Short answer: if you are moving to Miami for the winter, your Ontario health card is worth exactly $0 in Florida. OHIP ended all out-of-country emergency coverage on January 1, 2020 — it used to pay a maximum of $400/day for hospital stays abroad, and now it pays nothing. Meanwhile, a single ER visit in the US averaged over $2,000, heart-attack stabilization runs about $46,000, and an air ambulance home costs $20,000 to $200,000 (US State Department figures). The fix is private travel medical insurance: a healthy 180-day winter season costs roughly $1,380 to $3,380 per person depending on age bracket, and your policy must say “United States” and cover your full trip length. This is the Canadian snowbird health insurance playbook for winter 2026–2027: what changed, what it costs, and the fine print that decides whether a claim gets paid.
Updated: October 12, 2026.
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The $0 surprise: what happened to OHIP outside Canada
For decades, Ontario snowbirds traveled with a quiet safety net: OHIP reimbursed out-of-country emergencies up to $400 CAD per day for higher-level hospital care and $50 CAD per day for emergency outpatient visits. It was never generous — Ontario’s own Auditor General found the average claim paid just $127, and 83% of claims in 2017–2018 were for care received in the US — but it existed. On January 1, 2020, the province eliminated the Out-of-Country Travellers Program entirely. Coverage in Florida went from limited to zero.
Both the Ontario government and the federal government now say it plainly: do not count on Canadian public health insurance for medical bills abroad, and buy the best private travel insurance you can afford before leaving Canada. The Canadian Snowbird Association estimated the OHIP cut would push travel insurance premiums up about 7.5% — one more line item in the cost of living in Miami that Ontario snowbirds did not used to have. Note this is Ontario-specific, but the lesson travels: every province’s plan pays very little or nothing outside Canada, and none pays a Florida hospital directly.
What a Florida hospital bill actually looks like (2026 numbers)
US hospitals price care for uninsured foreign visitors at full chargemaster rates. These are the numbers your policy has to absorb:
| Event | Typical billed cost |
|---|---|
| ER visit, no admission | Over $2,000 on average |
| Heart attack — stabilization and acute care | ~$46,000 |
| Stroke or neurological emergency | ~$51,000 including imaging and hospital stay |
| Gallbladder emergency surgery | ~$51,000 |
| Diabetes emergency with ICU time | Up to $80,000 |
| Air ambulance / medical evacuation home | $20,000–$200,000 (US State Department range); dedicated international air ambulance $30,000–$150,000+ |
One bad night can exceed the cost of your entire winter rental. This is why experienced snowbirds treat the insurance premium as non-negotiable as the lease itself — and why our winter 2026–2027 snowbird playbook puts health coverage on the same checklist as the furnished rental.
What travel medical insurance costs for a full winter season
Prices come from 2024–2025 published rates for a standard Canadian snowbird travel medical plan (healthy traveler, coverage up to $5 million, United States destination):
| Age bracket | ≈ daily rate | ≈ 180-day winter season |
|---|---|---|
| 61–66 | ~$7.67 | ~$1,380 |
| 67–71 | ~$9.58 | ~$1,724 |
| 72–76 | ~$13.81 | ~$2,486 |
| 77–80 | ~$18.78 | ~$3,380 |
Two rules of thumb: couple coverage runs about 1.8× the individual premium, and age plus pre-existing conditions are the two biggest price drivers. Annual multi-trip plans look cheaper but cap the days per trip — usually 60 to 90 — so a full-season snowbird buys a single long-stay trip policy or adds a top-up. Never buy a policy whose trip-length limit is shorter than your actual stay; the days beyond the limit are uncovered days.
What most people don’t know
Your season has a second ceiling: 153 days in Ontario. To keep OHIP at all, you must be physically present in Ontario at least 153 days in any 12-month period — so roughly 212 days is the theoretical maximum you can spend south each year. Plan the rental, the flights and the policy length inside that ceiling, not just inside the US 6-month rule. (More on timing in the snowbird tax trap.)
Your credit card’s travel insurance probably does not cover the season. Card coverage typically runs 30 to 60 days per trip — fine as a top-up, useless as the main policy for a four- or five-month winter.
The “stability clause” is where claims die. Most policies cover pre-existing conditions only if they were stable for 90 to 180 days before departure — no new symptoms, no medication changes, no doctor visits about the condition. If you claim, the insurer will pull your medical records. Be honest on the medical questionnaire: an undeclared condition is the fastest way to a denied six-figure claim.
Call the assistance line before you go to the hospital. Many policies require you to call the 24/7 assistance number before seeking treatment. Save the number, the policy number and a copy of the coverage letter on your phone — a Miami hospital will ask for a payment guarantee before stabilizing you.
Just like the security deposit on your winter rental, the fine print decides what you get back. Read the policy’s exclusions the way you read the lease: learn how security deposits in Miami actually work before you sign, and apply the same discipline to the insurance contract — deductible, trip-length limit, US inclusion and evacuation benefit, all confirmed in writing.
Cost of living in Miami: where health insurance fits in a snowbird budget
The cost of living in Miami for a Canadian winter is not just rent, food and the car — it is rent, food, the car plus roughly $1,400 to $3,400 per person for travel medical insurance, scaled up for couples and pre-existing conditions. Put it in the budget before you compare rentals, not after: the full true cost of a 4-month snowbird season shows where the insurance line item sits next to housing, insurance and daily life — and our moving-to-Miami guides cover the rest of the season budget piece by piece.
Frequently asked questions
Can I keep my OHIP while spending 5 months a year in Miami?
Yes, if you stay within the 153-day Ontario presence rule — five months south is about 150 days, so it fits, but barely. Count carefully: crossing the 212-day mark outside Ontario in any rolling 12 months ends your eligibility.
Is travel medical insurance legally required for Canadians visiting Florida?
No US or Florida law requires it. It is required by arithmetic: with OHIP at $0 and a single ER visit over $2,000, traveling without it is the single riskiest financial decision a snowbird can make.
Will my Canadian credit card insurance cover a full winter?
Almost certainly not for a 4–6 month stay — card coverage typically ends at 30 to 60 days. Use it as a top-up for shorter trips, and buy a dedicated long-stay policy for the season.
What if I have a pre-existing condition like high blood pressure or diabetes?
You can still be covered, but two conditions are non-negotiable: declare everything honestly on the medical questionnaire, and make sure the condition has been stable for the policy’s required window (usually 90–180 days) before departure. A doctor visit, medication change or new symptom inside that window can void coverage for that condition.
This article is general information about relocation planning, not insurance or legal advice. Compare policies with a licensed travel insurance advisor before you buy.
Yara Coker — SETTLE, relocation services in Miami.
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