While I do daily searches on this hot topic, it seems it's fizzling out pretty fast on the major travel forums and press.

What am I talking about? Well recently Cuba announced that anyone entering their country as a tourist and other means I will not talk about here, it's now mandatory that you carry travel medical insurance coverage prior to entering Cuba!

Over the past couple of months the Cuban Government issued a list of authorized travel insurance providers, and to my current knowledge, if your insurance company is not on their list, it will not be valid.

What Happens If My Travel Insurance Coverage Is Not On Cuba's List?

If your preferred travel insurer is not on the list, then you do have the options to purchase any of the white listed insurance companies, or you can opt to purchase medical insurance in the airport the moment you arrive in Cuba. However, we hope to have more information and details on the cost and coverage they will be offering, because at this time it seems to be somewhat vague.

Will This Impact Tourism To Cuba From Confused Angry Canadians?

There's no question that as each Canadian listens to this controversial story, no one really understands the true nature behind it! As a travel professional I have been selling my clients travel medical insurance to all destinations outside Canada, including Cuba, and have always expressed the importance of this coverage when visiting countries outside of Canada.

To my knowledge, I was not aware that Cuba's medical services were being offered to foreign travellers for free, and in my opinion, I don't know of any country that would be able to do such a service without losing a ton of money in the process.

The question on my mind and I'm sure on many others throughout the travel industry will be; how is this going to impact tourism to Cuba? My guess is for travellers that love to visit Cuba year after year this is not going to affect them. But for vacationers that are planning to get away next winter may re-think going to Cuba and may select another vacation spot, such as the Dominican, Mexico, and Jamaica to name only a few.

I'm thinking anyone that's undecided and had Cuba on their list, will be looking at the pro's and con's. I would be almost certain any traveller that snubbed or made an effort to rebel against medical coverage this would be a major deciding factor for them.

Let's Get To The Real Issue At Hand About Travel Insurance!

You see, in my opinion it doesn't matter to me whether a country such as Cuba issues a mandatory statement to carry medical insurance or not. I have been telling my clients for years that travel medical along with sufficient cancellation & interruption coverage is crucial for anyone travelling outside of their country.

It's not just about the country you're visiting! I love to give people true scenarios and occurrences that paint the reality of what could happen at any moment during or after a vacation.

One example I talk about with passion is when a traveller decides to visit a Caribbean Island, and we will use Cuba. Let's say you made the choice to not purchase a preferred Canadian travel medical policy and decided to go with Cuba's local coverage.

Now you're having a great time in Cuba, and then all of a sudden you start feeling extremely sharp pains. You contact the insurance company from the policy you just purchased, and you pray that the person on the other end speaks English. Okay they do speak English and the next step they recommend make arrangements to get you to the nearest Cuban hospital.

After all the tests are done, they claim it's your appendix and it has serious damage. The hospital provides you medication and sends you on your way.

Let's fast forward. You were extremely happy that you purchased the Cuban medical coverage, and your tests and medication was covered. Your trip is over and you're about to board the plane to arrive back into Canada.

Here's Where The Proper Travel Insurance Coverage Makes A Difference!

You're sitting on the plane thinking about your close call at the Cuban hospital, and feeling very lucky with your choice. Then all of a sudden, you start getting extremely jolting pains that feel that someone knifed you repeatedly.

At this very moment the pain is so excruciating that you yell for the flight attendant to help you, and at that moment the pain is so bad that you are virtually passing out. Good thing the flight attendant is recognizing your signs, and realizes that you may have experienced a burst appendix.

Having to make a quick decision, the pilots flying the charter flight back to Canada announce that due to the serious nature of the situation, they're going to have to land in the closest available city, guess where?

You guessed it! These pilots now have to land in the closest city which happens to be the United States. Wow, who would have expected this to happen? Probably no one, yet this is an occurrence that has happened before, and can easily happen again.

The fact that you're now admitted to a United States hospital changes everything. Does the Cuban medical coverage provide protection anywhere outside your country, more than likely not. Do you now have medical insurance to cover your surgery costs and the days you may need to recover in the U.S. hospital, nope!

With no medical insurance coverage, you will now be responsible for paying full medical costs, less what your province of residence may or may not cover. Less than 30% off the top of my head, and of course there will be restrictions to what is covered.

Let's say you were in the hospital for 4 days, which includes the surgery. Do the math, because to knowledge some hospitals in the United States charge somewhere between $2000 per day and up, and that doesn't include the surgery costs. I'm thinking that before you walk out the hospital door, your bill is going to humongous!

The moral of the story here is that no matter if a destination country now requires mandatory medical insurance or not, it's always in your best interest to find the best coverage that not only will protect you at the destination you're visiting, but also anywhere in the world, just in case something unexpected happens that's totally out of your control.

As you can see in my example, you made the smart choice to purchase the Cuban medical coverage, but was it the smartest choice? I leave that up to you to decide.

Remember, we offer the best coverage in the travel industry to date, and guess what? It's on the Cuban approval list!

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