NEWS from K+A

(The following article appeared in the 2009 Trail Special issue of  Canadian Running magazine.)

MEDICAL INSURANCE FOR RUNNERS

Running a race outside of Canada? Here’s what you should know

By Mary Jo Fader and Lizann Reitmeier

Many employers offer coverage for medical emergencies outside your province of residence through their health plans. If you have a health plan, check your coverage. You may not need additional medical insurance. Most employer plans will not exclude illness or injury resulting from participation in a competition, such as a running race (a car race is something else again!). These plans usually cover the same family members as your health plan, so this means your family can travel with you without additional coverage.

Many credit cards provide medical coverage, as well as trip cancellation insurance, provided you charge all of your travel arrangements on the card. Read your credit card information carefully if you plan to rely on this for medical coverage, to ensure you satisfy the rules to qualify.

If you need supplementary coverage, there are many plans available and the rates are quite affordable, particularly for individuals under age 65. You should look for any wording that would exclude illness or injury resulting from the race. While this is not typical, you should be sure. If you often travel outside your province of residence, you may want to consider an annual plan that will allow you to travel as often as you wish during the year, up to the maximum number of days specified in your plan.

Beware of the pre-existing condition exclusion. If you have a medical condition — either treated or untreated — insurers will not cover claims relating to this condition, even if you have an emergency. Check the wording under your coverage and be sure your medical condition meets the insurer’s requirements for stability to ensure your coverage will be adequate for the most likely cause of a medical emergency.

Call the hotline. All insurers will provide you with a toll-free telephone number to contact as soon as it becomes apparent you need medical assistance. The insurer will direct you to the closest medical facility that can assist you. Insurers use this as a way to control costs, particularly in the United States, and they will direct you to a hospital that participates with their network. Foreign hospitals see visitors as an excellent source of revenue, and, thanks to our excellent public medical system, we have no idea how expensive health care can be. The operators at the toll-free number can also assist with translation and get messages back to Canada, if required. They will work with your medical team to determine when you are fit to return home and if you require extra support on your return trip.

And remember, while it is not adequate for a serious medical emergency, your provincial coverage is always the first payer for medical claims. If you need to see a doctor, or if you are admitted to hospital as a result of an emergency, your provincial coverage will reimburse you. If you have supplementary coverage, and you called the assistance line, they will co-ordinate the reimbursement from provincial health care.

Mary Jo Fader and Lizann Reitmeier are benefits consultants at Krieger + Associates, a Toronto-based consulting firm specializing in group benefits. Fader has run 11 marathons and Reitmeier has completed two half-marathons.

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