Travel Health & Medical Insurance Tips
Read these 10 Travel Health & Medical Insurance Tips tips to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. Each tip is approved by our Editors and created by expert writers so great we call them Gurus. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Travel Insurance tips and hundreds of other topics.
Extreme Travel Insurance
If you're planning on doing any extreme activities or sports while on vacation, look for travel medical insurance that covers injuries incurred from these activities. Most basic plans list a variety of activities that they won't cover including bungee jumping, mountaineering and flying in a private aircraft. If you want to be covered for these activities, ask specifically for a plan that includes them. You'll pay more, but the peace of mind will be worth the price.
Medical Evacuation
Make sure your international medical coverage includes medical evacuation costs. If you're seriously injured while abroad and need to be returned home quickly, it could cost you over $10,000. Most regular medical insurance plans won't pay these charges, so it's imperative that you have international medical coverage that can pay for it.
Student Travel Health Insurance
If you're a teacher or camp leader planning a trip for your students, you need to look into student travel health insurance. These travel medical insurance plans are made with student groups in mind. The best student travel health insurance plans will allow for at least 20% of the group to be adult chaperones and will offer trip-cancellation and property loss coverage as well as travel medical coverage.
Medical Travel Alerts
Before you choose a vacation destination, check out the U.S. Department of State travel alert Web site. You'll get all of the latest information about medical travel alerts and information about keeping yourself safe and healthy while on vacation.
Travel Medical Insurance
Don't buy the first travel medical insurance policy you come across. If you experience a medical emergency while on vacation, you need to be sure that your travel medical insurance covers as much of your medical expenses as possible.
When choosing a travel medical insurance policy, look for consultation fees, prescription coverage and aftercare fees. By being choosy in your insurance purchase, you'll be sure to have what you need if you experience a medical emergency while on vacation.
Pre-existing Conditions
Find out what your travel health insurance company considers to be “pre-existing conditions” and what its policies are regarding them. This applies to both trip-cancellation and if you have to interrupt your trip.
Pay particular attention to the “pre-existing condition period.” This is the time before your trip that the insurance company will investigate to determine if the medical problem you're seeking coverage for was treated before. If you have an ongoing medical problem and change medications within this period, it may affect your travel insurance coverage eligibility.
Insuring Your Large Group
Now count medical travel insurance discounts among the many purchases that reward you for buying in bulk. If you are planning a trip for a group of five or more people, look for a trip insurance policy that offers group plans.
Some group plans offer equal coverage for each traveler in your group, while others offer varying grades and prices of coverage based on age or other factors. Shop around until you find the best trip insurance package for your group.
Terrorism Insurance
If your business requires travel to areas that are prone to terrorism or where acts of war are common, look for a travel health insurance plan that specifies coverage for travelers to these types of areas. The best travel health insurance plans for war and terrorism zones will include coverage for all types of warfare including nuclear, chemical and biological attacks. It will also provide emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains.
Travel Medical Assistance
When you're shopping around for travel medical insurance, find out what additional travel assistance is offered with the policy. Most travel insurance companies offer you more than health coverage once you see a doctor overseas. Many insurance policies offer 24-hour phone assistance that will direct you to an appropriate local doctor and give you medical advice or other travel assistance.
Why Buy Travel Medical Insurance
It's likely that your current medical insurance policy offers some coverage for travel, but it's best to not rely on your primary medical insurance alone for international medical coverage. HMOs especially have a reputation for low caps on international medical insurance benefits.
Before your trip begins, find out what your primary insurance plan covers and buy travel health insurance to cover the rest.
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| Candi Wingate |
