Blue Cross Travel Insurance Review 2024

Blue Cross began in 1929 as a way to make healthcare more accessible for patients at Baylor University hospital in Texas. Subscribers paid $0.50 a month for up to 21 days of hospitalization per year. Buoyed by the company’s success in the U.S., Manitoba became the first province in Canada to establish a Blue Cross prepaid health care plan in 1938 in response to government funding shortfalls for hospitals after the Great Depression. Ontario followed suit in 1941.

Today, Blue Cross provides group health coverage, as well as travel and life insurance through seven regional not-for-profit service organizations. These member groups include: Alberta Blue Cross (serving Alberta and Northwest Territories), Manitoba Blue Cross (serving Manitoba and Nunavut), Medavie Blue Cross (serving New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and PEI), Ontario Blue Cross, Pacific Blue Cross (serving British Columbia and the Yukon), Quebec Blue Cross and Saskatchewan Blue Cross. Blue Cross is part of a larger global network, including the American Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Blue Cross launched its first travel insurance policy in Canada in 1977.

Blue Cross travel insurance is underwritten by Canassurance Hospital Service Association (CHSA) or Canassurance Insurance Company.

This review is based on plans from Ontario Blue Cross. If you live elsewhere in Canada, your plan offerings may differ.

Here are the key types of travel insurance coverage offered in Blue Cross travel insurance plans:

• Emergency medical insurance: If you get ill or are injured on your trip, travel medical insurance can pay for emergency medical expenses, up to the coverage limits in your plan. These expenses can include doctor and hospital bills, medication and lab work.
• Trip cancellation insurance: If you cancel a trip for a reason listed in your travel policy, such as you or your travelling companion becoming ill, weather conditions causing a massive delay or you end up losing your job, trip cancellation insurance can reimburse you for prepaid, non-refundable costs.
• Travel interruption or delay insurance: Trip interruption insurance can pay for a last-minute flight home in an emergency and money that you lose if you have to return home earlier than expected, such as non-refundable activities and hotel stays. If your flight is delayed, your insurance can cover the cost of incidentals, such as meals or accommodations, after a specified period of time, usually six, 10 or 12 hours.
• Baggage insurance: Baggage travel insurance can compensate you up to your policy limits if your luggage is lost or stolen. It will reimburse the depreciated value of your suitcases and what you packed. If your checked bags are delayed, it can reimburse you for the cost of the necessities you’ll have to buy to tide you over.
• Travel accident insurance: This coverage offers compensation in the event of accidental death or catastrophic injury from an accident during your trip. Flight Accident Insurance covers injury while you’re on a commercial plane, during a connection or in an airport. Travel Accident Insurance covers death or dismemberment, including the loss of limbs or eyesight, while on your trip.

Blue Cross allows you to customize and combine the amount of coverage you need. You can either choose the all inclusive plan or pick individual coverage options à la carte. So, for example, you could choose emergency medical coverage and baggage coverage, or trip cancellation/interruption coverage and baggage coverage.

Package Plus: This option is a combination of the most popular coverage options and includes at least one of emergency medical care and/or trip cancellation or interruption, along with accidental death or dismemberment, and baggage coverage.

Coverage for emergency medical treatment includes:

• Hospital accommodation in a semi-private or private room
• Physician fees
• Private duty nursing
• Paramedical services, such as care from a physiotherapist, chiropractor, osteopath or podiatrist/chiropodist (combined), up to $400 per profession
• Urgent dermatological care, up to $400 per trip
• Tests and diagnostics
• Prescription medication as part of emergency treatment
• The cost of buying or renting crunches, canes or splints, the cost of renting a wheelchair, orthopaedic devices or other medical devices
• Incidental expenses when hospitalized, such as telephone, TV, parking, etc., up to $100 per day, maximum $500 per hospitalization
• Emergency dental due to a blow to the face, up to $2,000 per accident
• Emergency dental due to pain or disease, up to $500 per trip
• Ground or air ambulance transportation

Medical coverage also covers the cost to return home if medically necessary (and includes a travelling companion or family member), as well as baggage return and pet return. If your return home is delayed due to a medical emergency, this benefit covers meals and accommodations.

Emergency Medical: If you’re only worried about medical emergencies while travelling, this benefit offers all of the medical coverage listed above.

Trip Cancellation or Interruption: This coverage option reimburses you for insured travel expenses (such as hotels or prepaid excursions) if you have to cancel, interrupt, extend or modify your trip due to a covered reason. With this coverage, you can also choose not to insure your trip, but opt in for additional trip coverage. This includes transportation expenses if you have to interrupt, modify or extend your trip, as well as a subsistence allowance for hotels and meals if your return home is delayed.

Accidental Death or Dismemberment: This coverage option offers reimbursement in the event you die, or lose the use of one or more limbs during a travel accident. The amount paid out depends on your age and the severity of the accident.

Baggage Coverage: This insures you if your baggage is delayed for more than 12 hours, or lost, stolen or damaged during your trip.

Flight Delay Service: This service is available at no extra cost to anyone with Blue Cross travel insurance, even if you don’t have trip cancellation or trip interruption coverage.

