What Provincial Health Plans Pay Abroad: OHIP, MSP, AHCIP

Provincial plans pay a fraction of a foreign hospital bill, in Canadian dollars, months after you have paid it. OHIP’s Out-of-Country Travellers Program pays up to $400 a day for care in an operating room, intensive care, coronary care or neonatal unit, $200 a day for lower levels of care and $50 a day for emergency outpatient care, per Ontario’s page updated 16 January 2026. Ontario tried to end the program on 1 January 2020 and the Divisional Court struck the regulation down on 23 September 2020, per Insurance-Canada.ca. British Columbia pays $75 a day, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Quebec $100. No province pays for the flight home.

The Government of Canada’s travel insurance page puts it plainly: your provincial plan may cover none or only a small part of care abroad, it never pays up front, and the Government of Canada will not pay your medical bills.

What does each province pay for emergency care abroad?

Fixed daily amounts for hospital care and provincial rates for physicians, against bills that run many times higher. The table uses each province’s own page where we could read it and TuGo’s October 2024 summary where we could not.

Province (plan)	Emergency inpatient, per day	Emergency outpatient, per day	Physician	Source
Ontario (OHIP)	Up to $400 in OR, ICU, coronary or neonatal care; $200 lower levels	Up to $50	Lesser of billed amount or Ontario Schedule of Benefits	Ontario
British Columbia (MSP)	$75	Not stated on the absence page	See MSP medical benefits outside BC	BC
Alberta (AHCIP)	Up to $100, excluding day of discharge	Up to $50, one visit per day	Lesser of claimed amount or Alberta rate	Alberta
Saskatchewan	$100 (max 2 visits per day)	$50 ER fee	Not stated	TuGo
Quebec (RAMQ)	$100	Varies	Not stated	TuGo
Manitoba, Atlantic provinces	Confirm with the provincial plan	Confirm	Confirm	Not covered by our sources

Alberta pays in Canadian funds only and does not reimburse private facilities. Ontario pays nothing for planned care abroad without prior written approval, and nothing for travel, accommodation or a transfer to an Ontario hospital. TuGo’s summary estimates that provincial plans cover less than 10% of total out-of-country medical costs.

What happened to OHIP’s out-of-country coverage in 2020?

It was cancelled by regulation and reinstated by court order within the year. Ontario Regulation 259 ended the Out-of-Country Travellers Program on 1 January 2020. The Canadian Snowbird Association sought judicial review, and on 23 September 2020 a unanimous Ontario Divisional Court found that the Lieutenant Governor in Council lacked authority under the Health Insurance Act to revoke the program, and that regulations under the Act cannot breach the Canada Health Act’s portability requirement, per Insurance-Canada.ca.

Date	Event	Effect
1 Jan 2020	O. Reg. 259 ends the Travellers Program	OHIP pays $0 abroad except dialysis
23 Sep 2020	Divisional Court strikes down the regulation	Program and its rates reinstated
16 Jan 2026	Ontario’s page shows the program with $400 / $200 / $50 rates	Coverage live; claims for services after 1 Jan 2020 may be eligible

Older articles and some insurer pages still say OHIP pays nothing abroad. Ontario’s current page is the authority: the rates exist, they are small, and the page itself strongly recommends private travel insurance.

How long can you be away and keep provincial coverage?

Each province has a presence rule, and a long trip home can cost the coverage itself. Ontario requires 153 days of physical presence in any 12-month period, and an absence of more than 212 days in 12 months may mean reapplying in person, per Ontario’s OHIP page. British Columbia and Alberta use similar clocks.

Province	Presence or absence rule	Extended absence	Source
Ontario	153 days present in any 12 months; over 212 days away may require reapplying	Up to 2 years if present 153 days in each of the 2 prior years and Ontario is the primary home	Ontario
British Columbia	Contact Health Insurance BC if away 6 months or more in a calendar year	Up to 24 consecutive months once in 60 months; must have been in Canada 6 of the 12 months before leaving; wait period on return if coverage lapsed	BC
Alberta	Must be present 183 days in 12 months; temporary absence outside Canada under 6 consecutive months; snowbirds up to 212 days	Up to 24 months for travel or personal visits; notify AHCIP before leaving	Alberta
Quebec, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Atlantic	Confirm with the plan before a trip over 5 months	Confirm	Not covered by our sources

A parent who is now a permanent resident and spends seven months in Punjab can come back to a lapsed health card and, in BC, a wait of the rest of the month plus two months before MSP resumes. See parents who are now permanent residents.

