Our International Travel Insurance Archives

If you are a project leader, an H.R. representative, a short-term missionary, a student planning a gap-year or at least a break from the studies, I’d like to remind you to bookmark our site, to call and start the process of getting your team set up with insurance, and get/read our free book on travel risks.

Did you know that as a team, you can not only save money but even get a free site set up where team members can go and enter their information for you, saving you time and hassle? It’s a free service we provide to make H.R. and Short-term Coordinator’s jobs easier. After all, you have enough to do making sure flights, shots and passports are all in order.

So, let us help. Go to www.gninsurance.com/short-term-team/ You will see three options.

The last option, “Seven Corners Short-term Team Coverage” (Direct link: http://www.missionaryinsurance.org/plans/short-term-team/) is where you as a group or organization can get a free website and special rates as long as you have more than 2-5 teams going out a year (depending on the size of the teams). If you wonder if you qualify, give us a call at 866-636-9100. We have some flexibility with this program and can prequalify you.

If you like the idea of discounted rates, but are a smaller group or church sending out only 1-2 teams a year, we can still offer you a special rate for your team(s). A rate even lower than our carrier publishes on its own site! With all the same benefits! I’m confident no one else can say that. (I hesitate to publish the carrier’s name here, but they are one of the biggest and best overseas insurance providers worldwide.) It’s the second one listed and called “GNI Custom Outreach Group” (Direct link: http://www.healthinsuranceinternational.biz/short-term-team.asp) One of the nicer features of this plan is that it
covers teams regardless of age. So if you have a team with varied ages, you can still get the cheaper-than-published rate.

Even better, if you have a young team of college-aged students, all relatively healthy, then click on the top link at www.gninsurance.com/short-term-team/ called “HCC Medical Insurance Day Tripper.” (Direct link: http://www.missionaryinsurance.info/plans/daytripper/default.asp) It will save you the most money if you know your team is young and healthy.

02.ANNOUNCING: INSURANCE FOR A PRE-EXISTING CONDITION.

“These insurance companies won’t cover what I want covered! I have diabetes. And I want to travel! They’re telling me it’s an un-insurable, pre-existing condition. So, what do I do? The rest of me is healthy. I’m not worried about traveling. But I need coverage for my diabetes…”

It could be diabetes or something else. Insurance companies shy away from providing coverage for pre-existing conditions. That is true of international health insurance companies too, at least until now.

We have two international travel plans that will cover pre-existing conditions if you have one or a team member has one. (Please tell them about this, or they may not truly be protected!) The one named “Short-term Travel Excursion” specifically states that they will cover all pre-existing health conditions if a person currently has USA-underwritten health insurance or Medicare A, B and C. Get more information and apply for this plan here: http://www.overseashealthinsurance.com/short-term.asp

The other plan is called “Short-term Trip Protector.” You can insure your trip against cancellation and also get medical coverage. On this plan, maintenance of current medical conditions is not covered. That means that if you need to make a purchase of medications you have been taking, they will not cover that. Therefore you will need to do so before you go for the time you will be away. We have more information about the “Trip Protector” plan here: http://www.overseashealthinsurance.com/trip-protection.asp

07. DO YOU SPEAK “INSURANCE?” FRUSTRATED BY ALL THE TERMS & TENSES?

I still remember the first time I looked over insurance material. I didn’t understand the terminology. It was hard to understand what they were talking about, and I love to read. What are deductibles? Co-Insurance? What is that? Covered expenses? Isn’t everything covered when you take out insurance? Deductible Carry Forward? That’s even more confusing. This disorientation is common to those traveling overseas and hearing another language for the first time. But you shouldn’t have to learn “insurance” to speak to agents. They should learn to speak English if they want your business.

And what about the acronyms: HIPAA, PPACA, SOB, URC, COBRA, OOP, AD&D, CCC, COI?

If you don’t know the difference between “Trip Interruption” and “Trip Cancellation,” I want to help. I am committing our Good Neighbor staff to speak only English this year with our customers. It is easy to slip into speaking about “riders” and “waivers” when we deal with the big carriers everyday on behalf of our clients. So here’s how you can help. When you hear one of us talking about “Policy years” or “calendar years,” remind us to speak English. Most of us have lived or grown up overseas, and we won’t be offended. I promise.

