Travel Insurance

It's Travel Season again.  Are you travelling outside of Ontario?  The Ontario government will no longer be covering any out of country medical emergency expenses (as of January 1, 2020) and does not cover all expenses in other provinces.  

Many group plans include Out of Province Medical Emergency coverage as do some credit cards.  However, some of these coverages may be for a limited time, require that you purchase the tickets with the card, or no longer be valid after age 65.  If you are depending on this type of coverage, check your policy booklets.

It’s up to you to ensure that any travel insurance you have includes coverage for pre-existing medications and pre-existing medical conditions. Most insurance policies consider a change in medication (that’s decreases as well as increases) to be a change in the condition.  Most policies require that you are stable for at least 90 days (and the length of time can be longer at older ages) and that your doctor said that it was okay for you to travel.

If you plan to leave the country more than twice in a year, check to see if an annual (or multi-trip) plan makes more sense.  FYI – These plans cover you for an unlimited number of trips, based on the number of days you purchase, as long as you spend at least one night in Ontario between trips.

There are also plans that will cover all your medical conditions, even those that are not stable.

Give me a call or drop me an email and we can discuss your specific requirements.

Recreational and Medical Cannabis

Medical Marijuana has been legal in Canada since 1999. There are a wide range of conditions that it is used for. Not all insurance plans will pay for medical marijuana. Every insurance company has a different list of medical conditions that they will cover. In most cases, you need to submit a "Prior Authorization" form to the insurance company before claims will be paid.  Some medical conditions that have been approved include:

• Cancer (pain and nausea)
• Multiple Sclerosis (pain)
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (pain)
• HIV / AIDS
• Palliative Care
• Epilepsy (children only)
• Multiple Sclerosis (stiffness and involuntary muscle spasms) i

Currently all medical marijuana requires a doctor's prescription and must be ordered online.

 

The two main chemicals in Cannabis that have been studied are:

• Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the chemical that makes you "high"
• Cannabidiol (CBD) - the chemical with medical applications

Most Medical Marijuana is primarily CBD. Most patients currently purchase it as an oil, though topical creams and capsules are also available.

 

Recreational Cannabis will soon be legal in Canada. The current anticipated date is October 17, 2018.

 

Once Cannabis is legal, Canadians (in most provinces) will be permitted to:

• Purchase fresh or dried cannabis, cannabis oil, plants and seeds.
• Possess up to 30 grams of dried legal cannabis or its equivalent in public.
• Share up to 30 grams (or its equivalent) of legal cannabis and legal cannabis products with other adults
• Cultivate up to four plants at home (four plants total per household). This option may not be available in condos and rental units.
• Prepare various cannabis products (such as edibles) at home for personal use, provided that no dangerous organic solvents are used in the process.

In Ontario, the legal age will be 19+ and it can only be smoked on Private Property. Note - Non-Smoking rules take precedence. Where it can be purchased has not yet been determined.

 

If you travel to the U.S., entry is at the sole discretion of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on duty - and they have a lot of latitude to ask questions to determine the admissibility of a foreign national. U.S. immigration lawyers are already warning Canadians that they could be denied entry to the U.S. - or barred from the U.S. for life - if they admit to smoking cannabis to a border agent. The drug is still a prohibited substance under U.S. federal law, despite legalization in some U.S. states.

 

If you have additional questions (such as how does this affect the workplace or what may be covered on your health plan) and want to discuss this area further, give me a call.

OHIP Plus - how it will effect you

OHIP Plus takes effect Jan. 1, 2018. 

This is the Ontario government plan to offer 4,400 drug products free for anyone age 24 years or younger.  

You don't need to enroll; all you need is an Ontario health card number and an eligible prescription. When you take your prescription into your pharmacy to be filled (or if you call in a renewal), in most cases it will be at no charge for "children".  

Not all drugs are on the "free" list.  You can check with your pharmacist or click here to search for the drugs that are covered, as well as other information.  Note - if the drug you are interested is not on the list, your pharmacist should have information on how to get it approved for coverage.  If you are on a group plan and your child is covered (under 21 or under 25 and still a student), the group plan should still pay for the drugs. 

   

Please pass this information on to anyone you know with children. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.