Shopping Around: 10 Canadian Health Insurance Providers You Need to Know
As a Canadian, you already know that healthcare for Canadians is publicly funded. If you are a Canadian resident or a Canadian citizen, then all you need to do is complete the public health insurance application from whichever province you are living in. The great thing about this program is that the majority of your healthcare services will be covered. Mean that it will not be coming out of your savings. So, where does this public money come from? Well, you probably guessed it correctly, it comes from taxes.
From provinces to provinces, the fine print could differ. For example, there are a couple of provinces that allow people to get this healthcare coverage as soon as they become new permanent residents. Obviously, this is ideal. There are, however, other provinces that have an estimated waiting period of three months. During this waiting period, you may be shopping around for Canadian Health insurance providers to ensure that you and your loved ones are covered during this time.
Furthermore, other residents actually want to shop around for a more comprehensive private health insurance on a permanent basis. For this very reason, there are a number of decent companies offering health insurance for Canadian residents.
Are you trying to find the very best healthcare provider at a price that you can afford? Chances are that you are feeling overwhelmed by all the different options and still unable to find a company that offers a policy which covers all of your needs. If this sounds like a brief description of your situation then know that you are not alone. In fact, there are thousands of people sitting in your same position.
This article gathers the top ten Canadian healthcare providers and should help you to navigate your way through the confusion.
The following ten companies are not listed in any order.
1. Blue Cross Canada
The Blue Cross healthcare provider provides policies to both the United States as well as to Canada. In fact, it is one of the most popular healthcare providers among Canadian residents. The company offers policies for both individuals and groups of multiple persons. And, if you are a frequent traveler then you will be happy to hear that Blue Cross offers travel insurance as well. Because of the vast amount of policies available, there will be one for everyone. This means that if for whatever reason, you are concerned about being approved- you can rest assured that there will be a policy that you will qualify for.
Even if you are already covered by your public healthcare plan, you will find a supplemental plan that will give you coverage for other more costly medical needs.
2. Empire Life
Empire Life is one of the leading healthcare insurance companies in Canada. They offer an assortment of products, including typical healthcare coverage and even financial management coaching. to see what type of policy you can benefit from, see their detailed site for more details.
3. Manulife
If you are looking for a more tailored healthcare plan, then you might enjoy what Manulife has to offer. This healthcare provider offers a unique, mix and match type of health care coverage. The insurance that they offer is called ‘Flexcare Health and Dental.’ While you work off of the base of coverage products offered, you can then add other services that you may require. For example, you may need a base product of Dental coverage in combination with prescription coverage. Depending on your healthcare requirements, you can tailor your insurance to make sure that you are paying for the services that will offer you the most benefits.
4. Scotia Life Health and Dental Insurance
If you are seeking an insurance program that can act as an add on or as a supplementary healthcare program, then Scotiabank ® could be a good option. They also offer policies that will cover the whole family.
5. Sunlife Financial
Sunlife is a popular choice for many Canadians. They offer many different services, of which healthcare insurance is just one, therefore their healthcare services are known as extended health care insurance. There are different policies, including ones that will offer coverage for the whole family. However, one drawback is that Sunlife does not offer any policies that offer isolated dental coverage.
6. GreatWest Life
With GreatWest Life, you can select from two different packages. The first is the Enhanced Healthcare, which is available for either individuals or whole families. Within the Enhanced Health care coverage package, you have three options: the Core, Core Plus and the Core Elite. Obviously, these three options will offer varying amounts of coverage with the extra option of add-ons if you need.
For the second coverage option, you will be looking at the Plan Direct package. This package is designed for those who are facing retirement and are looking for extra healthcare coverage. However, if you are simply leaving one company and moving to a different company then this plan would work well for you too. For the Plan Direct package, you will not need to undergo a medical exam prior to signing up for the coverage and they even accept applications with pre-existing conditions.
7. GMS Health Insurance
This company is designed for those looking exclusively for extended healthcare coverage.
8. State Farm
State Farm is another well-known insurance company. However, what sets them apart is that they are starting to incorporate some natural healthcare as well. This is because there are a growing development and increasing demand for natural treatments for medical conditions. But, the main issue with natural health care is that it can be expensive. Therefore, this makes State Farm an intriguing option for many people seeking out more alternative forms of healthcare.
9. CAA
The CAA company may be more recognized for their vehicle insurance but they work together with Manulife to offer an avenue of healthcare as well.
10. Green Shield Canada
Green Shield offers a variety of plans for people that are in a transitory stage of their life, for example, they are either about to retire, those leaving their existing healthcare policy or for people that are new to private healthcare as well.
