Category Archives: Travel Health Insurance

Visitor Health Insurance: Choosing the Right Coverage

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Visitor health insurance is a medical coverage that allows non-permanent travelers in a foreign country to obtain protection in the case that they fall ill to sickness or injury during their stay in that host country. This type of medical insurance is a short-term plan, and also accounts for instances of evacuation and repatriation if necessary. In the United States, most visitors are not required to have purchased visitor health insurance. However, those from the European Schengen area, such as Austria, Belgium, and the Czech Republic, are required to show proof of this insurance in order to become eligible for a visitor visa later.

Varieties:

There are several types of visitor health insurance that fall under different Preferred Provider Organization Networks (PPO) networks. For example, those who want coverage for a short span of time may choose to purchase Patriot America’s Insurance, while visitors looking for an economical choice may choose Visitors Care. Similarly, there are different options for short-term, long-term and indefinite lengths of time; coverage that allows exclusive U.S. treatment; domestic or international; group or individual; student or full-time worker, and the extent of coverage, ranging from dental and vision to full body insurance.

Advantages:

While there are types of health insurance for people both inside and outside the United States, the more popular choice has been to purchase insurance from the U.S. — and for good reason too. The United States offers insurance with the most coverage, with an additional list of advantages:

  • Easy access to your own information, such as claim address, ID number, PPO network, etc.
  • No medical exam, excessive paperwork, or membership is required
  • Plans are refundable and renewable. Renewability is a helpful option if the span of time outside a visitor’s host country is unknown, while refunds are an option for those who decide to leave early
  • Quick and easy quotes and purchase options
  • The majority of U.S. based insurance companies are part of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) which is a guaranteed option in the case of any disputes
  • Thorough examinations of insurance offices by the U.S. government ensure the abidance to regulation

Ultimately, the type of visitor health insurance you choose is dependent on a number of factors: size of your group, your income level, your citizen status, and the duration of your stay.

Warning: Cheap Travel Health Insurance

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All of us like discounts, and we all want to pay less for something. That includes health insurance. However, we should remember that buying “cheap” may result in later paying more, and the savings aren’t always worth it, especially when it comes to your health and life. You should be aware that you may receive less benefits if you choose a discounted travel health insurance policy.

For example, if the plan you choose does not cover some medical costs when travelling, you may regret it later. Also, you can find better ways to cut your costs rather than simply removing the medical costs covered in your plan. For instance, if you travel frequently, you can usually get cheaper travel health insurance by buying a multi-trip plan rather than one for a single trip.

Another choice for ones who travel often is to purchase an annaul plan or a plan with the option to renew it after a certain period, for a cheaper price. Also, buying a health insurance policy for a single country may save you money as well, which is a good choice for those who are visiting relatives. Though most insurance companies offer plans that cover all countries outside the US as a whole, you can find a suitable and cheaper plan with some research.

If traveling with relatives, buying a family insurance plan is your best option in most cases. If you are an individual, you can find that buying insurance in a group can also save you money.
Also, a risky but money-saving alternative is to buy a travel plan that does not cover all medical costs, but you are co-paying for the plan. These plans are cheaper, but you will be less covered.

How much you want to risk and pay is up to you, but there are always good ways for you to save money on health insurance. Many online insurance companies allow you to use a calculator to check the cost of plans covering different medical expenses. Remember, when buying travel health insurance, cheaper plans are only a bargain if you are covered for the same expenses!

Travel Insurance In Canada

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Even though Canada is bordering the US and very similar to the US, we need to remember that Canada is not the US and our health insurance plans may not cover us there.

That’s why having a travel health insurance plan in Canada is crucial, as most American health insurance plans don’t pay for treatment outside the US.  In fact, there’s nothing different about Canada compared to the rest of the world, as to whether or not to purchase travel health insurance.

Canada does have a high living standard and you will receive health and dental services that are as good as those you receive at home.  However, these services may be more expensive than services in other less developed countries.  The expensive cost of healthcare in Canada is another reason to buy a travel health insurance plan with more coverage.

