Contents |
Resources
The Insurance Book: What Canadians Really Need to Know Before Buying Insurance. Sally Praskey and Helena Moncrieff (Toronto: Prentice Hall, 1999).
This excellent book, endorsed by the Consumers Council of Canada, will provide you with a detailed guide to private insurance of all kinds. However, it also covers health insurance, including what private plans cover, whether you need disability insurance, and what to do if you disagree with the insurance company’s decision about your claim. A must-read for Canadians interested in understanding insurance plans from a practical point of view.
Organizations and Associations
Insurance-Canada, www.insurance-canada.ca
While there are numerous insurance company sites, Insurance-Canada.ca is the best resource we have come across to help navigate all types of insurance for Canadian consumers. It provides concise and easy-to¬ understand overviews of the types of insurance available and how they work, as well as tips and links to the companies that provide these products.
Service Canada, www.canadabenefits.gc.ca
Use this excellent website to locate all the government drug programs in your province. First, access the website homepage. Do not click on anything under the first column, labelled “I am†(a parent, a senior, a student). Instead click “Health Concerns,†under the column entitled “Life Events.†You will then see a map of Canada. Click on your province or territory. The next page will allow you to click on one of three themes:
- Health and Dental Care: This will give you links and listings for government-sponsored programs related to assistive devices for you or your children and other special programs.
- Mental Health Counseling and Addictions: This will help you access government programs that provide you with benefits in these areas.
- Prescription Drug Coverage: This will provide you with what your government offers in drug coverage and catastrophic drug coverage.
Public Health Agency of Canada, www.travelhealth.gc.ca
The Travel Medicine Program (TMP) is responsible for providing the following travel health information for persons travelling outside Canada:
- Current information on international disease outbreaks
- Immunization recommendations for international travel
- General health advice for international travellers
Disease-specific treatment and prevention guidelines Information can be accessed 24 hours a day through the Internet at the address above. This information has been specifically designed for persons planning to travel internationally and for travel medicine professionals who provide counsel to international travellers.