Travel Medical Insurance

Here are some of the important benefits to look for in a travel medical insurance plan:

Medical Insurance: This is probably the most important benefit. It provides insurance coverage for expenses due to accident or sickness while you are outside of your home country.

Medical Evacuation: This was discussed in a prior post but is worth mentioning here. Medical evacuation coverage will arrange for you to be transported to somewhere where you can get appropriate medical care if you become sick or injured while somewhere remote or with inadequate medical facilities.

Accidental Death & Dismemberment: This benefit is paid to one’s beneficiary in case of an accidental death during the coverage period. It will also pay a fractional amount of the principal sum to the insured in case of an accidental dismemberment.

Repatriation of Remains: If an insured should die overseas, this benefit covers the expense of having their remains sent back to their home country.

Emergency Reunion: This benefit covers the expense of having a family member brought along on a medical evacuation for the sake of the insured.

Lost Baggage: Should an insured lose checked baggage due to theft or misdirection, this benefit pays a fixed amount towards replacement.

When traveling internationally, it’s important to make sure you have adequate medical evacuation benefits. Lots of travel insurance plans will have medical evacuation coverage, but often it is not enough.

According to a recent article in the Miami Herald

Medical evacuation is expensive and is not covered by ordinary health insurance. From a cruise ship in the Caribbean back to a city in the United States, the cost may run $10,000-$15,000 or more. From remote locales or in particularly complicated cases, the cost can exceed $100,000. That’s why travel insurance that offers evacuation coverage is a good idea, as the Bradys learned.

In this article, Mark Brady suffered a seizure just an hour and a half into a cruise, but the boat wasn’t able to turn around. The cost of bringing him back to a hospital in Ft. Lauderdale. The cost: $16,600. Fortunately the Bradys had medical evacuation coverage.

For those of you not yet familiar with medical evacuation insurance, I’ll explain. Imagine you are on an exotic island or touring a third world country and experienced a medical emergency. Chances are, you would prefer to go to a US or European hospital with all the latest technology to see to your condition. You would need to be flown in an “air ambulance” with competent medical staff, which can be extremely expensive. Medical Evacuation insurance will cover this expense up to a maximum amount outlined in the policy.

Travel medical insurance plans from Global Underwriters feature $100,000 in medical evacuation coverage.

medical evacuation