Traveling outside your home country is full of excitement and uncertainty! A lot of preparation goes into international travel, from saving hard earned dollars, to familiarizing yourself with the area, down to making sure the bills have all been paid. With all of that planning, purchasing international health insurance does not often make the list.
However, to ensure safe international travels, purchasing medical travel insurance is another necessity.
Reasons You Need To Purchase International Travel Insurance
Anything can happen when traveling abroad and exciting experiences can quickly become frightening if you are miles from home without proper medical coverage.
Illnesses like Influenza, Hepatitis A, Malaria, Yellow Fever, dehydration and food poisoning are just a few of the most common health hazards. There are also auto accidents, water sport injuries, burn injuries and everyday accidents.
Even the healthiest of us can experience these common incidences that could end up with a visit to a foreign hospital. The potential of being stranded thousands of miles from home and needing treatment in a local clinic or hospital with language barriers, uncertain fees for service and uncertainty of qualified staff are just some of the reasons to purchase medical travel insurance.
Domestic Health Insurance Does Not Travel
Chances are your domestic coverage will not follow you to a foreign country. Medicare offers no coverage outside the U.S. and supplemental coverage is only good for up to 60 days outside the U.S. Private individual or group coverage is very limited, quite possibly covering only life threatening emergencies.
There is generally no coverage for evacuation or return of mortal remains in worst case scenarios. Evacuations can cost upwards of $100,000.00, and return of mortal remains can cost as much as $10,000.00. With these scenarios in mind, the benefits of obtaining medicall travel insurance are many.
Qualities of a Good International Health Insurance Company
A good international health insurance agency will have service centers located in multiple areas of the world and be staffed and available according to local time zones, 24/7/365 a year.
Staffing customer care representatives who are fluent in the native language in order to communicate with local doctors and hospitals is vital. An international health insurance company should offer multi-lingual claims administration and emergency medical assistance that can be accessed by those traveling or living all over the world, anytime of day.
An array of available technology is also critical in an international health insurance agency. A secure member web site that is quickly and easily accessible in real-time status of claims is important. Make sure that e-mail, live chat, phones and fax are all ways to access international travel insurance customer service and claim representatives.
Medical Travel Insurance
If you already have health coverage in the United states, but need coverage for the limited amount of time you will be out of the country, international medical travel insurance will cover your needs.
How Do I Sign Up
Just fill out the application on-line and you will be approved instantly.
The policy will be e-mailed to you within 10 minutes of the application being submitted. A hard copy will be mailed to your address within 24-48 hours which includes the Declaration of Insurance, an identification card, emergency contact numbers, a claim form, visa letter and an Insurance Certificate. Approximately 30 days before expiration, notification will be sent in case you need to renew or extend coverage.
Safe and Secure International Travel
Traveling outside your home country is full of adventures, new flavors, new sites, and new challenges. To ensure safe and secure travels, purchasing medical travel insurance will add a layer of protection to your adventures.