Travel Health Insurance Basics

The simple fact is that many international travelers do not have appropriate insurance protection. Government sponsored health programs such as Medicare almost never cover care received in a foreign country. Employer-sponsored plans often limit overseas coverage to emergency care only (and the burden will be on you to prove it's an emergency). Emergency medical evacuation is almost never covered. Even if you're traveling on business, you may have significant gaps in your health insurance coverage.

Obtaining healthcare in some parts of the world can be tricky. Some hospitals won't provide any treatment-or won't allow a patient to be discharged--until the hospital has received a guarantee of payment. Such guarantees are commonly provided by travel insurers, in conjunction with assistance providers, but rarely by other insurers or managed care plans. This means you'll have to pay in advance, perhaps as much as tens of thousands of dollars, with your credit card. Of course, for this to work the hospital must accept foreign credit cards and your card must have a sufficient credit limit.

In addition, remember that leaving your destination-for a place with higher quality medical care or to return home where your regular personal injury insurance is accepted--can be difficult. Medical evacuations are tricky to arrange and there are some air ambulance providers who should be avoided. Worse, local authorities may have financial ties to certain evacuation companies. Emergencies are rare but everyone should have a contingency plan, an international travel health insurance can save a great plenty of money for you in such case.

To get one, the first step is to check with your insurance company and establish what kind of coverage you have. If you have difficulty getting a straight answer, that alone should be a warning. If you don't have insurance, consider that you might need it more than ever when traveling-and recognize that the coverage can be cheap - as little as $1.50 to $4.00 per day. If you take a group policy, or a travel health insurance - you'll certainly get a good discount.