Ongoing threats against Americans living and working in war zones raises the question about health and travel insurance. This post explains the benefits and exclusions of insurance for war situations.
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Consider giving to GNI’s list of NGOs in Haiti
As of today, there are 200,000 known dead in Haiti. Each mass grave covers bodies of 10,000 people. Americans are still missing, and their loved ones are demanding that the US government do more to help find their bodies and bring them home. More than 2 million people have lost their homes; staggering considering that […]
Do you realize your health care plan may not cover you in Canada?
Is traveling to Canada from the U.S. for the Vancouver Winter Olympics considered an international trip? Yes. Your U.S. domestic health insurance plan – whether it is individual, group, Medicare or Medicaid – will not cover you in Vancouver for medical evacuation. They may cover doctor and hospital visits, but they won’t cover you for medical […]
Helping in Haiti? Help Yourself First!
In the rush to get to Haiti, volunteers from churches and student and community groups may forget one important truth: helping others means I have to help myself. If I get sick or hurt and have no means to help myself, then what good am I to the group I work with and to the […]
Can I Trust My Credit Card Travel Coverage?
The big question is what kind of coverage is provided on your credit card. Some offer basic assistance benefits, while others will build in a medical evacuation program. Remember–the devil is always in the details! “Trusting your credit card travel coverage over an overseas health insurance policy is like trusting a canoe to get you […]
Deductible is not a dirty word
HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) and PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations), to say the least, are not the best of friends! One thing HMOs do in their marketing is to claim that they have “no deductibles.” Of course this is a slam at PPOs that have deductibles. Yet HMOs don’t mention that if a client goes into […]
Four Tips for a Successful Short Term Trip
A Princeton University study in 2005 found that 1.6 million people took short-term mission trips for an average of eight days. The cost? About $2.5 billion a year. If we fast forward and include non-mission short term trips, the amount today would be closer to $4 billion. If you are planning a short term trip […]
Four Things Short Term Trips Offer Seniors
When planning Short Term trips, most people’s hopes are for teens and young people to get fired up about living their purposefully. After all, that’s when a person lays a foundation for the rest of their life. But what about those who already have a foundation and maybe have some wisdom to go with it? Seniors […]
Five Aids to Effective Short Term Trip Planning
1. Research. Find out what the people on the ground need. Plan to make a difference “over there,” not just in the lives of your short term volunteers. Many short term trip planners make the mistake of first asking for volunteers and then trying to find a project. Rather, find the project first and then […]
Five Tips for Debriefing a Short Term Team
As the saying goes, “Hindsight is 20/20.” Good debriefing can help planners turn hindsight into foresight for next year’s summer trips. So here are five things to consider when debriefing your team. 1. Keep it laid back. Have you ever noticed that mountain-top experiences are exhausting? Most teams are ready for a “vacation” when they […]
Four Ways Short Term Trips Can Help Teens
The teen years are full of questions, or at least they should be. It’s a time for learning what life is really about and finding purpose and direction to last for years to come. But many teens find the affluence of American life too small a challenge. I mean, is obtaining the latest gadget or […]
What’s the Difference Between an Insurance Agent and and Insurance Broker?
An Insurance Agent is usually the representative of one company. Good agents focus on helping clients understand the insurance products of their company. An Insurance Broker represents the client and not a specific company. Brokers, because they have contact with many companies, can offer a wide variety of products. This helps clients find the best […]
What is a Pre-Existing Condition and Will My Health Insurance Cover It?
Never lie on your health insurance application. You will be asked about your medical history because the insurance company is looking for pre-existing conditions. This short blog will tell you what a pre-existing condition is and how it will affect your ability to get affordable health insurance.
Waivers and Riders – What are those?
I’ve been thinking about “waivers” and “riders” and how that might affect a young woman with a busted knee when she tries to buy health insurance. What are her options?
