Managing a household budget can be difficult. Leaving health and dental insurance off the list may be tempting — but remember how important it is for your family.
We know that all Canadian residents have access to medically necessary treatment through their provincial health insurance plan. You may think you don’t need to have health insurance for your family, but not all kinds of healthcare costs are covered under your government plan. You could end up being out of pocket for a lot of money just providing the healthcare essentials your family needs.
Consider these four expenses your personal health and dental insurance plan can help you cover.
Prescription Drugs
Does your doctor ever prescribe medication for you or a member of your family? Depending on where you live, your province has rules regarding prescription drug coverage. Some provinces even provide Pharmacare programs for children and youth. The problem is that not all drugs are covered.
Private health insurance plans can cover thousands more drugs than those offered under your provincial plan. So if your spouse develops a chronic illness, or your children get sick, or you have an unexpected illness or injury, your health insurance can help take care of prescription drug expenses and reduce or eliminate the financial impact on your family.
Dental care
Maybe your kids need a routine dental check-up. A regular dental check-up can cost hundreds of dollars — and specialized care may cost thousands. From routine check-ups to emergency dental work and orthodontics, health insurance can help so you only pay a small portion of the total cost.
Having insurance can also help you keep track of how often you need to see a dentist; you can schedule your appointments according to what your dental plan dictates. Your dental insurance plan will have a yearly maximum, but by monitoring your family’s oral health regularly, your costs will likely stay well within that amount.
Vision care
According to the Canadian Optometrist Association, nearly three-quarters of Canadians require vision correction. As we get older, we are more likely to require glasses or contact lenses just to do our day-to-day activities. After age 40, the number of cases of vision loss doubles approximately every decade. At age 75, it triples. Having regular eye exams is important, and health insurance can help by providing some coverage.
The cost of eye exams for your children may be covered by your province, but the cost of prescription glasses or lenses is not covered. Health insurance can help your entire family, regardless of age, with eyewear costs.
Registered specialists and therapists
Is your spouse dealing with nagging back pain that requires a chiropractor? For various health problems, members of your family may benefit from massage, physiotherapy or chiropractic care.
Maybe your children will require speech therapy, or you may need help from a psychologist to deal with day-to-day stress. Perhaps you simply want to deal with your shoulder pain by following the recommendation of your doctor to try massage therapy.
Over the years, these services can amount to thousands of dollars. The good news is that health insurance helps you take care of these costs — and many benefits increase over the years.
Don’t reach for your debit card, reach for your benefit card
The cost of maintaining your family’s good health can add up quickly.
When your health insurance is in place, instead of reaching for your debit card, you can reach for your benefit card after your visits to your healthcare professional. In some cases – like at the pharmacy or dentist — you may not need to pay anything. For other visits, you can submit your healthcare receipt and claim online for quick and easy reimbursement.
Ready to buy health insurance?
If an individual health insurance plan is the right decision for you and your family, it’s good to know that premiums start at just a few dollars a day.
You’ll want to make sure you choose a plan that meets your whole family’s needs. Just as coverage varies by province, it also varies by insurance plan. It is important to find out what products and services are covered, as well as what is excluded.
With so many things to think about, choosing the right plan can seem difficult, but an SBIS customer service representative can help. Our knowledgeable insurance professionals can assess your family’s situation and help you review the options available to you, so you can make an informed decision about a plan that is right for you.
