Unraveling what travel medical insurance is all about is the best way to remove all doubts and answer all questions concerning travel medical insurance. Currently, there are still many travelers who either refuse to get travel medical insurance or forget secure travel medical insurance because they think such an insurance is a nuisance to their trips. The only time travelers find the urgency to secure travel medical insurance is when the country they wish to visit requires it. Take for example the Schengen area, which requires travel medical insurance with minimum medical coverage of €30,000. Failure to comply with this requirement will deny any traveler’s Schengen visa application. Let this article enlighten you about the truth behind travel medical insurance and why it is important to travelers.
Unraveling What Travel Medical Insurance is all about – Frequently Asked Questions
To easily reveal what travel medical insurance is all about, this article will focus on some frequently asked questions that you might have asked yourself.
What is Travel Medical Insurance?
From the term itself, travel medical insurance is an insurance plan that caters to travelers who plan to stay in another country for a period of time. Travel medical insurance, furthermore, focuses on giving medical coverage during times of health emergencies, medical evacuation situations, and the like. Some foreign countries as well as foreign insurance companies sometimes call travel medical insurance as International Medical Insurance.
What Should Travel Medical Insurance Cover?
There are many companies that offer decent travel medical insurance to a variety of travelers. To determine whether the coverage is comprehensive enough, it should have the following benefits:
- Medical Evacuation Benefits
This benefit should cover transportation costs to evacuate the insured from the emergency scene to a hospital.
- Medical Consultation Benefits
This benefit should provide access to a medical doctor or physician.
- Hospital Confinement Benefits
This benefit should cover costs for hospital room with the inclusion of food for the insured.
- Repatriation of Remains Benefits
This benefit should cover costs of transportation of remains back to home country
The above mentioned benefits are what you should look for when acquiring travel medical insurance. Hopefully the unraveling what travel medical insurance is all about is helping you see clearly the protection you can receive when you are insured. Of course, the insurance company you should get from must have an extensive network of international medical service providers so that you can get medical help easily and immediately.
Is Travel Medical Insurance Expensive?
Travel medical insurance is actually more affordable than the regular travel insurance plan. This is because it only covers situations related to medical emergencies and not trip cancellation or lost personal effects. Unless you wish to include the latter to your insurance coverage, then you can expect the travel medical insurance to cost around $30 to $80 for a single trip plan. This price range takes in consideration the period of travel, the age of the insured, and the country of destination. If you are a frequent flyer, then you can avail of the annual travel medical insurance which, of course, will cost twice or thrice that of a single trip plan but it will save you more if you travel 5 or more times in a year.
An $80 investment is a good enough price to pay that gives you a financial safety net when you are in another country. Traveling has financial risks that come with it and it is best to cover those risks by insuring yourself medically.
Is Travel Medical Insurance different from Travel Insurance?
Yes, there is a marked difference between travel medical insurance and travel insurance. Apart from the former being cheaper than the latter, travel medical insurance only covers expenses related to medical emergencies like medical evacuation, hospitalization, repatriation of remains, and the like. Meanwhile, travel insurance has a more expensive premium because it covers high risk travel situations like trip cancellation, lost personal possessions, accidents, and the like. Since the scope of travel insurance is more comprehensive, the premium tends to be higher. The advantage of travel medical insurance from travel insurance is the higher coverage it offers to medical emergencies since it only focuses on medical situations. On the other hand, travel insurance only allots a smaller coverage amount to medical emergencies since the premium is shared to other travel-related emergencies.
Is Travel Medical Insurance different from my Health Insurance?
Many travelers refuse to get travel medical insurance because of their existing health insurance. If your existing health insurance plan is given to you by your employer as part of your compensation package, then you must study the coverage carefully. First, check if your health insurance has a clause that covers medical emergencies while traveling abroad. Second, check how much the overseas medical coverage. Chances are, either your health insurance does not cover international medical emergencies or if it does the coverage is minimal. For this reason, it is safer to talk to your health insurance provider before taking a vacation abroad. Or better yet, invest on a good travel medical insurance to cover any financial risks.
Do all Travelers really Need Travel Insurance?
If you want to no spend on medical costs while in transit or while working in a foreign country, then the answer is a resounding “Yes!” Again, travel medical insurance is very affordable as compared to the potential medical costs that you will pay during medical emergencies. It is better to spend less than $80 insuring yourself than paying $40,000 on hospital bills. You do the math and decide on whether you need one or not.
Unraveling what Travel Medical Insurance is all about – What policy is best for you?
Now that you have seen both sides of the coin, it is pretty certain that you are going to choose the side where you have financial protection against medical emergencies. The next question to ask is what policy is best for you? This question can be answered better by a reliable travel medical insurance provider. Should you have any more questions about your trip or the travel insurance coverage, just contact us and one of our friendly agents will respond to your queries.
The unraveling what travel medical insurance is all about has opened your eyes to the real benefits of traveling with financial safety net.