. All high-risk water sports, including: Canoeing, kayaking, or rafting on rapids of grades 4 to 6 according to the International Scale of River Difficulty; Canyoning; Kitesurfing; Scuba diving practiced: Without adequate certificate (except for an initiation activity supervised by a certified person), or At a dept of over 30 meters, or In an environment with a high degree of risk (wreck, cave, under ice, at night, etc.)
   10. All high-risk mountain or climbing sports, including: Climbing; Mountaineering of grades 4 and 5 according to the scale of the Yosemite Decimal System – YDS; Off-track snow sports or with jumps or acrobatics; Snow sports using an airfoil; Off-track mountain biking or with jumps or acrobatics.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The product-related information on this website is for illustration purposes only. For complete benefits, terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions, please see the policy booklet at the download section below. Please read and understand your policy before you travel.

DOWNLOADS:

Blue Cross Travel Insurance Policy PDF

Blue Cross Travel Insurance Top-Up Policy PDF

TM/® The Blue Cross symbol and name are registered trademarks of the Canadian Association of Blue Cross Plans and the Association of Independent Blue Cross Plans, and are licence to the Canassurance Hospital Service Association, carrying business as Ontario Blue Cross and Quebec Blue Cross and to the Medavie Inc. carrying on business as Atlantic Blue Cross Care.