Traditional health insurance companies have done an excellent job marketing their health insurance plans to Canadians. However, this has created a common misconception between health insurance and extended health benefits.
These companies typically bundle health insurance products (Disability, Critical Illness/Catastrophic etc.) with extended benefits (Drug, Dental, Vision, Health & Wellness etc.). By doing so, they can justify charging higher monthly premiums while providing you with a sense of "extra" health "coverage".
Extended health benefits are simply reimbursements. NOT insurance. So why are they being treated the same?