Canadians travelling with your health card ?

[disneyred]

Hi there.
For all you guys traveling to disney, do you carry your health cards (OHIP, medicare, etc) with you ?? Are our health used in the Unites States..??
(knock on wood, we never have to find out but I was just wondering if I should travel with my families health card, to be on the safe side)
or should I just leave them at home !!

thanks !

 

[KerriMc]

They aren't good for anything in the US. I leave mine at home Just be sure to have travel insurance and carry the phone number and code/plan number that they give you. We had to use it one year when our baby girl developed RSV while in Florida. She was really sick and needed a few tests and vapour treatments, etc. and it was expensive. Thankfully our insurance paid up front and we didn't have to pay anything.

Kerri

 

[digskat]

your health cards are totally useless in the US. You need to purchase health insurance prior to your trip (from CAA or your bank), since medical expenses could bankrupt you down there.

 

[AprilFool]

You must have travel insurance while outside of Canada but your provincial health card does cover some expences. http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/index.html#drcountry
I checked out MB's health card website and they list what is covered and what is not. Check your province's website for info on your coverage.

 

[tmli]

CAA advises you carry your health card with you. In order to be fully covered with their medical insurance you MUST have ohip. When calling in to make a claim (which you are to do prior to seeking medical attention when possible) the person on the phone will ask for your ohip number to begin the process.

 

[rewok]

You should have your health card with you, because at some point in your trip you'll be in Canadian soil, be it only at the airport and going home from there.

 

[myasmum]

I ALWAYS get Blue Cross everytime I travelled in the US when my oldest was a baby we ended up a few times at the ER with her so I rather be safe then sorry. For us this time its only going to cost us $90 for a family of 5 from July 26 to Aug 6 so less then $100 could save us ALOT more in the long run

 

[AprilFool]

Also check your employee benefits. My hubby has awesome coverage. We don't have to purchase any additional coverage.

 

[dancin Disney style]

We only carry a photocopy of the card while on vacation and only because my DH benefits include travel insurance. They require the number should anything happen.

It's never a good idea to carry around things like your health card or SIN card if you won't need it. Think of the hassle of trying to replace the cards if you should lose them. It is not as simple as saying "I've lost my card, I need a new one". With all the fraud and ID theft that goes on now the gov has made it much more difficult to obtain these types of cards. They give you one and expect you to take care of it.

 

[B&B Mom]

It is a good idea to have some access to atleast the numbers from your card.

A few years ago we were flying to Florida via Moncton NB (we live in PEI). We decided to travel to Moncton the night before just to be sure poor driving conditions wouldn't delay us.

Well...sure enough at about 1am my son woke up screaming with a sore ear and a fever. So, we check out of the hotel and head off to the local outpatient clinic. We explained we had a 6am flight to FL and as long as our DS was healthy enough we hoped to see the doctor and still catch the plane.

The whole process was slowed down due to the fact that I had cleaned out all unnecessary cards(health card included)from my purse. I hadn't considered the fact that we would ever need the use of hospital services in Canada.

I now make sure I have at the very least, a photocopy of everyone's cards with me. So consider your situation and try to cover all the basics. Better safe than sorry right? IMHO

 

[nosnobunny2006]

Unfortunately I have first-hand experience using an American hospital. They used a combination of OHIP and my private medical insurance to pay the bill. First they apply OHIP payments and then the rest goes to my private carrier. No problems. Make sure you carry ALL your medical cards with you at all times.

Beth