U.S. Health Insurance For Canadian Travel Nurses

Canadian travel insurance is commonly purchased when taking a short trip to the US or overseas. Although this is useful for leisure trips, there are limitations to your coverage if you rely solely on travel insurance while residing in the US. In this article, I outline those restrictions and explain the value of obtaining American Health Insurance as a Canadian travel nurse.

Canadian Travel Insurance vs American Health Insurance

There are a multitude of Canadian travel insurance companies that offer health coverage for extended periods of time and generally charge less than American Health Insurance companies. Though enticing, the low costs are usually due to restrictions on their coverage. Here are just a few of those limitations:

Pre-Approval Before Your Visit

When seeking medical assistance through travel insurance, most companies must pre-approve services (i.e blood work, X-ray’s and Ultrasound) prior to obtaining care. You will have to pay out of pocket for these medical expenses until your claim is processed and the insurance company reimburses you-which usually takes a few months. To put costs into perspective, a well known urgent care clinic in the US charges a $200 fee just to register and a single urinalysis can cost you $70.

Return to Canada For Treatment

If you run into a medical issue that your travel insurance does not deem a ‘life-threatening emergency’, your insurance may have you return to Canada to continue care. For example; should you require surgery, your travel insurance can declare you stable enough to fly back to Canada to receive the surgery if it is not a life-threatening injury.

If you decline to return to Canada and stay in the US, your travel insurance will not cover any expenses related to that condition going forward. Furthermore, you may lose your contract and your housing deposit if you must return to Canada on short notice without a return date.

Purchasing American Health insurance will relieve you from the burden of high medical expenses and the risk of potentially losing your contract. Below we expand on how to buy American health insurance and its benefits to you as a Canadian travel nurse.

How do I Get Health Insurance in The US?

You may be thinking, ‘I never get sick. I don’t need insurance, but emergencies happen unexpectedly, and healthcare costs in the U.S. can be tens of thousands of dollars. Although you have your Canadian Health Card back home, it is vital to have health insurance while you are in the US.

Enrolling in Health Benefits

Your agency will provide you with the option to enroll in health insurance when you sign a contract with them. Alternatively, you may opt for a private company. Host Healthcare provides insurance through a company called Aetna with a wide range of coverage. I pay around $100/week for the insurance offered through my agency- which covers dental, vision, hospital visits etc. Marta pays for herself and her spouse, costing them $260/week as they opted for extra add-ons. 

Host Healthcare allows you to take break of up to 31 days between assignments and still receive full benefits. If you want to take longer than 31 days off between contracts, you will no longer have insurance and must seek out alternative options. In this situation, Host Healthcare offers private insurance options, should you choose to stay with that agency. On the next assignment, you must re-enroll back into agency benefits when starting your new contract.

 

What Your Health Insurance Covers

Deductibles and Co-Pays

Most health insurance plans have a deductible, meaning you must spend $1000-$2000 of your own money before they begin to cover your medical expenses. Services such as dentist appointments require a ‘co-pay,’ which is your out-of-pocket spending. The remaining balance is paid by your insurance. Co-pays are generally between $25-$75. Though these numbers seem costly, they are significantly cheaper than visiting a hospital or clinic without coverage. A friend recently needed a CT scan in an American hospital, and her bill before insurance was over $5000. Thankfully, her American health insurance covered the majority of the bill.

American Health Insurance companies partner with large businesses to provide services and products at a discounted rate. You can receive discounts on gym memberships, massages and fitness equipment to name a few.

Summary

Health Insurance can be a confusing and stressful topic! That is why we created a simple overview to help you decide what form of insurance is best for your specific situation. You may also contact your agency’s insurance representative for additional information.

Please leave us a comment if you enjoyed this post. We look forward to hearing from you and wish you the best of luck on your new adventure.