Compare Canada's Best Health & Dental Insurance

Maybe! If you already have employee health benefits, you may not need additional health insurance. However, be sure to check your policy details. Sometimes there are heavy coverage restrictions on group plans. With your own personal health insurance, you get to decide your coverage plans and how much you pay.

Yes, you can get health insurance if you have an existing health condition. When you apply for coverage, you'll be asked about any pre-existing conditions. These are health conditions that you have been diagnosed with before applying for health insurance. Pre-existing conditions can be covered even if you apply for a plan within 90 days of losing your employee benefits coverage through your work, for example. But the plan may be more expensive in this case. People who have a pre-existing condition may also consider guaranteed acceptance plans, which don’t have a medical questionnaire. But these are more expensive than standard plans as well.

Medical insurance covers out-of-pocket expenses for standard injuries and illnesses that are not covered by your provincial health plan. It will pay a portion of these expenses (usually 70% to 90%).

Critical illness insurance, on the other hand, is a one-time payment to you if you are diagnosed with a critical or terminal illness. For example, if you are diagnosed with cancer, critical illness insurance will give you a one-time payment that you can use however you wish. It can cover things like travel costs to specialized treatment facilities or an extra special family vacation. Extended medical would cover your cancer surgery and a portion of your cancer treatment in this scenario.

Extended health insurance covers out-of-pocket medical expenses that occur in your day-to-day life in Canada. This may include prescription drug coverage, coverage for vision care, and more. Travel medical insurance covers you for any unexpected medical expense you incur while traveling outside of your home province or country. For example, if you need ambulance services during your trip to the US.

Sometimes, it depends on the type of therapy and what kind of plan you have. Extended benefits usually cover paramedical expenses such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, and psychological services, including therapy. Always check your policy wordings to see how much coverage you get each year, if the coverage is capped at a maximum percentage or dollar amount per year, and if your coverage includes psychologists and/or psychotherapists. Be aware that some providers may require a doctor's recommendation for paramedical claims.

Yes. Health insurance commonly includes dental coverage in their mid-tier and enhanced plans. Some companies also offer dental benefits as an add-on coverage.

In many provinces, vehicle insurance has accident benefits that cover the cost of therapies and medical treatments associated with the accident. However, that coverage is very limited.

For example, the accident benefits may only provide 3 sessions of physiotherapy, but the whiplash sustained in the accident requires you to have more sessions to regain mobility. This is where your extended health benefits would come in; they could help cover the cost for the remaining sessions (up to policy maximums).

Some companies will require that you pay for the medical expenses first and then they will reimburse you once you've made a health insurance claim. Other companies will allow the health care provider to directly bill them (direct billing), so the insurance company will cover the 80% and you pay the 20% at the till. Each plan is different, so it's important to check your private health insurance policy details.