The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that average medical travel insurance premiums for Canadians spiked 8 per cent this year and as much as 12 per cent among some providers, according to Dan Donnelly, the president of Travel Insurance Office in Markham, Ont. The Globe's Mariya Postelnyak writes that the increases have largely been driven by rising hospital costs in the United States. Travellers avoiding the U.S. could tap into savings through preferred premiums, while Canadians continuing to flock south should look at credit cards or travel insurance plans with better protection against trip delays and disruptions. An April survey from Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada found that while 61 per cent of Canadians plan to travel this year, 70 per cent said they were unlikely to visit the U.S.; Martin Firestone of Travel Secure, a travel insurance specialist, said, "It is not uncommon to see a bill for $175,000 (U.S.) for a three-day visit into a hospital." Natasha Macmillan, senior business director of everyday banking at Ratehub, an on-line financial marketplace, said Scotiabank Passport Visa Infinite and National Bank World Elite MasterCard have some of the most robust travel insurance coverage.