As Canadian snowbirds decide whether to head south this winter, a routine update to Canada's travel advisory for the United States is a reminder of an easily overlooked point. How a travel policy responds to a claim can depend on advisory wording, not only on the headline risk level.
The advisory was updated on September 24, with the government describing the change as an editorial revision to its health section. The US remains at the lowest risk level, "take normal security precautions."
The health guidance stresses that US health care is private and can be very expensive for visitors without adequate coverage. It recommends comprehensive travel health insurance that includes coverage for pre-existing conditions and medical evacuation.
Many Canadian travel policies tie exclusions or limits to government advisories, most commonly where Ottawa advises against non-essential travel or all travel to a destination. The US sits well below that threshold. However, regional detail within an advisory can still matter, depending on how an individual policy is worded. The US advisory separately flags elevated crime linked to drug trafficking near the Mexican border in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Travellers are often unsure how advisories affect their cover. When THIA surveyed Canadians in 2020, 52% said they did not know whether their travel health insurance remained valid in a country under a travel advisory.
The snowbird market brokers are serving has shrunk sharply. The Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada's (THIA) Winter Smart Traveller Survey, conducted by The Harris Poll Canada in September 2025, found that 26% of Canadians planned to travel to the US last winter, a 37% drop. The steepest fall was among Boomers, the traditional snowbird generation, with only 10% planning trips south.
The travellers who still go tend to be older, stay longer and are more likely to have pre-existing conditions. That is where medical questionnaire accuracy and stability clauses decide whether a claim pays. A 2018 THIA survey found that 19% of Canadians admitted to intentionally providing inaccurate information on a travel health insurance medical questionnaire.
"But with U.S. medical costs among the highest in the world, proper coverage is non-negotiable. One unexpected trip to the ER can cost more than the vacation itself, sometimes leaving travellers with bills that follow them long after they're home," Will McAleer, THIA's executive director, said when the 2025 survey was released.
For brokers, the pre-departure conversation with snowbird clients comes down to four checks: that the trip length fits within the policy's maximum duration; that any medication or treatment changes have been disclosed against the stability period; that the medical questionnaire has been answered accurately; and that the client understands how the policy responds if an advisory for their destination changes while they are away.
