Is Sun Life Health Insurance Worth It? 2024 Review

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Nishadh Mohammed updated on 19 July 2024

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Did you know that over 30% of medical costs in Canada are not covered by your provincial healthcare? Most families end up paying this out of the pocket leaving them with a huge financial burden. That's why it's essential to have a good private health insurance.

Among the many providers in the country, Sun Life Health Insurance is one of the popular options you could consider. But is it the right choice for you?

In this review, we take you through the various plans, coverage, and pros and cons of Sun Life health insurance, so you can decide if it's the best option for you. You also get to compare Sun Life with others and get quotes tailor-made for you using our free comparator.

7 Key takeaways on Sun Life health insurance

  1. Sun Life offers health insurance plans with varying coverage levels.
  2. Sun Life's online portal and app provide easy access to claims and benefits.
  3. It's a good option if you lack employer health benefits or are losing group coverage.
  4. Costs of policies vary based on factors like age and coverage.
  5. Coverage includes prescription drugs, dental care, paramedical services, and more.
  6. Additional coverage options are available, such as travel insurance and vision care.
  7. Compare Sun Life with other providers and get quotes using HelloSafe's comparator.

Our Sun Life Health Insurance Review: Hassle-free policy access

Sun Life offers three health plans, all with differing levels of coverage which allows you to find a plan that is tailored to your specific needs. It has a comprehensive online portal and an app that allows you hands-on access to your claims and benefits information even while on the go.

The policies of Sun Life personal health insurance are a sensible choice if you do not have benefits through your employer, you are losing your group coverage, or if you would like additional benefits not offered by your employer’s or province’s healthcare (like AHCIP in Alberta, MSP in BC) and drug coverage.

Note that you must have provincial or territorial health and drug coverage to apply for personal health insurance.

Pros of Sun Life health insurance

  • Submit claims online or via the app
  • Quick and easy online quote
  • Option of having a semi-private hospital room with all plans
  • Reimbursement for paramedical services

Cons of Sun Life health insurance

  • Emergency travel medical, vision not included in the Basic plan
  • Each family member must have the same plan

If you would like to explore further and get a sun life health insurance quote that is personalized to meet your unique needs, you can do so below and get results in a few moments.

What is the cost of Sun Life health insurance?

A comprehensive Sun Life private health insurance policy including dental for a 40-year-old single, non-smoker woman in Ontario would cost $124.94 per month.

Sun Life will weigh several factors to determine your premium such as: 

  • age
  • gender
  • adding a medication or dental benefit
  • the number of lives on your plan (individual, family, etc.)
  • smoker status

To make sure you are getting the best plan for the best price, you must first establish what you want from your health insurance policy. Take a look at the table below to see some of the variables affecting pricing.

Non-smoker, Ontario*Basic PlanStandard PlanEnhanced Plan
30-year-old man
$61.32 / month$78.17 / month$113.37 / month
50-year-old man
$70.93/ month489.98 / month$119.91 / month
30-year-old woman
$61.32 / month$78.17 / month$113.37 / month
50-year-old woman
$70.93 / month$89.98 / month$119.91/ month
Sun Life healthcare costs

*this assumes that the purchaser is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP)

To make sure you are getting the best plan for the best price, you must first establish what you want from your health insurance policy. It is therefore important to compare, for instance, Manulife vs Sun Life health insurance, or vs Canada Life health insurance.

Before signing up for a policy, it is best to compare Sun Life Health Insurance prices and coverage offerings from other best providers using our comparison tool. You could also get personalized quotes based on your unique needs to help you decide the best policy for you.


Compare The Best Health Insurance Plans and Rates on the market!

Get a quote

How to get Sun Life health insurance?

You can get a Sun Life health insurance quote using our comparator above. Alternatively, you can buy a policy by heading to their website, choosing the plan that suits you best and giving your age, address and choosing the amount of coverage that you need.

Sun Life financial health insurance signup steps graphic.
Sun Life health insurance signup steps

You can also request a Sun Life personal health insurance quote through a broker. You can find your closest broker by using the postcode locator on the Sun Life website.

Sun Life health insurance contact

If you want to discuss options with a representative before committing you can call a representative directly on the Sun Life health insurance contact number: (1-877-786-5433). There might be a slight delay in responses or you may have to wait in case of a high volume of requests.

You could also call them through the Sun Life mobile app for a quick response.

