Health and dental insurance: frequently asked questions

Yes. To be eligible for individual health and dental insurance, you generally must be covered by your province’s health insurance plan.

In Quebec, this means in particular being covered by the RAMQ for eligible medical care.

Yes. In Quebec, drug insurance is mandatory.

If you do not have access to a group plan for medications, you generally must be registered with the RAMQ public prescription drug insurance plan and pay the applicable premium.

If you have access to a group plan through your employer, an association or your spouse’s plan, you generally must join it at least for the drug portion.

No. Individual health and dental insurance is generally not designed to reimburse 100% of your expenses.

Its purpose is rather to help you pay for certain planned expenses, such as dental care, vision care, medications or certain health professionals, and to offer you protection for certain eligible unexpected expenses.

Each plan has its own limits, exclusions, reimbursement percentages and annual maximums.

In general, the health and dental insurance plans offered by Protecto start with no waiting period, depending on the plan chosen and the contract’s effective date.

Some coverages may, however, include limits, exclusions or specific conditions. We help you check the details before subscribing.

No. If you are eligible for group insurance, you generally cannot leave it voluntarily in order to replace it with individual health and dental insurance.

However, you can sometimes add individual insurance as a supplement if your group plan does not cover certain expenses sufficiently.

Yes. If you are already covered by group insurance, you can sometimes add individual insurance as a supplement.

This can be useful if your current plan provides low reimbursement for certain expenses, such as dental care, vision care, health professionals or certain uncovered costs.

Yes, if your group insurance has genuinely ended, you may be eligible for individual health and dental insurance.

However, if your spouse has access to a group plan that can cover you, you generally must join their plan before taking out individual insurance.

In many situations, yes. If your spouse has access to a group plan that can cover you, you generally must join it, especially for the drug portion in Quebec.

Individual insurance is not designed to replace group insurance for which you are eligible.

Group insurance is generally offered by an employer, an association or a spouse’s plan. If you are eligible for it, it may be mandatory, particularly for medications in Quebec.

Individual health and dental insurance is taken out directly by a person or a family. It can be used when no group insurance is available, or as a supplement to existing coverage.

Depending on the plan chosen, health and dental insurance can help cover certain expenses such as medications, dental care, vision care, health professionals, hospitalization or travel insurance included in some plans.

Coverage varies depending on the insurer, the plan, the annual maximums and the terms of the contract.

It depends on the plan. Some plans offer dental coverage as soon as they take effect, while others may include progressive maximums, specific limits or certain exclusions.

Before subscribing, it is important to check the eligible amounts, the reimbursement percentages and the annual maximums.

It depends on the type of plan and the insurer’s conditions. Some plans are more accessible but may include limits or exclusions for certain already-known conditions.

We help you compare the options based on your situation, your medications, your current care and your real needs.

It can suit self-employed workers, retirees, people without group insurance, families, new workers without benefits, or people who have just lost their group insurance.

It can also be useful as a supplement if your current insurance does not cover certain expenses sufficiently.

The right plan depends on your current situation: do you have group insurance, are you covered by the provincial plan, do you take medications, do you need dental care, vision care or health professionals?

The goal is not only to find the lowest premium, but to choose protection suited to your needs and your eligibility.

Protecto helps you compare the available options and check the important points before subscribing: eligibility, provincial plan, drug insurance, group insurance, included coverages, limits and exclusions.

Our goal is to help you choose clear protection, suited to your situation and easy to understand.