Comprehensive family insurance in Canada today is a million-dollar industry that encompasses many private and public insurance companies. These companies cover families for the many potential risks that often leave people in a financial bind, including mandatory coverage such as car insurance and other coverage such as health, home, and life insurance.
Canadian families have many options when it comes to protecting themselves against life’s unexpected dire consequences. Over time, Canada’s insurance industry has grown, developed, and changed to meet the needs of its residents, embracing current trends and providing desired products while keeping costs under control.
Medical Care for Loved Ones: Health Insurance
Medical coverage falls under the umbrella of optional family insurance in Canada. Although Canadians are fortunate to be provided with medical coverage under provincial health plans, there are nevertheless gaps in the program that can be filled with additional private health insurance. For instance, regional health plans do not typically cover dental or vision care or medical expenses when traveling outside the country. Many Canadians obtain private coverage for prescription drugs if they are not among those who qualify for assistance.
Canada’s health insurance system has a long history. Saskatchewan was the first province to pass laws providing coverage in 1946, and by 1961 all the regions had followed suit. In 1984, the Canada Health Act set forth federal standards by which provinces could receive funding from the federal government. According to a 2009 poll, more than 86% of Canadians support the local health care system.
Health insurance in Canada has faced several challenges over time. More recently, there is a push to privatize health care in some areas, despite popular opinion. Canada’s health care system is relentlessly scrutinized, and its policies are a topic of ongoing discussions. Still, in the meantime, families can obtain additional medical coverage from private insurance providers to fill the provincial plans’ gaps.
Public and Private: Car Insurance
One of the largest family insurance areas in Canada is the car insurance industry, a field that has undergone much change over the years. When cars first became available in Canada, a few large companies were already offering personal coverage lines to Canadians. One of the nation’s oldest insurance companies is the Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company, which opened its doors in 1887 and still offers auto policies and other types of coverage today.
As the need for auto insurance increased, things changed across the country. Some provinces devised their public coverage system, such as Manitoba’s Autopac, while others chose a general plan of insurance similar to that used in the United States. With more cars on the road, provinces eventually passed laws requiring that all drivers carry a liability insurance policy. With insurance now mandatory, the competition for Canadians’ insurance dollars became fierce.
In time, provinces with a public system had to improve the laws to protect consumers from overpaying for insurance. Several areas have now implemented maximum rates that insurance providers must adhere to, and have established control over when and how rates can be raised, in the hope of decreasing the number of people driving without insurance because they cannot afford it.
The Roof over your Head: Home Insurance
Homeowners insurance is also a significant consideration when it comes to comprehensive family insurance in Canada. In time, the need for coverage grew as the cost of homes rose, and more families could not recover from fire and other damages. At the same time, mortgage companies required some protection from substantial financial losses when homes were destroyed. Homeowners insurance is designed to protect both parties. In Canada, this type of insurance is sold by public companies in all provinces instead of auto insurance, only in particular areas.
In 1839, the Gore Mutual Fire Insurance Company was the oldest property and casualty insurer in Canada. Since that time, many more companies have opened their doors, providing Canadians with coverage to protect their homes and property from many risks, including fire and theft.
Protecting Those Left Behind: Life Insurance
When you think about family insurance in Canada, one of the first things that probably pops into your mind is life insurance, most likely because of its direct human connection. Life insurance protects families from financial disaster when the primary breadwinner in the household passes away unexpectedly. It offers an immediate financial cushion to a family experiencing instability and provides them with time to recover without worrying over finances.
Although life insurance was once considered somewhat of a luxury for the wealthy, it has become a vital part of Canada’s family insurance and addresses all levels of income. With so many companies selling life insurance, rates have become competitive over the years, making it easier for Canadian families to choose the coverage they need at a price they can afford.
Coverage for Your Family Today
It is easier than ever to provide your family with comprehensive insurance coverage. Multiple insurance companies are operating in Canada that offer a wide range of policies for Canadian families. Although the primary three – auto, home, and life- are the most common policies, other significant family insurance areas should be taken into accounts, such as health insurance, travel insurance, and dental and vision care insurance.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
