COVID tests of travelers not always reimbursed by insurers

Are you in the South or elsewhere in the world and you take a test for COVID-19 before you fly? Do you have side effects from the vaccine? Your travel insurer may not reimburse anything …

The handful of Canadian travel insurers who agree to cover COVID-19 are not reimbursing COVID-19 testing. Because it is not a question of urgent medical care.

For example, at Medipac, the preferred insurer of Canadian snowbirds, we do not reimburse any costs related to this test … unless it has been ordered as part of a medical process.

Medipac will reimburse it if, for example, the emergency physician orders it to determine whether COVID-19 is the cause of the hospitalization.

Remember that the majority of Canadian travel insurers do not cover COVID-19 or the side effects associated with a vaccination even if it is done free of charge in the Sunshine State.

But Ottawa now requires airlines to ask their customers to show proof of a COVID-19 test before letting them board a return flight. This test must have been carried out 72 hours before boarding.

Not given

In a handful of countries, tourists can get this test for free. But the overwhelming majority charge tourists.

In Florida, a little field research confirmed to me that, in several counties, a Quebecer can get a free test. But he won’t have the results for 72 hours.

And even if you pay, I haven’t found a clinic that guarantees faster results. We are talking more about two to four days. And the fees range from US $ 129 to over US $ 200.

Advice

• Do you want to know if your travel insurer will reimburse (or not) the costs of a screening test or those related to side effects linked to the COVID-19 vaccine? The Canadian Association of Life and Health Insurers (ACCAP) suggests contacting your insurer to find out. ACCAP specifies that certain group insurance (employer) could reimburse a test against COVID-19 if the traveler has access to “a health expenditure account”.
• Are you looking for a clinic that guarantees results on time to fly? Contact your tour operator or airline (at the time of going to press, there is no guarantee that you will receive a satisfactory response). Global Affairs Canada website (travel.gc.ca/voyager/ warnings) offers information on testing abroad: click on a destination, on the “health” tab, scroll to “Medical services and facilities” and click on “COVID-19 testing procedures”. For the United States, the CDC site gives a list of places: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html.
• French-speaking Florida media that target snowbirds, such as Florida Sun or The Florida Courier, post lists of clinics where we test for COVID-19. The Florida Department of Health has a website listing all of the places you can get tested: floridahealthcovid19.gov/testing-sites.