Travel
If you have an emergency while you are travelling outside of your province (within Canada or another country) and you need medical attention, this benefit may cover your expenses.
What is covered?
- Emergency hospital, surgical and medical fees
- Emergency land and air ambulance
What is not covered?
- Private hospital room costs, and prescriptions and diagnostic tests from a private clinic
- Repatriation of remains
- Fees uninsurable by law in your home province
- Trip cancellation or interruption
- Loss or damage of baggage
- Insurance form completion charges
GreenShield Travel Assistance
GreenShield Travel Assistance is available 24/7 at 1-800-936-6336 (toll-free in Canada & U.S.A.) or 0-519-742-3556 (collect in other countries).
- While you’re travelling: For support with emergency medical care
- Before you travel: If you have a pre-existing health issue, find out if your condition and treatments would be covered in an emergency
- Before you travel: For a letter-of-proof of travel coverage, depending on the country you’re planning to visit, and information on emergency medical care
Your emergency medical travel coverage is only in effect if you have your provincial health insurance.
The maximum trip length you are covered for is 35 days in a row, outside of your home province.
If you are travelling outside of your home province for longer than 35 days, you will be responsible for any health costs that occur on day 36 and beyond. After your trip, once your have returned to your home province for a minimum of 24 hours, your coverage will reset to cover your next future trip up to a maximum of 35 days in length. You must have valid provincial health coverage in order to be covered by the asrTrust travel benefit.
For Example:
Donny lives in Ontario and has travel plans in the U.S.A. and Canada throughout December.
- December 1, 2023 (Day 1) – Donny leaves Ontario and travels to Florida, U.S.A. His 35-day coverage begins.
- December 22, 2023 (Day 22) – Donny flies to Nova Scotia, Canada, to celebrate the holidays with family. He is still covered within the 35-day window. Even though he has come back to Canada, he is not back in his home province of Ontario, so he is still considered away on his trip.
- December 28, 2023 (Day 28) – Donny returns to Florida, U.S.A.
- January 4, 2024 (Day 35) – Donny’s last day for travel coverage. His asrTrust travel coverage expires January 5, 2024, after being out of his province for 35 days in a row.
Options if you want to take a trip that is longer than 35 days
Option 1
Return to your home province for 24 hours during the 35-day period. For example, if you fly to your home province on September 29, stay in the province for a minimum of 24 hours, and then fly back to Florida on October 1, the 35-day window will reset. October 1 will reset to day 1 of coverage, and coverage will expire on November 4.
Option 2
If you purchased the Extended Travel Health Plan option when you retired, you have additional coverage directly through GreenShield. Please contact GreenShield to understand your benefits as asrTrust does not manage this plan.
Option 3
You can consider purchasing an individual travel plan that can be added on to extend the length of your trip. GreenShield sells an individual health travel policy plan that does not impose new conditions on any pre-existing health conditions which is unique and may be important for you if you have a known health condition. Any individual health travel policy will have its own limitations and coverage limits so read it carefully. You may wish to compare different travel policies, as they are not all the same. Please note that any individual travel plan must be purchased before you leave on your trip.
If you travel and your health is unstable because of a pre-existing condition that you are aware of, you may not be covered for that health issue. Your plan will only cover medical emergencies if the circumstance is unexpected.
For Example:
Joseph had a heart attack in September and had travel plans for November. He decided to go ahead with his November travel plans, and unfortunately, had another heart attack while he was away and needed emergency medical treatment.
Since Joseph had his first heart attack within 90 days of leaving on his trip, he was at a higher risk of having a second heart attack. In this case, Joseph’s emergency medical claim was denied, and he was not covered.
However, if Joseph had a different medical event—for example, he broke his ankle—while he was away, he would be covered for emergency medical treatment for his ankle since it is unrelated to his heart condition.
Do you have a pre-existing condition? Even if your doctor has given you the “go ahead” to travel, you should still call GreenShield Travel Assistance at 1-800-936-6226 before you travel to find out if your condition and treatments would be covered in an emergency. Being able to travel and being covered for a medical emergency are two different things!
Always travel with your GreenShield benefit card
You must call Greenshield Travel Assistance before getting treatment to make sure you receive the most appropriate emergency medical care. By calling beforehand, GreenShield Travel Assistance will also coordinate with the medical provider to directly pay for your expenses, whenever possible.
Looking for your benefit card? Just Log In to greenshield.ca.
If the type of medical service you receive while travelling would be covered by your provincial health insurance if you were at home, your expenses should be covered by your asrTrust plan.
For Example:
George lives in Ontario. He and his wife went to Florida in January to enjoy a warm and sunny holiday. Unfortunately, when they went for a walk one morning, he fell and cut his nose. George called GreenShield Travel Assistance who directed him to a nearby hospital to get stitches. The cost of the stiches would be covered by his asrTrust plan.
George then inquired about receiving Botox injections—a cosmetic procedure—for the wrinkles around his nose where he got stitches. Cosmetic procedures are not covered by OHIP, so George would not receive coverage for the Botox injections from his asrTrust plan.
Always keep your receipts—even after the claim has been submitted—and hold on to them until your claim has been processed and finalized.
