| - Informative Articles
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- Heading south
- Canadian snowbirds appear as ready as ever to migrate to the United States
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- “Well, I Didn’t Actually Read The Policy.”
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- Annual Trips Have Great Potential — But They Need Explaining
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- Early Birds Must Report Health Changes
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- Canadians Moving To U.S. Should First Establish Health Insurance
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- Symptoms Count When Defining Pre-existing Conditions
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- Short Term "Renewals" for Visitors Require Explanation
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- Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Travel Advisory
| |  Early Birds Must Report Health Changes- By Milan Korcok, Health Issues Writer
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- Charlie Snowbird may have acted quickly and wisely in nailing down his out-of-country health insurance plan for next winter at last year's rates. It's what thousands of "early birds" do each summer--even though they won't be heading South for another three or four months. They are tough shoppers, and they know that premiums after Labour Day are going to be higher, maybe a lot higher.
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- But snowbirds also need to be warned that by buying early, they haven't insulated themselves against the consequences of illness or a change in their health status occurring between the time they buy and the time their policy becomes effective. That could be something as modest as a change in medication, or investigation of certain symptoms, or confirmation of a condition that has been evolving over months. And though many snowbirds think that once they have a policy in their hands its conditions are irrevocable, the fact is that if their health changes, they are required to notify their insurers so that their contract can be reviewed and altered, if necessary. Failure to do that can seriously impair, or even void their coverage.
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- Early bird programs can be highly effective for consumers of snowbird health policies. But they need a safety net. And every early bird sale needs to be accompanied by a warning to the customer that they need to contact their broker as soon as there is any change in their health status, or their medication, or if their doctor needs to see them for anything more than a routine monitoring.
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- Article provided compliments of Trent Health. Author Milan Korcok is a freelance medical writer specializing in travel health issues. May not be reproduced or transmitted without permission.
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