Ontario travellers are being urged to take a closer look at their travel and medical insurance coverage before the new year.
Starting January 1, OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) will no longer cover any portion of out of country medical expenses.
CAA Insurance Director Elliott Silverstein said even if you think you're covered under your credit card or your private insurance, now is the time to take a closer look at the fine print.
"What used to be up to a $400 per day reimbursement from OHIP is going to be eliminated, so it certainly reinforces for a lot of travellers, whether they be week-long destinations or even cross border travel for a day or less, to really rethink their habits and consider travel medical insurance as part of their travel plan," said Silverstein.
In addition to terminating the refund for emergency in-patient services outside of Canada, the provincial government will also stop paying $50 a day for emergency outpatient services -- including doctor's services -- on December 31.
"This is really a reminder for families, for young individuals, for everyone alike that they need to understand what their coverages are and also understand that perhaps they need to shop around to add on to what they already have in place," said Silverstein.
The province will continue to offset the cost of kidney dialysis for patients abroad, by contributing $210 per treatment, which can cost up to $750 a day in the United States.