If your flight is delayed, you automatically receive the following benefits:

• Three hour or more delay: Access to an airport lounge. If a lounge is not available, you’ll receive $40 for each person named on the insurance contract.
• Six hour or more delay: One hotel room (per policy) plus $50 per person, up to a maximum of $200. If no hotel room is available, you’ll receive $250.

Once registered for the service, the Blue Cross system tracks your flight in real time. If it’s delayed, you’ll receive a text message or email telling you how to access your benefits. Your hotel room, if required, will be booked for you and there is no need to submit a claim later.

We’ve highlighted the key benefits for each coverage option available for the single trip plan when travelling outside of Canada to help you identify which is the best fit for you. One of medical or trip cancellation/interruption coverage is mandatory, but accidental death or dismemberment and baggage are optional.

The price of a Blue Cross travel insurance plan depends on factors such as the cost of your trip, your age and the amount of coverage you choose.

Here are some examples of the cost for Blue Cross single trip plans for healthy travellers based in Ontario. These quotes do not include the optional protection for pandemic related costs.

These quotes do not include baggage coverage, except for the all inclusive plan option.

Using the example of the Mexico trip, baggage can be added to the medical only plan for $19.96 (making the plan total $74.22) and to the Trip Cancellation and Interruption only plan for $19.96 (for a plan total of $142.12)

With your emergency medical coverage, you can also add an optional deductible, or the amount you will pay out of pocket before your coverage kicks in, of $250, $500, $1,500, $2,500 or $5,000.

CAA Travel

Emergency medical: $5 million
Cancel For Any Reason: Yes, 50% to 75%
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,500

Related: CAA Travel Insurance Review

TD Insurance

Emergency medical: $5 million
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,000

Related: TD Insurance Travel Insurance Review

Johnson Medoc Travel Insurance

Emergency medical: $5 million
Cancel For Any Reason: No
Baggage insurance (maximum): $1,500

Related: Johnson Medoc Travel Insurance Review

Blue Cross offers an Optional Protection: Pandemic add-on that reimburses travel expenses normally excluded under the Trip Cancellation or Interruption Coverage. This add-on must be purchased with trip cancellation and interruption coverage and within five days of the first trip deposit or at least 45 days prior to the departure date.

The benefit is dependent on whether or not there is a Canadian government travel advisory in effect or not on the date the coverage takes effect.

If a travel advisory is in effect, then the pandemic is known and foreseeable, and reimbursement will only be paid due to a travel delay.

In general, when the return date must be delayed due to a diagnosis, positive screen test or contact tracing in relation to a pandemic, benefits include:

• A maximum of $250 per day per insured person, up to $2,500, for hotel and meals (trip maximum of $5,000)
• A maximum of of $500 per insured person for changing the date or replacing your ticket on your return flight (trip maximum $1,000)

If there is no travel advisory in effect, then the pandemic is unforeseeable, and the trip cancellation and coverage applies to the full extent, per the policy wording. In other words, in this case a pandemic is not considered a reason for exclusion.

Here’s how the costs compare for single trip insurance with and without the optional pandemic coverage

Blue Cross offers a preferred rates discount for snowbirds aged 55 and above travelling more than 32 days, as well as a $25 travelling companion discount and a $15 grandchildren discount.

Yes. You can buy multi-trip annual insurance if you travel more than once a year for multiple individual trips. Blue Cross offers medical only coverage, trip coverage and all inclusive coverage for four, eight, 17, 31, 60, 90, 150 or 180 days per trip.

Here’s how the prices between single trip and multi-trip insurance compare for the all inclusive and medical only plans:

Blue Cross Travel Assistance is included with all travel insurance products and is available 24/7, 365 days of the year either before or during your trip. Depending on the coverage provided by your insurance policy, emergency support includes:

• Referral to an appropriate medical facility
• Confirming medical insurance coverage to facilitate your care at the clinic or hospital
• Communicating with the physician treating you
• Coordinating repatriation when medically necessary
• Coordinating the safe return home of your dependent children if you are hospitalized
• Coordinating travel for a bedside family member if you are hospitalized for at least three days
• Coordinating the return of your vehicle if you can not due to an accident or illness
• Interpreter services for emergency calls
• Coordinating claims and payment to hospital/clinic, if applicable
• Assistance in the event of loss or theft of identification documents
• Providing information on embassies and consulates
• Referral to a lawyer in the event of a serious accident
• Settling of formalities in the event of death and repatriation of remains

When calling Blue Cross Travel Assistance, you’ll need your insurance contract number and your provincial health insurance number.

If you (or someone calling on your behalf) do not contact Blue Cross Travel Assistance before receiving medical treatment, your claim may be denied. A relative or medical staff member must contact Travel Assistance within 24 hours of starting medical treatment. It’s important to remember that certain services, such as paramedical treatment, must be approved in advance. If you need to cancel or modify your trip and you have trip cancellation and interruption coverage, you must notify Blue Cross within 48 hours of becoming aware of an event that triggers a change.

No.

