Your Guide to Manulife Insurance in Toronto

The Canadian health care system has long been touted as superior to the American system. And for actual health care services, the province of Ontario scores at the top for quality, accessibility, and affordability.

But what about the city of Toronto, specifically? Are there health insurance plans that stand out among the rest? This guide will answer that question, so keep reading to find out about Manulife insurance in Toronto, and see how this plan differs from other cities.

Manulife Insurance Toronto: How to Get Covered?

Canada has a publicly funded, privately provided health care system. Anyone who is a legal resident of Canada is eligible for this service. Public health services are provided at the Provincial level, and each Province has its own insurance plan maintained by the ministry of health.

So, if you receive health care in Toronto, which is in Ontario Province, your doctor will bill the Province directly for your care. You don't pay out of pocket. If you are on a work permit and are not a full legal resident, you still qualify for health care in the Province of Ontario.

However, for the first three months you are a new resident of Ontario Province, you are not covered by Canadian health care. It's good to know that if you have an emergency health issue and are taken to the Emergency department, you won't be charged for this.

But all other services won't be covered for those first three months. You should also know that if you're in Toronto as a new resident on a work permit, and you are working for a good company, they will usually offer private insurance to you.

If that's not the case, however, you should know about purchasing your own private insurance. Manulife is well-regarded as an affordable, comprehensive health care plan for residents of Toronto.

And even if you are covered by Ontario Province public health care, you still may not have your medications, dental, vision, and other specialty services covered. A private supplemental insurance plan can help.

Let's look at the different Manulife plans that can cover you in Toronto.

Manulife Plans: Flexcare

Flexcare coverage starts with a Core Plan and then offers Add-Ons for supplemental coverage. The Core Plans can help cover both routine exams and unexpected health emergencies, including dental costs. All Core Plans include vision care and extended care.

You can also choose a Stand-Alone protection for semi-private and private hospitals, as well as protection from catastrophic health costs.

Flexcare will keep you covered, even if your health status changes or you switch jobs. It also offers more savings if you have three or more children, and you can even earn air travel reward miles.

The Core Plans include Comboplus, Drugplus, and Dentalplus.

Comboplus will cover your prescription drug costs, dental care, vision care, and extended health care. The Add-Ons include HOSPITALGroup, VISIONGroup, CATASTROPHICGroup, TRAVELGroup, and accidental death and dismemberment.

Comboplus coverage will allow for semi-private or private hospital room stays. Read more about Comboplus coverage here.

The Drugplus Combo Plan will cover you for prescription drugs, vision, and extended care. The Add-Ons are the same for Drugplus as for the Comboplus plan. Hospital coverage is the same, and the Stand-Alone protections include HOSPITALGroup expanded, and CATASTROPHICGroup Collapsed.

Be aware that catastrophic coverage isn't available for people over the age of 65 in Toronto.

The Dentalplus Plan covers dental care, vision care, and extended care. Again, all of the Add-ons are the same, as well as hospital coverage.

Manulife Plans: FollowMe

Manulife insurance in Toronto also has FollowMe plans, which you can apply for at any age and stay covered for an indefinite period of time. FollowMe plans allow for greater lifestyle flexibility, and typically compare as well to the Comboplus plans.

You are also guaranteed acceptance with no required medical questionnaire when applying within 60 days of employee coverage ending. FollowMe also offers special rates for couples and families with three or more kids, and you'll also earn air travel reward miles.

FollowMe plans require you to choose one of the four Core Plans, which will cover drug, vision, dental, and extended care costs. You should consider the Travel Add-On for emergency travel health care.

FollowMe Core Plans include BASICGroup, ENHANCEDGroup, ENHANCED PLUSGroup, and PREMIEREGroup.

The FollowMe Basic plan will cover your prescription drugs up to 80% of a maximum $450, your vision care is covered to $150 every 2 years, and extended care is covered at a $100,000-lifetime max.

The Add-On available for this plan is limited to TRAVELGroup, and coverage for emergency travel healthcare is for 15 and 30 days.

ENHANCEDGroup plan will cover prescription drugs up to 80% for a $1,000 maximum, vision is covered to $200 every 2 years, and extended care is covered to $200,000 for a lifetime max.

The Add-on plan is also TRAVELGroup, which covers the same as the Basic plan.

ENHANCED Plus plan will cover your prescription drugs to 80% of a $1,000 maximum, and vision care is covered to $200 every 2 years. Dental care is covered to an 80% max of $700 for the first year, $850 in the second year, and $1,000 for the third year and every year after.

Extended care is covered to a $200,000-lifetime max. The Add-on plan is also TRAVELGroup.

The final FollowMe plan, Premiere Plan, will cover prescription drugs to an 80% max of $2,400. Dental is covered to 80% of a maximum $800 in the first year, $1,000 in the second year, and $1,500 in the third year and every year after. Vision is also covered to $300 every two years.

Extended care is covered to a $300,000-lifetime max and the TRAVELGroup Add-on plan is the same.

Toronto Health Care: What To Look For

Healthcare in the Ontario Province is considered to be among the best in the Western world, and Toronto's health services are no exception. Now that you're on your way to getting coverage, here are a few things you should know about healthcare in Toronto.

Toronto is a pretty big city, boasting world-renowned cultural and educational institutions. It's a global city, with residents from all over the world, including scientists, biologists, and medical practitioners. This means Toronto is well-known for its cutting-edge healthcare services and research.

So if you're planning on living there, you likely have access to various specialty doctors as well as public transportation. Access to great healthcare won't be an issue in Toronto!

You'll find services for new mothers and babies are available, as well as prenatal classes and education. Acupuncture, chiropractic, and other specialty services abound in the Toronto region.

It's a good idea to note that emergency services are also top-notch in Toronto, but the same busy city rules for ER care apply. Like the US system, Canadian emergency care is triaged. The most severe cases get seen first, and in a big city, that could mean you're waiting a long time.

That's why it's important to get proper coverage and make appointments when you can to be seen by a physician's practice. The same warning goes for walk-in care. While you might need a more urgent visit to a doctor, Toronto walk-in clinics don't offer continuity of care.

So you'll have to find a regular practice anyway.

Healthcare in Toronto: Any Drawbacks?

One drawback to health care in Toronto seems to be the difficulty in finding a family care doctor. They are rare to begin with, and don't seem to have many openings for new patients.

This is when becoming educated about your health care needs, and being an advocate for yourself, comes in handy. Knowing if you can bypass the need for a primary care doctor and go to a specialist will help with this issue. You can also register with the Health Care Connect program for Ontario, which will match you with an available doctor once there's an opening.

You can also use the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario search, which can show results for all doctors you search for.

Nurse Practitioners in Ontario are given some similar abilities as full medical doctors, so the nurse-led clinics are also great options.

Manulife Insurance in Toronto: Are you Ready?

This guide has given you a solid overview of what health care is like in Toronto, as well as the options for Manulife insurance in Toronto.

While the Canadian health care system might take some getting used to, you'll probably find it's superior in many ways to other systems. And with the right insurance plan, you'll find great care.

Want to know more about health insurance plans in Canada? Check out all the info we provide on our Insurdinary blog.