Short-term International Travel Medical Insurance

When shopping for travel insurance, here are a couple of items to consider so that you get the right plan that fits your needs and destination.

International travel medical insurance plans are meant for travel, usually outside your home nation (nation of residence or citizenship). Some plans will cover you at home if you are a local national overseas, or over 100 miles from home if you live in the USA.

Knowing Which Type of Travel Insurance You Need

1) Emergency travel insurance

Emergency travel insurance protects your health/pays for medical claims for accidents or illnesses suffered overseas. These also include many additional important travel benefits such as lost luggage, repatriation of remains, AD&D coverage overseas, personal liability and natural disaster benefits. All of these policies include emergency medical evacuation, some up to $250,000, but other plans up to $500,000 or 1 million dollars USD.

2) Trip Cancellation plans

These are also called travel insurance plans but primarily protect your finances and non-refundable trip deposits. Trip cancellation plans may have poor travel medical benefits, but if you get a good trip cancellation plan, it will protect your finances pre-trip. And your health and family will be protected while traveling overseas. Our trip cancellation plans have strong medical benefits.

Note that unlike the cost of international travel insurance, which is based on a daily rate of how many days you will be traveling. Trip cancellation insurance also takes into account the cost of your trip and the likelihood of your cancelling your plans and having to reimburse you. Some trip cancellation plans do include “cancel for any reason.” This does not limit you to a death in the family, loss of a job, or a doctor forbidding you to travel due to an accident or illness.

3) Flight Insurance

This is no longer common for two reasons. First, flight insurance death benefits are almost always included in travel medical insurance benefits (called a “common carrier accidental death benefit”). Second, air travel is relatively safe. Flight insurance typically is an accidental death life insurance policy in case of loss of life due to an airplane going down mid-flight. Statistics show that there is actually a much higher risk of an accident once you land at your final destination. In fact, getting hit by a car or motorbike overseas when traveling is one of the top reasons for tourist loss of life.

When buying an international travel medical insurance policy, consider:

• Your destination and if your policy will cover you there. Some policies don’t cover certain regions of the world. Also, find out if your insurance carrier has good direct-pay agreements with hospitals and doctor networks in that location. That could save you the time and stress of trying to resolve billing and payment issues with a foreign medical provider after you return home.
• If you are at a higher risk due to poor medical conditions in that location, especially if it is a remote area, if there is political instability, or if it is experiencing a high rate of crime or kidnapping. You may want to add an evacuation or medical transportation option to your policy or purchase it separately.
• Your age. Some plans tailor their coverage and premium cost to people who are over 65 years old. This can help you get the care you are likely to need at an affordable price.
• If you are traveling with others. If so, a team or group travel plan can offer significant discounts.
• It also offers one policy and one emergency number for everyone traveling together.
• Choosing a low or no deductible ($0 deductible) if traveling for 3 weeks or less. The overall cost will not increase more than $10 or 20. If you need to use your insurance overseas, you will save the $125 or $250 deductible.

If you have questions about which international travel medical insurance policy is best for you and your family, for your destination, or your specific travel needs, give us a call or chat with us live. Call 1(480)813-9100 or live chat with us and let us recommend a couple of options that you can choose from.