No.

Blue Cross will not pay any medical expenses related to any medical condition that is not stable for a set period of time, either three or six months (depending on your age), before your coverage takes effect.

A medical condition is considered stable when all of the following are true:

• No new medical diagnosis has been made
• No new symptoms appears and there was no worsening or increase in the frequency of existing symptoms
• No hospitalization has taken place
• No new medication was prescribed or recommended
• No change of dosage was made to a medication already prescribed or recommended (with some exceptions)
• No new treatment or medical test is pending or has been prescribed, ongoing or recommended
• No ongoing treatment has been changed or discontinued
• No prescribed or recommended treatment, no medical advice has been ignored

In addition, Blue Cross has a number of age- and condition-specific exclusions, including:

For policyholders aged 54 and under during the three months preceding the effective date of coverage or for policyholders aged 55 to 75 travelling less than 32 days during the six months preceding the effective date of coverage:

• Any heart condition for while you have used nitroglycerine more than once in a seven-day period for the relief of chest pain
• Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy

For policyholders aged 55 to 75 who are travelling 32 days or more and for people aged 76 or over, the following medical conditions are excluded unless the insurance certificate stipulates otherwise:

• During your lifetime, any illness which relates to a cardiovascular condition, kidney failure or a major organ transplant, including bone marrow, liver, lung, heart and pancreas
• During the 24 months before the effective date of coverage, any chronic pulmonary condition for which you have been hospitalized or have used cortisone tablets
• During the 12 months preceding the effective date of coverage, any illness which relates to the following conditions for which you have been diagnosed or treated: Cancer and gastrointestinal conditions, such as hepatitis C or Crohn’s disease
• Any heart condition for while you have used nitroglycerine more than once in a seven-day period for the relief of chest pain
• Any pulmonary condition for which you have been treated with home oxygen or have required corticosteroid therapy

Travellers over age 54 who are travelling for longer than 31 days and travellers aged 76 and older can have their physician complete an optional medical questionnaire that is then submitted to Blue Cross for evaluation. The Blue Cross medical team can then decide if your pre-existing or chronic condition is approved for coverage or not.

There are a number of scenarios not covered by travel insurance and it’s critical to know what not to do before you make a claim. The following are some of the most common situations not covered by travel insurance:

• Treatment received without approval from Blue Cross Travel Assistance if the medical need was not urgent or if sufficient attempts were not made to receive prior approval
• Foreseeable treatment for a known medical condition
• Failure to comply with a prescribed treatment
• Non-urgent, experimental or optional treatment, such as routine checkups, aesthetic care, rehabilitation, convalescent care, clinical research or
  experimental drugs
• Continued treatment once the medical emergency is over
• Continued treatment if you refuse repatriation
• Unreasonable billing, namely any invoiced amount not considered a “customary and reasonable expense”
• A child born during the trip
• Mental health disorders
• Suicide and intentional injury
• Use of alcohol, drugs and other intoxicants
• Any illegal or criminal act
• Acts of war and civil unrest
• High-risk sports or activities, including extreme sports, motor sports, sports practiced as a paid professional, high-level sports competitions, aerial sports, combat sports, sports authorizing tackling or body checking, high-risk water sports and high-risk mountain or climbing sports
• Loss or damage of certain items such as a vehicle, personal items such as prosthetics or glasses, cash, tickets or documents, antiques or collectibles, food or animals or breakage of fragile items

To be eligible for insurance with Blue Cross, the following must apply:

• You are a resident of Canada and are covered under a government health insurance plan
• You are over 30-days old on the departure date of your trip

In addition, for travellers aged 55 and over, you must not:

• Have received medical advice not to travel
• Suffer from a medical condition in a terminal stage
• Suffer from kidney failure treated with dialysis
• Have been diagnosed with or treated for metastatic cancer in the last five years
• Have been prescribed or treated with home oxygen in the past 12 months

You can file a claim online 24/7 by visiting the Blue Cross secure electronic document filing website where you can start a new claim, submit your required documentation and follow the progress of your claim. The website currently notes that processing your claim could take up to 30 days.

In addition to your claim form you may be asked to provide:

• A medical certificate issued by the physician who treated you that confirms you received treatment and/or a medical emergency occurred either during or before your trip
• Receipts and proof of payment for the medical care and services provided or related travel expenses
• Itemized billing for the care and services provided
• Proof of your travel dates
• A supporting document, such as a police report or letter from the airline, confirming that a serious, unforeseen and non-excluded event is the cause of your claim
• Unused transportation tickets, official receipts from new return transportation or proof of reimbursement or credit.

You must submit the completed claim form within 90 days of the event, including all supporting documentation and itemized receipts.

When evaluating travel insurance plans, the Forbes Advisor Canada editorial team factors in an exhaustive list of criteria, including but not limited to coverage maximums, types of coverage offered, deductible, cost, optional add-ons, discounts, traveller assistance, age restrictions and other benefits and features. Keep in mind that the coverage that might be best for some people might not be right for you. It’s important to conduct informed research before deciding which travel insurance plan will meet your needs.