Canada’s U.S. travel advisory just changed. Here’s what it means for snowbirds’ insurance

For older Canadians heading south for months at a time, knowing which line matters can be the difference between a claim that’s covered and a hospital bill charged in U.S. dollars.

Which line in Canada’s U.S. advisory could affect your coverage?

The most important line sits at the top: the risk level. The U.S. travel advice page published by Global Affairs Canada (GAC), the federal department responsible for travel advice and consular services, lists the country under “take normal security precautions” — that’s the lowest of its four levels.

This matters because GAC treats only its top two levels, “avoid non-essential travel” and “avoid all travel,” as official and urgent travel advisories. According to federal guidance on travel insurance, many policies won’t cover travellers in regions under either designation.

What if the rating changes while you’re away?

That depends on your policy and when the change happens. If Ottawa raises a destination to one of its top two levels before you leave, many policies won’t cover claims tied to the reason for the advisory. For example, Entente Plus excludes them even for essential trips.

If the rating rises after you’ve arrived, many policies keep you covered for a limited time. Entente Plus covers you in the affected area for 10 days from the date of the advisory. After that, it covers only conditions or losses unrelated to the advisory for as long as it stays in place. Saskatchewan Blue Cross tells travellers in that situation to return home as soon as possible, and says claims made while they’re arranging to get home remain subject to the policy’s usual terms. Other policies are more generous. GMS says its TravelStar emergency medical plan covers travellers until the policy expires if a top-level advisory is issued after they arrive.

Snowbirds have seen this play out before. When Ottawa issued its global advisory in March 2020, Johnson Insurance’s MEDOC plan, popular with retirees, limited coverage for members already abroad to 10 days or the time reasonably needed to evacuate — as a result, coverage for most ended on March 23. Members who left Canada after March 13 had no coverage at all, including medical.

Insurers don’t all apply the same rules, so ask yours, in writing, how your policy responds before you leave.

Many Canadians aren’t aware of these rules. In a 2026 survey commissioned by Global Affairs Canada, only 28% of respondents knew that a change to a destination’s risk level can affect travel insurance and lead insurers to partly or fully deny claims. Another 56% didn’t know, and 16% weren’t sure.

So does the current U.S. rating put your coverage at risk? Not on its own. But the advisory also includes regional details that go beyond the topline advice, noting that drug-trafficking-related crime is more frequent along the Mexico border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. As a recent Insurance Business report for Canadian brokers points out, whether a note like that is deemed critical depends on how an individual policy is worded. GAC also says it doesn’t construct its advisories for insurance purposes, which ultimately leaves interpretation to your provider of choice.

What changed in the U.S. advisory this fall?

Insurance Business reported that the health section was revised on Sept. 24 and again on Oct. 15, when GAC added an outbreak monitoring alert for dengue in Florida, with most cases concentrated in Hillsborough County, which includes Tampa. Dengue spreads through mosquito bites, and the advisory notes there is currently no widely available vaccine to prevent it or antiviral medication to treat it.

The health section is also blunt about costs associated with the American healthcare system. U.S. hospitals must treat emergencies regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, but they bill for every service, and visitors without travel health insurance will have to pay out of pocket. GAC strongly recommends choosing coverage that includes hospital stays and medical evacuation.

A health alert isn’t a formal advisory. However, if you spend your winter on Florida’s Gulf Coast, it’s worth asking your insurer whether any outbreak notices affect your policy.

Is your health history a bigger risk than the advisory?

For many snowbirds, the answer is likely yes.