I did finally figure out the language of Insurance, as well as Indonesian. But I also realize that you have similar questions about the policies and documents you receive from us in the mail. Good Neighbor Insurance developed a glossary on our website to help with understanding insurance jargon. If you have questions about any terminology, we would encourage you to visit our “Glossary” page. You will find it under “RESOURCES” on the left panel of our home page: www.gninsurance.com. Or you can go direct to https://www.gninsurance.com/resources/glossary/.

08. BUYING TRAVEL INSURANCE — NOT AS COMPLICATED AS I THOUGHT.

I needed travel insurance for my annual trip to Indonesia last month. So I got to apply for insurance all over again from a customer’s point of view. Here are the steps I followed:

1. I went to www.gninsurance.com, the home page of the Good Neighbor site

2. By scrolling down, in the middle panel I noticed a “Seniors Traveling Overseas” section. That works for me. So I clicked on that title. [Otherwise I would have clicked on the Instant Quote button on the top left to see the best rates available, either for Travel Insurance (incl. evacuation) or Trip Cancellation Insurance. Trip
cancellation INCLUDES ALL the benefits of Travel Medical Insurance, but also protects me if I have to cancel my trip or miss a plane.

3. The page offered coverage “inside” and “outside” the USA so I clicked on the “OVERVIEW OF “OVER 65 TRAVEL INSURANCE” plans.

4. This page gave a full list of overseas travel plans for seniors. I noticed to the right a blue button titled: “CHARTS COMPARING FOUR KEY ‘OVER 65’ PLANS.” That looked like an easy way to find the best option.

5. Of the four plans, I chose HTH Voyager. I clicked on the plan and then the “Apply Online” button under the Voyager plan.

6. On the insurance company’s page, I clicked on a yellow “QUOTE” button.

7. There I typed in my Departure Date, Return Date, State of Residence and Age.

8. I was given two options for the “Voyager” plan. I chose the less expensive by clicking the “Buy Online” button.

9. I enrolled for the plan giving basic information, e.g., name, DOB, address, phone, and credit card on the secure site (it has a little lock to show you it’s secure).

10. Immediately a confirmation email came from the company which will work as my medical ID proof of insurance card when I travel overseas.

There were ten steps total. The whole process took me ten minutes. In most cases it would be less, unless you are a senior like me. In every step, there was specific information about the various options you might want to consider. If you spent the 10-15 minutes extra reading that material, you would have a very good overview of your travel insurance options.

09. TRUE STORIES WE HEAR EVERY DAY.

An elderly man building a house in Latin America has a wall fall on him. He has no medical evacuation insurance. His family members have to max out their credit cards to get him back to the USA.

A young man was hiking in China. He decided to go over an embankment to get a better view. He only fell a few feet, but broke his ankle anyway. He had no medical evacuation insurance. Finally enough money was found to get him to Hong Kong.

Five teenagers in Central America were thrown out of a truck when it lost its brakes going downhill. All had serious injuries, but they had medical evacuation insurance. Within hours, five specially equipped planes were on the tarmac waiting for them. Within 24 hours they were in hospitals back in Texas.

What does it cost? For a young person, $1.50 a day. The plane ticket for a week-long trip costs maybe $1000. With medical evacuation insurance, $10-$15 more. A really good investment!

All the international travel plans handled by Good Neighbor Insurance have Medical Evacuation included in their coverage. See if Blue Cross or HealthNet will come get you if injured out of country, even if they may reimburse some of your bills overseas if you have a good enough policy. Of course, there are other benefits to international travel insurance, depending on the plan chosen: overseas medical coverage, coverage of any injury or illness after returning to the States, return of mortal remains if you were to die overseas, political evacuation, emergency reunion that pays for someone to join you overseas if you are stuck there for treatment, terrorism, lost luggage, pre-existing condition coverage (for short-term
plans), flight insurance, AD&D.

Medical evacuation insurance is an inexpensive way to protect yourself, even if you have good U.S.-based coverage. Especially if you have good U.S. health insurance coverage. It’s also a sure way to protect your savings and credit cards from being used in a way they shouldn’t be used.

