Winnipeg Insurance Brokers Ltd. Unit 106-2565 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3J 0P4
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If you travel out of the province without the right travel health insurance, you could be on the hook to pay hundreds or thousands in medical costs out of pocket. Which would make even the best ski trip go downhill way too fast.
Getting the right insurance can help you avoid these financial hurdles.
In this post, we fill you in on what ski holiday insurance is, how it works, and why you should always purchase travel insurance before you leave Manitoba.
In short, no, ski holiday insurance doesn’t exist. At least, not in Manitoba.
You’ll need to buy basic travel health insurance plus a few key insurance add-ons to make sure you have the coverage you need.
Basic travel insurance plans protect you from having to pay out of pocket if you get hurt or sick while skiing outside of Manitoba. This standard coverage includes all of the usual hospital or medical expenses you would expect to incur following an emergency illness or accident. Expenses that, without insurance, you would have to pay out of pocket.
The basic version of travel medical insurance plans include:
Because it covers all of the above, basic travel insurance is essential. But for skiers—and all other winter sports enthusiasts who open themselves up to more risk—it’s often not enough.
Simply put, no. Your basic travel health insurance will not sufficiently cover skiing or a ski holiday (but there are travel insurance add-ons and extensions that will!). Other things that basic travel insurance does not cover include:
Sorry, this is another no. When insurance companies say they won’t cover “high-risk sports,” that includes “participating in, training, or practicing in any areas that have been closed off to public access or can only be accessed by crossing a fenced, gated, or roped-off area that has been marked as off-limited according to safety authorities”.
That means no backcountry skiing and snowboarding, no downhill freestyle skiing and snowboarding (even if organized competitions), no high-risk snowmobiling, and no ice climbing, mountaineering, or rock climbing. (Even if you’re playing the sport professionally!)
This might all feel like a major letdown—but thankfully these sports are only off-limits insurance-wise if you have basic travel insurance. There are plenty of travel insurance add-ons and extensions that will give you the coverage you need!
Even though basic travel health insurance won’t cover skiing, backcountry skiing, and other high-risk winter sports, there are travel insurance add-ons and extensions that will. So for a few extra dollars, you can still get the coverage you need.
These are the insurance add-ons we recommend for you and your family (if you’re traveling with them):
If you’re a winter sports enthusiast, we can’t recommend the Sports & Activities travel insurance extension enough! It covers those higher-risk sports, including:
Just remember that this coverage only applies if your medical expenses result from an emergency that occurs after coverage begins (including after any waiting periods). And, that emergency must have taken place while you were travelling outside of your province or territory of residence. That means if you have a pre-existing or chronic condition, or if you get sick or injured before your coverage is locked in, you won’t receive financial support.
“Basic” sports refers to any recreational activity or traditional sports, and these types of activities are almost always covered by basic insurance. But if you’re someone who engages in extreme sports regularly or while traveling, you could benefit from extreme sports insurance.
“Extreme sports” refers to any sporting or recreational activity that lies outside the normal rules or limits of traditional sports. It can also refer to an activity that’s made extreme or dangerous by modifying equipment and locales, or where there’s a high probability of physical danger, or risk of injury or death, as a result of participation. If you like taking extreme risks, you won’t want to pass up extreme sports coverage.
Related: A Guide to Extreme Sports Insurance
Winter trips can be cancelled, postponed, or derailed for all kinds of reasons. There are the big ones, like pandemics, and the smaller ones, like bad snow conditions. If you think you may want to reserve your right to cancel or reschedule your winter holiday or ski trip, then you may want to invest in Trip Cancellation or Interruption Insurance.
Trip Cancellation Insurance is a pre-departure benefit that can reimburse 100% of your trip costs if you need to cancel your trip for a covered reason. (The most common covered reason is unforeseen illness, injury, or death of the traveler, a traveling companion, or a non-traveling family member.)
Trip Interruption Insurance covers the costs of travel plans being unexpectedly cut short, where the traveler must return home. It also covers you if an unexpected interruption, like a major weather event, forces you to stay at your destination longer than you’d originally planned.
Okay, so this one isn’t an add-on you can buy. It’s just a reminder from us to add these travel insurance extensions to ALL your family member’s plans. We’ve seen it all and we can tell you for sure that nothing ruins a family ski holiday faster than an uninsured accident.
Yes! Basic travel health insurance covers you in most emergency medical situations while traveling. So whether you break an arm or leg skiing, you fall and break your hip on the ice, you contract an illness or a disease, or you break a tooth, you’ll be protected financially.
Not under regular travel insurance. Trip interruption and cancellation insurance is not included with standard travel insurance. However, you can buy Trip Cancellation Insurance, Trip Interruption Insurance, or Cancel Anytime Insurance, which would cover you in these scenarios. Just be aware that there are time limits around when these add-ons can be purchased. Typically, you need to purchase within 72 hours of your first travel insurance payment.
If you purchased Trip Cancellation insurance before your trip, then yes, you could submit a claim to be reimbursed for costs like hotels and lift tickets. Simply contact your travel insurance company or broker who will support you in claiming your Trip Cancellation insurance.
If you purchased Trip Interruption Insurance before your trip, then yes! You could claim the additional travel expense through that policy.
Same as above, if you purchased Trip Interruption insurance before your trip, you could claim the additional costs that way!
It depends on your history, your travel plans, and how many risks you plan to take and need coverage for. Most plans fall between $50 and $100, but it’s hard to say for certain. Click here to get a free quote based on your plans.
Once you’ve secured your travel insurance, If you’re visiting another Canadian province or territory and need hospital or medical care, all you’ll need to do is show your Manitoba Health Card. In most cases, the doctor and hospital bills will be sent directly to Manitoba Health and/or Seniors Care for processing.
If you’re admitted on an emergency basis to a hospital outside of Canada, Manitoba Health and/or Seniors Care will pay for the services you need based on established daily rates established in Manitoba. If you need to make a claim, the doctor or hospital bills you for the outstanding premiums. If your claim is approved, you’ll be reimbursed when you get home.
We’re all for taking calculated risks on the slopes. When it comes to your finances and your health and well-being? Not so much!
If you’re Manitoban and you plan to travel for winter sports or skiing this season, we can help you get covered.
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We love it here, too.
We are committed to the communities where we live and work, and we demonstrate our commitment by taking part in sponsorship and volunteer programs.
Winnipeg Insurance Brokers Ltd. Unit 106-2565 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3J 0P4
Winnipeg Insurance Brokers Ltd. serves our clients and operates on Treaty One land; homeland of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Ojibway, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and the homeland of the Red River Metis. Our drinking water comes from Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, in Treaty Three territory. We respect the treaties, the land, and the water that sustain us.