7 Best Health Insurance in Ontario

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Having an insurance plan is one of the easiest ways to live in Canada. With an insurance policy or coordination of benefits plan, you and your family can leverage tons of advantages when the need arises.

There are many insurance companies in Canada, and quite a number of them offer health insurance. Also, there are provincial health insurance providers, with each of them having unique offers.

This article will be reviewing the seven best health insurance in Ontario.

Health  Insurance in Canada

Canada has universal public health insurance for its citizens and residents. About 30% of health costs (including dental, optical, and pharmaceutical services) in Canada are privately insured or paid out-of-pocket.

Most Canadians benefit from group insurance through their employers. This demand has created a market for private health insurance, filling the gap for extra coverage of health expenses, like dental, not covered by public health insurance.

Types of Health Insurance in Canada

There are different types of insurance in Canada. They include;

  • Provincial health insurance (public health insurance)
  • Private/Personal health insurance
  • Group health insurance
  • Disability insurance (this is usually extra insurance to your personal or group health insurance)
  • Critical illness insurance
  • Long-term care insurance (for people over the age of 60)
  • Travel medical insurance (which is very useful if you travel outside of Canada frequently)

Private health insurance companies in Canada offer coverage for some or all of these types of insurance, excluding public health insurance. With private health insurance, you are paying for what you need and don’t need.

However, they always come in handy as medical issues arise suddenly. They will be much more convenient and easier to deal with, knowing that you have a healthcare plan that partially or wholly takes care of the expenses.

7 Best Health Insurance in Ontario

The Ontario government provides essential health insurance coverage through Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP). However, the OHIP coverage is limited. It does not cover dental, chiropractors, physiotherapists, massage therapists, or podiatrists. Also, the OHIP does not cover prescription drugs for persons over 25 or under 65.

In Ontario, public health insurance will only cover essential medical services,  leaving the rest to your health insurance or group insurance that private health insurance companies would cover.

Below are  seven of the best health insurance in Ontario and some of the plans and the services they offer:

1. Ontario Blue Cross

Ontario Blue Cross insurance offers comprehensive and affordable health insurance coverage for subscribers. The coverage plan is in two phases;

  • Express guaranteed issue plan

This plan covers costs resulting from pre-existing conditions. Although the coverage is lesser than that of the global plan, it still covers prescription drugs and optional dental care.

  • Global medical underwriter plan

This plan covers optional dental care. Unlike the express plan, the global plan covers hospital and vision care, Chiropractors, naturopaths, psychologists, and Underwritten (medical questions).

Generally, these plans vary in rates, and they offer maximum coverage for all the services. The plans are customizable, and you can add any of the following extra insurance to your existing plan;

  • Critical illness
  • Hospital cash (you get paid a dollar for every day you spend at the hospital)
  • Assured access (you can put your plan on hold if you benefit from group insurance)

Blue Cross, however, has a limitation; you need to have existing health coverage before you can purchase one of their plans.

2. Manulife

Manulife offers a flexible health insurance plan in Ontario. Their plans come in three categories;

  • Flexcare

Flexcare offers an array of health and dental insurance packages you can choose from. Also, it includes some guaranteed acceptance which is available to subscribers without a medical exam. Flexcare plans come with customizable add-ons that allow subscribers to select a suitable package for their needs.

  • FollowMe

The Manulife FollowMe plan is suitable for people with a group benefits plan. This plan provides guaranteed acceptance once you apply for health coverage within 90 days of losing your group benefits.

  • Association Plan

The Manulife Association plan offers four health and dental health coverage options. Subscribers can access prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, hospital coverage, extended health care, accidental travel death, and dismemberment.

Generally, these plans are suitable for people looking to customize their health benefits. You can choose a plan and coverage based on your budget and health requirement. Any of the health plans give you access to

  • Prescription drugs
  • Specialist care
  • Semi-private hospital accommodation
  • Ambulance transportation
  • Home support services
  • Medical items
  • Travel emergency services

3. GMS Health Insurance Plans

GMS health insurance is one of the popular insurance companies in Ontario that offer coverage for everyday healthcare and medical emergencies healthcare. The GMS health insurance has two plans:

  • GMS Personal Health

There are three packages under the GMS health insurance plan;

  • GMS BasicPlan
  • ExtendaPlan
  • OmniPlan

As a subscriber of any of the plans mentioned above, you can customize your plan and add travel emergency medical coverage, dental, drug, and hospital cash benefits to get add-on coverage.