Sun Life health insurance login

sun life financial personal health insurance.
Sun Life health insurance login

You can access your personal account on the Sun Life website by clicking the Log On button on the top right of the homepage. You will need your username and password. Once you have unlocked your account you will be able to manage your claims, see upcoming prescriptions and alter your drug plans.

Managing your account online is a great way to stay on top of your health insurance rather than waiting for monthly postal updates. It allows you to stay flexible and alter your plan as your life circumstances change. Managing your prescriptions online allows you to change which pharmacy you pick up from if you are on the move.

Sun Life health insurance app

The Sun Life mobile app is available to download from the Sun Life website or from your phone's app store. The app allows you to manage your claims and receive benefits on the go.

We have listed the services the app provides in the table below:

App serviceHow it works
Submit claims or forms
Using your phone camera
Drug costs
Access info and pricing
Speak to advisor
Via social media
Secure access
Fingerprint technology keeps your account safe
Keep track
Keep track of your balances, past claims and upcoming benefits
Sun Life insurance health

Sun Life health insurance customer service

When you are using the app you are able to speak to an advisor immediately. Alternatively, you can call the Sun LIfe health insurance contact number at (1-877-786-5433). Representatives are available between Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm ET.

You can also contact them by email at: [email protected]

What does Sun Life health insurance cover?

Sun Life personal health insurance coverage pays for the expenses not covered by your provincial healthcare. Some expenses that Sun Life covers include:g:

  • Prescription drugs
  • Dental care
  • Supplemental health care
  • Paramedical expense
TreatmentBasicStandardEnhanced
Prescription Drugs
60% reimbursement 70% reimbursement 80% reimbursement
Dental Coverage (a 3-month to 2-year waiting period applies depending on the plan)
60% reimbursement 70% reimbursement80% reimbursement
Health Care
60% reimbursement100% reimbursement100% reimbursement
Paramedical Expenses
60% reimbursement100% reimbursement100% reimbursement
Vision (1-year waiting period applies)
No coverage 100% reimbursement100% reimbursement
Semi-Private Hospital Room
OptionalOptionalOptional
Emergency Travel Medical
No coverageFor the first 60 days of a trip with a $1 million lifetime maximum on emergency travel medical claimsFor the first 60 days of a trip with a $1 million lifetime maximum on emergency travel medical claims
Personal health insurance sun life

To learn more, consult Sun Life’s brochures below:

What types of policies does Sun Life offer?

Sun Life health and dental insurance offers four different types of coverage for health, life and dental. Take a look at the table below to help decide which policies would most suit your needs. These can be bundled with a health insurance policy or bought separately.

CoverageWhat they protect
Dental insurance
This extends coverage to dental care
Disability insurance
This provides covers loss of income if you are temporarily unable to work
Critical illness insurance
This covers enhanced medical costs in case of serious illness
Long-term care insurance
This covers the costs of care if you are left permanently unable to return to work
Sun Life Canada health insurance

Good to know

It also offers the Sun Life group health Insurance, to employers or organisations for their employees or members. It provides coverage for a group of individuals under a single policy, making it a cost-effective and convenient option for employers to offer health benefits to their workforce. Group health insurance typically involves cost-sharing between the employer and employees.

What extras does Sun Life health insurance offer?

The company allows you to purchase extras to add to your policy in order to increase your coverage, either for more serious medical problems, like medical services and equipment coverage or for things that are usually excluded, like travel insurance.

This comprehensive policy is called the Extended Health Care (EHC) & Dental plan:

Extra coverageWhat it covers
Medi-passport
Covers medical costs when outside your province
Hospital care
Pay day-to-day expenses during hospital stays
Medical services and equipment
Private nursing costs and medical equipment like crutches
Prescription drugs
Raises the benefit level covering the cost of prescribed drugs
Paramedical services
Covers healthcare professionals usually excluded such as chiropractors and podiatrists

Sun Life health insurance Canada

Interested in seeing what extras or add-ons other insurance providers offer? You could use our comparator below and see how Sun Life fares with other health insurances in Canada. All you need to do in enter some basic details on what you're looking for and get quotes in seconds.


Compare The Best Health Insurance Plans and Rates on the market!

Get a quote

What does Sun Life dental insurance cover?

While Canada’s public system covers lots of healthcare needs, access to dental care is not included. Dental care is important to one’s overall health. Since it can be a major expense, too many people skip preventive treatment.

