Another birthday? As you reflect on the past year, take a moment to consider your health needs going into the future. Birthdays come and go but maintaining your health as the years pass can be challenging – especially financially.
When the festivities are over, the best present you will reach for during the upcoming year – and years – ahead is your health and dental insurance.
Why health and dental insurance is the best gift of all
Aging can be scary. Your body gets weaker, and your mind may even become less stable. You don’t know what lies ahead, but if your family has a history of critical illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, or heart issues, you want to be as prepared as you can be.
Everyone wants to feel their best every day, and no one wants to look forward to losing their independence because of health issues. That’s why it so important to proactively take care of your body so you can live longer and be able to live as fully as possible.
It makes sense to have a health and dental insurance plan in place, even if you are young and healthy now. Here are a few ways that your health and dental insurance can help empower you to take care of your health.
Health insurance helps you manage your healthcare budget
What if you unexpectedly need healthcare not covered by your government plan? How will you manage that financially? Even regular healthcare costs like dental care can be very costly. Accidents and illness can strike anytime, and cost hundreds or thousands of dollars in unexpected out of pocket healthcare costs.
Individual health insurance provides supplemental coverage options to help pay for everyday health needs and medical emergencies by covering a wide variety of services, so you can afford treatment that will help you feel your best.
You can find a plan that fits your budget, regardless of your current health status, and you can depend on it birthday after birthday for your entire life – simply by paying your premium each month.
Health insurance makes prescription drug management easier
As you get older you will likely need to take prescription drugs. Nearly 7 in 10 adults aged 40–79 used at least 1 prescription drug in the past 30 days in Canada (65.5%), and around 1 in 5 used at least 5 prescription drugs (8.8%).
Most health insurance plans cover costs for a wide variety of prescription drugs and have tools to help you understand them. If you are given a prescription for a certain medication and are uncertain if it is covered under your health insurance plan, contact your insurer with the Drug Identification Number (DIN) of the drug and they will let you know if it is covered. You can also take your benefit plan card to your pharmacist, and they will be able to advise you if the medication is covered.
As a bonus, many health insurance plans have services built in to help you stay on track with your medications and save money. You can simply go online through your insurers website or handy app to fill prescriptions and the majority of the cost will be managed directly with your insurer.
Health insurance even helps you manage pain
Getting older means we need to be resilient – and often that means managing pain. About one in four Canadians aged 15 or older, live with chronic pain. Health insurance delivers tools to help you proactively work on your wellbeing, and helps you pay for therapies you may need to manage chronic or occasional pain.
Physical therapies like naturopathic doctors, and massage therapy performed by registered therapists and eastern-based acupuncture are options you may choose to keep you feeling your best. Chiropractic adjustments can help release muscle tension and correct the body’s alignment and overall physical function and chiropractors can offer relaxation techniques to help you manage stress. These services are not covered by your government health plan, and you will be charged a fee – but having health insurance means these costs can be covered up to a dollar amount per visit and annual combined maximum benefit will be outlined in your health insurance plan.
Health and dental insurance helps you take care of your oral health
There is a strong correlation between poor dental care and heart disease, diabetes, and lung disease. That makes us vulnerable as we age. Regular dental care is crucial. An easy way to make sure you and your family’s oral health needs are met annually is to ensure regular trips to the dentist for routine care. This feat is easier to accomplish with appropriate health and dental insurance coverage in place to help manage the cost of dental care.
And remember many of the medications used to manage health conditions that are common as we age can also affect our oral health. Be sure to speak with your doctor, and your dentist, about specific signs of trouble.
Can health insurance help stop you from aging?
No. Health and dental insurance can’t stop the aging process. But it can certainly help you with your wellbeing by supporting you with options for prevention, exercise and nutrition tools, and mental health support. You can tap into virtual care, online medical appointment scheduling, referrals, and prescription delivery depending on the plan you choose. You can even get some coverage for alternative therapies such as massage, acupuncture, and naturopathy.
Individual health and dental insurance helps you maintain your health, from supplemental coverage options for everyday health needs and for medical emergencies, so you can afford treatment that will help you feel your best birthday after birthday.
Coverage is available for you and your family for services and treatments not covered by your government health plan like:
- Prescription drugs
- Dental care for Basic, Comprehensive Basic and/or Major Services
- Extended healthcare costs like vision care, accidental dental, ambulance transportation, hearing aids, home support, medical items, eye examinations, professional/registered therapists including chiropractor, foot-care specialist (chiropodist/podiatrist), naturopath, osteopath, physiotherapist, massage therapist, acupuncturist, psychologist, registered social worker, speech therapist
- Emergency travel protection
- Hospital accommodation for semi-private and/or private rooms.
Many health insurance plans guarantee coverage with no medical questionnaire, giving you the flexibility to choose based on your budget and needs.
Look forward to many more birthdays with the help of health insurance
Health and dental insurance can be the best birthday present of all – helping you with all the healthcare cost challenges that lie ahead.
At SBIS we have access to almost 50 different plans from many major insurance companies like Manulife, Green Shield Canada, and GMS. If you’re ready to ‘gift’ yourself some health insurance and to start taking better care of your health, contact us today or go online to discover the plan for you. We can provide you with the information you need to wrap up the health and dental insurance you need. Happy birthday!
