You have submitted your health and dental insurance application. What should you look for next? Start with the insurer's confirmation of your application status, the date coverage takes effect and any steps still required from you. Then check the policy itself before relying on a benefit.
This guide is for individual health and dental insurance in Canada. The sequence depends on the insurer, product and application. Keep the instructions for your specific plan handy.
1. Find out what the confirmation actually confirms
A message saying an application was received may leave important questions unanswered. Has the insurer approved it? Is anything outstanding? What date does the policy take effect?
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada explains that an applicant must meet the insurer's conditions before the company issues a policy. Treat a receipt as a record of submission unless it also explicitly confirms approval and the coverage details you need.
Save the application reference, submission date and the instructions you receive. If the message is unclear, ask the insurer or the advisor helping with the application to confirm its status. Check before submitting another application just because you have not seen an answer yet.
2. Respond to any outstanding requirements
Read the follow-up instructions carefully. If the insurer asks you to clarify an answer or provide information, use its designated process and keep a record of what you supplied. If you notice an error in the submitted application, contact the insurer promptly to ask how to correct it.
A useful status question is: "Is my application complete, and is there anything you need from me before you can make a decision?" Ask who you should contact next and when they recommend checking back. This gives you a practical follow-up plan without assuming a standard turnaround time.
Application routes differ. Manulife's health insurance FAQ, for example, distinguishes plans with guaranteed acceptance from plans requiring a medical questionnaire. It also explains coverage start dates separately from approval. The instructions for one route should not be treated as a promise for every product.
3. Confirm the effective date and benefit start dates
Write down the effective date the insurer confirms. Compare it with any requested date and with the end date of coverage you are replacing. If the dates do not match your needs, ask about the implications before assuming there is no gap.
Also check when each benefit becomes usable. Canada Life's waiting-period explanation describes how a policy can be in force while certain expenses are still ineligible during a waiting period. Waiting until later to submit a claim does not change when treatment actually occurred.
For a product-specific example, Sun Life's Personal Health Insurance Basic plan summary states that its preventive dental benefit becomes available three months after the policy's effective date. Other products and benefits have different rules. Use your own policy's wording rather than applying this example to another plan.
If you expect an appointment or prescription expense soon, ask about that expense and its date before relying on reimbursement. Make treatment decisions with your health-care provider; this is a coverage check, not advice to delay care.
4. Compare the issued policy with the plan you chose
Bring out your saved quote or plan recap and check it against the issued documents. This is the point to catch a missing option or an unexpected term.
- Identity and selection: Are the insured people, insurer, product, tier and optional benefits correct?
- Cost and payment: What premium, payment frequency and payment instructions are confirmed?
- Timing: What are the effective date and any benefit-specific waiting periods?
- Coverage: What exclusions, reimbursement percentages, deductibles, maximums and other limits apply?
- Documents: Have you received the policy wording and any schedules, endorsements or other documents that form part of your coverage?
If something differs, ask for an explanation and any needed correction. Do not assume the quote overrides an issued term. Keep the response with your policy so you do not have to reconstruct the conversation later.
Check any cancellation or review rights in the documents as well. Ask what deadline, procedure and conditions apply to your exact policy instead of assuming every insurer offers the same refund terms.
5. Set up access before the first claim
Follow the insurer's instructions for accessing your policy, coverage card and claims service. Keep the official contact details somewhere you can find them without searching through old emails.
Before the first expense, check the relevant benefit rather than relying only on the plan's name. For example, Sun Life's coverage-checking guide describes looking up the person and service under a plan and reviewing applicable limits. A card or online account helps you access information; the policy and eligibility of the particular expense still matter.
Keep receipts and supporting documents according to the insurer's instructions. Ask whether your provider can submit a claim directly and what you may need to pay yourself. Avoid assuming that direct billing means the whole bill is covered.
A short note makes follow-up easier
Keep one private note with these fields:
- My exact plan and options
- Application reference and current status
- Outstanding requirement and who will handle it
- Confirmed effective date
- Benefit waiting periods I need to check
- Policy difference or question still unresolved
- Official contact and agreed next step
Leave identification numbers, medical records and payment details out of a general contact form or email. Ask for the appropriate secure process when sensitive information is needed.
If you have already applied, use the contact supplied for that application to check its status. If you are still choosing or want help with a planned application through Get Health Coverage, ask for help with your selected plan. Include the insurer, product, tier, province and the coverage or timing question you need resolved. That gives the conversation a clear starting point.
For a decision you have not made yet, the two-plan comparison worksheet can help you narrow your options. The goal is to understand the policy you are applying for and what must happen before you rely on it.
Frequently asked questions
Does submitting an application mean my health insurance is active?
Do not rely on submission alone. Check what the insurer has confirmed about approval, outstanding requirements and the effective date, then review your issued policy.
Can a waiting period continue after the policy starts?
Yes. A policy can be in force while a particular benefit is still subject to a waiting period. Confirm the rules for the benefit and the date the expense is incurred; submitting the claim later does not change the treatment date.
What if the issued plan is different from the one I selected?
Compare the insured people, product, tier, options, premium and coverage terms with your saved selection. Ask the insurer or the advisor helping with the application to explain the difference and arrange any needed correction before relying on the disputed benefit.