Medical Foreign Travel Insurance

COVID-19 brought the issues around foreign medical care and cancelled travel plans into focus for many. If you’re traveling outside of the United States, one way to protect yourself is by purchasing medical foreign travel insurance. This type of coverage is often overlooked by those who have a domestic health care plan, but it can shield you and your family from the costs of unexpected emergencies that may arise while you travel. 

Here are some facts about medical foreign travel insurance to consider as you plan your upcoming trip.

Types of coverage

There are three main types of medical foreign travel insurance:

1. Health and accident insurance, also known as travel health insurance, supplements your domestic health insurance and covers medical needs that arise during your trip, such as doctor or hospital bills.¹
2. Medical evacuation insurance covers the cost of emergency evacuation in the event of a natural disaster, social unrest or other threats. It ensures a local team is available to aid in logistical arrangements.²
3. Trip cancellation and interruption insurance reimburses you if you have to cut your trip short for medical reasons, covering costs such as non-refundable hotel reservations. However, be aware that most plans don’t cover trip cancellations based on concerns around a pandemic, so you still need to exercise caution when booking.³

Pricing and coverage amounts

You can purchase any of the three forms of medical foreign travel insurance à la carte or as a bundle. Bundling multiple forms into one plan is typically the cheaper option for those seeking comprehensive coverage. Medical plans vary in price and are dependent on age, trip length and coverage amount. You can generally purchase medical foreign travel insurance up to 24 hours before departure.⁴

Emergency evacuation and the medical assistance benefit

Emergency evacuation may be more expensive than you anticipate, costing upward of $100,000 for evacuation from remote locations. Depending on where you are traveling, emergency evacuation insurance can provide significant protection against this potentially high cost. 

Comprehensive emergency evacuation insurance will also offer what’s called a “medical assistance benefit,” which gives you 24/7 access to a local assistance company.⁵ This company will arrange your medical evacuation and ensure that you get proper treatment at an appropriate hospital, which can be crucial if you are in a country with limited medical resources. This medical assistance company can help with other travel-related issues that may arise during your trip as well, such as legal troubles or lost passports and credit cards.

Important points to consider

Some U.S. health insurance providers cover you abroad, so you should talk to your domestic provider to avoid doubling up on coverage.⁶ However, keep in mind that domestic coverage abroad is often limited to medical care provided at hospitals that are in-network with your insurance provider, so you should ensure that there are in-network hospitals near where you will be travelling should you need immediate care. If there aren’t, medical foreign travel insurance will cover you regardless of where you receive treatment.

Medical foreign travel insurance not only covers the monetary expense of a medical emergency abroad, but it also helps to ensure that you get proper and prompt medical care wherever you travel. Some hospitals will deny treatment or refuse to discharge you before they have received a guarantee of payment. Travel insurers typically provide these guarantees, while other health insurers may not. This feature of travel health insurance can be necessary for receiving medical care if, for example, the hospitals nearby don’t accept foreign credit cards.

Trip cancellation insurance

Another travel risk that you should manage is trip cancellation. Be sure to understand the standard cancellation policies if either you or a vendor need to cancel your flight or hotel for any reason. Cancellation insurance that covers extenuating circumstances is usually available when purchasing airline tickets. Another way to protect yourself is to check what kind of cancellation insurance your credit card company might provide.

¹ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/travel-medical-insurance
² https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/medical-evacuation-coverage
³ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/trip-cancellation
⁴ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/last-minute
⁵ https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/marketing/article-medicalevacuation101.cfm
⁶ https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2017/06/07/will-your-health-insurance-cover-you-abroad

ABOUT THE AUTHOR