Medical insurance is not something that most Canadians think they need. They sit in their homes in Etobicoke, not worried about something happening to them, because they're covered under their provincial health plans. While provincial health plans do provide primary and emergency care to Canadians and are a big step up from the American health care model, they are not perfect. They have gaps in their coverage which can catch you out and drain your finances. Therefore it's in your best interests to have supplementary coverage.

So where are the gaps in your provincial health plan? Well, most of the cost of purchasing prescription drugs falls to you. If you ever got cancer or another serious, chronic disease, the cost of these expensive drugs can ruin your budget. Provincial health plans also do not cover any form of alternative medicine, so if you needed to visit a Mississauga naturopathic clinic, see a physiotherapist, or get help from a chiropractor, you would have to do so out of pocket. Dental care and vision care are also not covered, but it is important to keep up with if you want to stay healthy.

If you can afford to do so, therefore, you should look into purchasing additional top-up medical coverage for prescription drugs, dental, and vision care. That way you would be covered regardless of whether you had an accident at your Bradford townhouses or contracted a wasting disease. Many insurance companies in Canada, such as Manulife and Blue Cross, offer these special top up plans at a fraction of the cost of a full coverage medical plan of the American variety. Some are advertised at as little as $60 per month.

Another reason you might need to buy medical insurance as a Canadian is if you were leaving the country. Regardless of the length of your stay, if you're leaving the country you are no longer covered. So while an acne treatment in Edmonton would be covered, one in New York or Melbourne would not be. Most countries - especially welfare states similar to Canada - require you to purchase travel medical insurance in order to visit so you do not pose a drain on their health care budget.

As with choosing any insurance plan, do your research first. As a smoker, there may be certain plans that are closed to you or where the premiums would be more expensive because you are at greater risk for lung cancer and other diseases. Class actions in Canada have been brought against cigarette companies, but someone still has to pay when you fall ill. You'll also want to compare coverage maximums and limits and the cost to add dependants to your plan.