How does OHIP coordinate benefits with travel health insurance?

The coordination of benefits between OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) and travel health insurance is based on the principle that OHIP serves as the primary payer for insured medical services. When a person who is covered by both OHIP and travel health insurance receives medical care outside of Ontario, the process typically involves OHIP covering the initial expenses. After that, travel health insurance can cover any additional costs that OHIP does not cover, such as services that might be beyond OHIP's scope or extra expenses incurred while traveling.

This method of coordination helps ensure that recipients benefit from the full extent of both plans, effectively utilizing the primary insurance offered by OHIP first, and allowing travel health insurance to fill in the gaps. Travel health insurance policies often have specific coverage limitations or exclusions that are relevant during travel, so relying on OHIP first makes financial sense before accessing the additional coverage from travel health insurance.

Understanding this coordination is vital for individuals traveling outside of Canada, as knowing how benefits will be processed can significantly affect their out-of-pocket expenses for medical services abroad.