What does a private policy add that the province does not?

Everything above the daily cap, and the flight home. The Government of Canada’s travel insurance page says a policy should cover medical evacuation to Canada or the nearest appropriate facility with an escort, pre-existing conditions confirmed in writing with stability, compassion and change-of-health clauses, and repatriation of remains. ITIJ quotes an air ambulance operator putting a flight to the patient’s home country at up to US$150,000, against $25,000 to the nearest centre.

Cost	Provincial plan	Private travel medical policy
Hospital room and ICU in Delhi, Manila or Lahore	$75 to $400 a day, after you pay and claim	Up to the policy limit, often paid direct to the hospital
Surgeon and specialists	Provincial fee schedule rate	Up to the policy limit
Air ambulance to Canada	$0	Covered, subject to the insurer’s medical approval
Return of remains	$0	Covered to the policy limit
Hospital deposit demanded on admission	$0	Assistance line arranges payment guarantee

Carriers that write trip policies for Canadian residents include Manulife CoverMe (Manufacturers Life), TuGo (iA Financial Group), Allianz Global Assistance (CUMIS General Insurance) and GMS (Group Medical Services). Which one suits a given family depends on age, pre-existing conditions and trip length; see the trips home hub and the claims guide.

SuperVisaDirect is operated by Super Visa Direct Insurance Services, an independent Ontario life and accident-and-sickness insurance agency licensed by FSRA (licence [FSRA-LICENCE]), serving Ontario residents; British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are planned for 2028. Designated licensed agent: Cameron Hayes. Provincial rules are the provinces’ own and change; confirm with your plan before a long absence. Email [email protected] or request a callback, Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00pm Eastern Time.

Questions people ask

Does OHIP cover emergency care outside Canada?

Yes, at fixed daily rates under the Out-of-Country Travellers Program: up to $400 a day for care in an operating room, intensive care, coronary care or neonatal unit, $200 a day for lower levels of care, and $50 a day for emergency outpatient care, plus physician fees at Ontario rates. Ontario's attempt to end the program on 1 January 2020 was struck down by the Divisional Court on 23 September 2020.

Did OHIP out-of-country coverage end in 2020?

It was cancelled on paper and then reinstated. Ontario Regulation 259 ended the program on 1 January 2020. The Canadian Snowbird Association challenged it, and on 23 September 2020 the Ontario Divisional Court held the government lacked authority under the Health Insurance Act to revoke the program. Ontario's page, updated January 2026, shows the program and its rates as live.

How much does BC's MSP pay for a hospital stay abroad?

$75 a day for emergency inpatient hospital care, in Canadian dollars. The BC government's own page gives that figure as an example of how far provincial coverage falls short and strongly recommends private travel insurance before leaving the province, even for a short trip.

How long can I be outside Ontario and keep OHIP?

Ontario's rule is physical presence in Ontario for 153 days in any 12-month period. If you are away more than 212 days in a 12-month period you may need to reapply in person. For a planned absence of more than 7 months you can keep coverage for up to 2 years if you were in Ontario 153 days in each of the two years before leaving and Ontario remains your primary home.

Will my province pay to fly me home after an accident?

No. Ontario's page states OHIP does not cover transferring you to an Ontario hospital, and no province pays for air ambulance repatriation. That cost, which an industry estimate puts at up to US$150,000 for a flight to the patient's home country, is covered only by a private travel medical policy.

Do provincial plans pay for care in India, Pakistan or the Philippines?

At the same daily rates as anywhere else, in Canadian dollars, after you pay the hospital and submit a claim. Hospitals in all three countries commonly require payment or insurance confirmation before treatment, per Government of Canada travel advice, so the provincial reimbursement arrives months later and covers a small share.

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What provincial health plans pay outside Canada: OHIP, MSP, AHCIP, RAMQ and the rest