That is a mistake, as regular preventive care helps prevent gum disease, which is linked to conditions like heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, it can help you to detect other medical complications early.

A supplemental insurance plan can help, here is what Sun Life offers.

When you sign up for a Sun life individual health insurance plan, you choose between one of three plans and you can get partial or full coverage for all types of dental procedures. It is important to know the difference in the dental coverage you can choose between each plan.

The Basic plan will cover preventative treatment such as:

  • dental exams and diagnosis
  • tests, x-rays
  • lab exams
  • fillings
  • scaling
  • extractions

With the Standard plan, you will get more of your preventive dental-care expenses reimbursed than the Basic plan. If you opt for dental with the Enhanced plan, it will cover preventative treatment, restorative treatment, and orthodontics (braces).

TreatmentBasicStandardEnhanced
Dental Care
60% coverage for preventive dental care 70% coverage for preventive dental care 80% for preventive dental care costs
50% coverage for major restorative dental care
60% coverage for orthodontic services
Sun Life dental coverage

How to file a claim with Sun Life health insurance?

You can make a claim online by signing in to your health insurance account and clicking on the Submit A Claim button. You will need to have your medical documents ready. If you are using the app you can take photos of your documents in order to submit them easily.

Alternatively, if you prefer to have hard copies of your documentation, you can download the appropriate form below, fill it out and mail it to the following address.

All provinces (apart from Québec)
Sun Life Assurance Company
of Canada
PO Box 2010 Stn Waterloo
Waterloo ON N2J 0A6

Québec
Sun Life Assurance Company
of Canada
PO Box 11658 Stn CV
Montreal QC H3C 6C1

How to cancel Sun Life health insurance?

You can cancel your policy through the website, once you have logged in to your personal account. You can also call the Sun Life health insurance phone number and speak to a representative directly at 1-877-786-5433.

Alternatively, you can fill out the form below and mail it to the following address.

Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada
227 King Street South,
P.O. Box 1601 Stn Waterloo
Waterloo ON N2J 4C5,
Fax: 1-866-487-4745

Watch out!

You can only cancel your policy at least 10 days before the next billing date.

Can I get Sun Life travel health insurance?

You will have to check your specific plan to know if travel insurance is included. Travel insurance is a wise investment because provincial health insurance plans cover less once you are out of your home province. This means expenses can quickly escalate out of control if you become unwell or suffer an accident while travelling.

If you are travelling abroad then you may not have any access to any health care services at all without having an insurance plan in place. In some countries, such as the USA, you will have to pay upfront for any medical treatment that you need.

if you are not already protected, you can either purchase a travel add-on to your healthcare policy or buy Sun Life travel insurance as a separate policy for more comprehensive coverage.

Is there Sun life health insurance for visitors to Canada?

Yes, Sun Life offers coverage options for visitors to Canada. It is known as "Visitor to Canada" insurance, and it is designed to provide temporary health coverage for individuals visiting Canada from other countries.

Their emergency medical travel insurance provides hassle-free and comprehensive coverage with the flexibility of up to one full year of protection at a simple per-day price. There's no need to fill out a medical questionnaire, and the coverage stays with you even if you decide to travel abroad during your stay in Canada.

You have the option to choose coverage for yourself or for yourself and your family, ensuring reliable support and peace of mind throughout your journey. You could download the PDF below for more information.

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Nishadh Mohammed
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Nishadh Mohammed is a seasoned news editor and financial writer, working with HelloSafe since May 2023. Nishadh has developed expertise in financial markets, insurance, and investment products, with a deep understanding of the Canadian financial landscape. He has honed his SEO skills and content marketing strategies while writing for Canadian publishing houses. Armed with a master's in Business Analytics and extensive journalistic experience, Nishadh uniquely combines data proficiency and thorough research to deliver comprehensive and accessible information.

1 comments
Malcolm
on

we are starting a small business and would like to offer a health package to the staff. The management team would get a premium package while the floor staff would get an intermediate or basic package. How do I go about getting a quote? about 6-8 management and about 15 floor staff

author-profile-picture Nishadh Mohammed Our expert

Hi Malcolm,
You can directly contact the insurance provider of your choice to get a qote.
If haven't taken a decision yet, you can check our group insurance comparator to find the best plan for your employees.

Have nice day,
The HelloSafe team