  • GMS Replacement Health

Similar to the GMS personal health insurance plan, the GMS Replacement health insurance has three packages;

  • EssentialPlan
  • ChoicePlan
  • PremierPlan

With GMS Replacement health insurance, no medical questions are asked, and acceptance is guaranteed when you retire or leave a group plan. Also, the packages cover prescription drugs, eyeglasses, contact lenses, dental care, travel, etc.

4. Prism Health Insurance Plan

The Prism health insurance plan is a package under the Green Shield insurance plan. Green Shield Canada offer extended healthcare coverage and have two significant plans, which are;

  • Zone plan

This plan is for newbies to private health care coverage, people without existing private health insurance.

  • Link plan

This plan is for people leaving another private healthcare plan to transition into the Green Shield Canada healthcare insurance.

Under the two major plans, there are different plans with varying degrees of coverage. The classification of their plans makes it easier for newbies to purchase plans they can understand at affordable rates.

On the other hand, you can choose a coverage option based on your health requirement and finances in the prism plan. Any of the plans gives subscribers access to healthcare like;

  • Specialists and Semi-Private Or Private Hospital Accommodation
  • Ambulance Transportation
  • Home Support Services
  • Medical Items
  • Travel Emergency Services

And there are three packages under the Prism plan;

  • Prism Spectra

The Prism Spectra is a comprehensive plan with high benefit maximums that allow subscribers to choose coverage based on their budget and health need. It is suitable for people leaving a company group plan or who do not have current health and dental coverage.

  • Prism Precision

This plan is suitable for people looking for a practical alternative for health and dental care coverage. The plan covers services and treatments that the government does not cover. Subscribers on this plan are not required to answer any medical questions, and coverage is guaranteed even for pre-existing conditions.

  • Prism Continuum

The Prism Continuum is suitable for people who are about to lose or have lost their company group health benefits in the last 90 days. This plan covers pre-existing conditions and offers guaranteed coverage.

5. SunLife Health Insurance

Sunlife offer three health insurance plans;

  • Basic
  • Standard
  • Enhanced

Each plan covers prescription, dental, paramedics, and vision services (except the basic plan). Their prices are at varying rates with maximum coverage for some services under the higher plans.

They also offer disability insurance and critical illness insurance, but you will have to purchase them separately and not add-ons to your existing plan.

Depending on your plan, you can add one of the following services to it;

  • Preventive dental
  • Semi-private hospital stays
  • Restorative dental
  • Orthodontics (correcting misaligned teeth)

6. CAA

CAA is a prominent automobile insurance company in Canada. They also offer health insurance, and like Manulife, they offer separate coverage plans. These plans include:

  • Drug1/Dental1
  • Drug2/Dental2
  • Enhanced Extended/Drug3/Dental3

The highest plan (enhanced extended) offers complete dental, paramedics, and vision/optical services coverage. They have unique add-ons, which include;

  • Speech therapists
  • Hearing aids
  • Orthotics (orthopedic appliances)

7. The Great-West Life Assurance Company

The Great-West Life Assurance Company offers coverage for unique services. Like most of the other insurance companies on the list, they also offer three health insurance plans;

  • Core
  • Core Plus
  • Elite

Each plan offers maximum coverage for optical services and additional coverage for services like; in-home nursing, medical supplies; hearing aid; and ambulance services. They also offer coverage for optional services that you can add to the plan you purchase.

Their services include;

  • Accidental death insurance
  • Emergency travel medical insurance
  • Hospital accommodation
  • Hospital cash
  • Major dental

Conclusion

Getting extra medical insurance coverage in Canada is akin to taking precautionary measures to avert possible financial issues concerning medical expenses in the future.

However, having provincial coverage will help you cater to immediate and urgent health issues. With the list above, you can make your choice and select what works best for you.

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Kareena Maya

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Kareena Maya is a freelance writer focused on the personal finance and travel spaces. He frequently writes about credit cards, banking, student loans, insurance, travel rewards and more. His work has been featured in publications such as Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, Credit Karma, Finance Buzz, The Ascent and Student Loan Planner.

Kareena Maya is a freelance writer focused on the personal finance and travel spaces. He frequently writes about credit cards, banking, student loans, insurance, travel rewards and more. His work has been featured in publications such as Forbes Advisor, Bankrate, Credit Karma, Finance Buzz, The Ascent and Student Loan Planner.