Originally Posted by
ak08820
CAN National HC may be the best option. The US HC business is mainly preying on employers and employees or that is my exposure to it. I would suggest to make sure that activities like cycling are covered as insurance business is very clever in coming up with exclusions when you need them. In the US, you can get an expensive HC plan under COBRA if you are out of work for a few months. May be CAN has such provisions.
Canadian national health care will cover a Canadian when in Canada ... but not if you're a Canadian in another country. In the OP's case, he is covered by BC Health Care as long as he is working in Canada. When he leaves, his health care will either end immediately ... or there's a chance BC Health Care will continue to cover him for up to 3 months after he leaves. Alberta Health continued to cover me for 3 months after I left Canada, but it may be different for someone who is just working there temporarily ... I'm not sure. The OP will have to check.
When a Canadian travels to another countries (especially the US), he/she is recommended to get Travel Insurance. This is insurance coverage over and above Canadian health care, and will cover things like expensive hospital stays in the event of a medical emergency. Some Travel Insurance policies will also cover flights home, and even flights for family members to come visit you and take you home if necessary.
And yes, as has been mentioned earlier, the OP will have to check to see if there are any restrictions. The policies I've had have had clauses in them that say they won't cover me if I race bicycles ... but just riding them is OK.