10. LOOKING FOR A GREAT “PEOPLE-PERSON” FOR JOB OPENING:

Good Neighbor Insurance is looking for a full-time salaried (plus bonuses) employee to help with customer service and our wonderful long-term teams! The prospective employee must live in the Phoenix area, and we prefer (but do not require) someone who has lived/worked overseas or traveled extensively/volunteered overseas. One of the great advantages our clients find in speaking with the Good Neighbor staff is that we have been “there” and so understand their needs rather than a salesperson trying to sell them insurance. You’ll often hear us ask, “Where you are going? What will you be doing? Have you been there before?” We take an active interest in our clients, and that interest helps us understand and offer them just the right plan to fit their unique needs.

If you know someone who loves working with groups overseas, taking phone calls from all over the world, and likes being part of a wonderful company that is truly helping others, please let them know about our opening. Inquiries should be directed to either info@gninsurance.com or Doug@gninsurance.com.

11. ENGLISH TEACHING AND WORK OPPORTUNITIES OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.

We are in touch with many institutions outside the USA that are looking for English-speaking teachers. Most of these positions provide some reimbursement beside lodging and meals. If you would like further information, please contact info@gninsurance.com.

12. TYPES OF INSURANCE CARRIED BY GOOD NEIGHBOR INSURANCE:

[1] Long-term health insurance for individuals working outside their home countries

[2] Career/long-term plans for single women

[3] Short-term plans from five days to three years for individuals

https://www.gninsurance.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=3476&action=trash&_wpnonce=c56507bdfc

[4] Group health for international agencies

[5] Short-term team insurance

[6] Term life insurance

[7] Trip cancellation insurance

[8] Insurance for pilots learning to fly

[9] Immigrant health insurance and insurance for students and visitors to the USA

[10] Political and/or medical evacuation insurance

[11] USA short-term health insurance including furlough insurance

[12] War and terrorism insurance

[13] Disability insurance

[14] Adventure sports coverage and sports team coverage

[15] Kidnap and ransom insurance

[16] Maritime medical insurance

[17] International car insurance

[18] Directors & Officers (D&O) insurance

[19] Foreign business insurance

[20] Individual and group insurance for most states in the USA – Call us toll-free at 866-636-9100.

13. HOW TO AVOID BEING DECLINED.

Many insurance applications ask: “Have you ever been declined when applying for health insurance?” It is good to avoid being declined so that you will never have to say “Yes” to that question, since it becomes a greater problem in trying to get insured.

The best way to avoid being declined is to let us “pre-qualify” you. Good Neighbor Insurance provides an electronic “Prequalifying Medical Questionaire” that you can fill out and return to us. We then run this by the various insurance companies to see how they will handle your application. If one company says that you might or would probably be declined if you applied, we simply avoid applying for insurance with that company and thus avoid being declined.
If you’d like help getting pre-qualified, click here.

14. DO YOU STILL WANT PRINTED BROCHURES SENT TO YOU?

We mail hundreds of organizations updated brochures every year for their files. Sometimes we mail quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. If you are getting more brochures than you need, or if you don’t want them, please let us know! We don’t want to be wasteful and/or waste your time with unneeded mail. Thanks!

It is good to remember that insurance companies update their materials and applications every year. If your brochures are old, they are probably outdated. Please contact us for a new supply, or if you would like us to, we can send them electronically instead.

Are you organizing a short-term team that’s going overseas? If you need brochures for your team members, let us know how many you need. We can also provide group insurance for your short-term team so that they will not need to apply individually. It’s easier for you and for them!

15. HOW TO LINK TO THE GNI WEBSITE.

Some organizations and individuals have asked how to provide international insurance information for their friends and clients traveling or living outside the USA. Here is information to help you link your website to GNI. (You are welcome to edit and/or shorten this suggested content.)

GLOBAL HEALTH INSURANCE–Individual, group, career, short-term international health plans. Coverage for: Short-term teams, non-profit and faith-based groups, those settling back into the USA, medical and political evacuation, terrorism coverage, non-Americans studying, visiting or working in the USA. Also term-life insurance plans.

Visit www.gninsurance.com; E-mail: info@gninsurance.com; Toll free: 866-636-9100; Fax: 480-813-9930.

Please note that our www.gninsurance.com website has a whole section devoted to medical and travel tips for the international traveler, an extensive glossary of insurance terms and a large library of articles that will help you understand international health insurance, as well as group insurance. And since GNI represents more than ten international health insurance companies, we offer an excellent variety of insurance plans to fit every international traveler. (See #12)