Policy Maximum (Travel)

The policy maximum is the highest amount your travel medical insurance plan will pay for all eligible emergency medical expenses during a covered trip. This limit represents the maximum liability the insurer assumes and typically ranges from $1 million to $5 million per person, depending on the plan.

Covered expenses may include hospital stays, physician services, ambulance transport, and medical evacuation. Once the policy maximum is reached, any additional expenses are your responsibility.

Example:

If your plan’s policy maximum is $2 million and you incur $2.3 million in emergency medical costs abroad, the plan pays $2 million and you owe $300,000.

What to Watch For:

Some plans have different maximums based on age or coverage type. Always confirm currency (CAD or USD) and verify whether evacuation costs count toward the total.

Related Terms

Extended Health Care Insurance

Extended health care insurance (EHC) is supplemental coverage that helps pay for medical expenses not covered by your provincial or territorial health plan. It protects you from out-of-pocket costs associated with services such as prescription drugs, vision care, medical equipment, hospital upgrades, emergency travel medical care, and paramedical services like physiotherapy or chiropractic treatments.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance provides financial protection for unexpected events that occur while you are traveling outside your home province, territory, or country. It helps cover emergency medical expenses, trip cancellations, interruptions, delays, lost luggage, and other unforeseen travel-related incidents. The most important component of travel insurance is emergency medical coverage, which pays for hospital and physician costs, medical evacuations, and repatriation in case of serious illness or injury abroad

Contract Expiry Date

The contract expiry date is the final date on which an insurance policy or agreement remains in effect unless it is renewed or extended. It marks the end of the policy’s coverage period and defines when the insurer’s obligation to pay benefits or accept claims under the existing terms stops. After this date, the policyholder must renew the contract, convert it to a new plan, or allow it to lapse if coverage is no longer needed.

Optional Benefit / Rider / Add-On

An optional benefit, also called a rider or add-on, is an additional feature that can be purchased to enhance your existing health, dental, life, or disability insurance plan. Optional benefits allow you to customize coverage by adding protection that suits your personal needs, rather than relying only on the base plan design.

Per Person / Per Family

Per person and per family describe how benefit limits, deductibles, or maximums are applied within a health or dental insurance plan. A per person limit means the specified amount applies individually to each insured member, while a per family limit represents the total combined coverage for all members under one policy.

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