On average, one of the most basic travel health insurance plans provides you and your family coverage to as much as $50,000 Canadian dollars, around $40,000 USD.  This is usually enough to cover emergency room service, diagnosis, a brief stay in a hospital, and even surgery.  However, if you have a long-term or risky health problem, or do not feel safe with only $50,000, there are plans that offer more than $1,000,000 USD in a plan!

Many companies in both Canada as well as the United States offer insurance to tourists going to Canada, so you will have a huge price range to choose from.  WIth only a while of research on the Internet, you can find a plan that fits your health needs and your budget, as well as save money.  Some insurance companies also allow you to enter your personal information, duration of your trip, and more.  You will easily get a lot of offers for coverage.  Don’t risk your financial well-being when it comes to your health!

Benefits of Travel Health Insurance

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Some people going on international trips consider it unnecessary to have any kind of insurance. They do so with the idea that the trip is just for two or three days and nothing is going to happen, so why pay out some money for nothing? But, anything can happen at any moment and anyone traveling abroad should have international health insurance.

While abroad a person can get sick or be part of an accident. Having international health insurance can help you with benefits such as:

  1. The latest in medical treatment at any of the advanced hospitals of the visiting country
  2. Chronic diseases even if the disease was discovered after the sign up
  3. Services of a translator within twenty-four hours
  4. Be able to consult with the best doctors in the visiting country
  5. Insurance covers terrorist attacks as well
  6. Annual medical checkups against the insurance
  7. The policy can be renewed and continued for life
  8. Insurance policy can be managed through the company’s website which has all the information and also the updates

Various types of insurance policies are available and there are a lot of similarities between all these policies, except for some minor differences. However, while traveling abroad international health insurance is a must. Companies that provide international health insurance also take care of other aspects like lost luggage, trip cancellations, rental car damage and evacuations.

One can get the details of international health insurance from the travel agent who will be able to recommend a reliable company. One can check the internet for the best deal that can be availed.

The cost of such insurance will largely depend on the type of insurance the individual wants. Two types of rates operate in international health insurance; one is the group rate and the other is the single rate. A person can choose between the two types of international health insurance for their travels.

Travel medical insurance

Individuals going abroad for short trips should get this type of insurance, valid for three years. The amount that can be got in this plan is $50,000 to $1,000,000 for a single trip. This type of insurance does not cover medical expenses incurred before the trip.

Long term medical insurance

Companies that send its employees abroad on a routine basis prefer this type of insurance that includes routine checkups and can be renewed. The upper limit of coverage per year can be from $500,000 to $8,500,000 or $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 per lifetime. However, the coverage depends on the visiting country and therefore it will be best to read the terms and conditions very carefully before committing to a plan.

Traveling abroad for fun or work can have its risks and it would be wise to have international health insurance to ensure that you are protected from unfortunate happenings.

What Is Travel Health Insurance?

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If you are one of those people who do not do much travelling or have been travelling but did not quite get the hang of it, especially if you are travelling to a foreign location all by yourself, being surrounded with people you don’t know might put you out of your comfort zone.  Travel health insurance is possibly one of the most important things to consider when travelling abroad.

Though technological advancements have made travelling a lot easier and worry-free, aside from the fact that information dissemination becomes quicker, there will still be those times where you will find yourself stuck in an unfortunate situation. You can miss a flight, lose a baggage or even get your flights cancelled and get off it right away but if you contracted an illness or got yourself involved in an injury while travelling, these bad situations cannot compare.

The changes in weather patterns and climactic temperature may have ill effects on your bodies. This occurs most of the time to those people who have travelled from a certain area to another for the first time who were not able to adjust to the new climate at the new location. Also, countries mostly in tropic locations are plagued with different types of illnesses and diseases. That is why there is a need to take all the necessary precautions which most of the airline companies, as well as travel agencies would recommend for travellers, first-time or not to acquire travel health insurance.

But what exactly is travel health insurance?

There are several kinds of travel insurance spread in the market nowadays. There are even those which are parts of the ticket expense you have paid for when you’re travelling either by sea or by air. As a matter of fact, due to the terror attacks happening lately, different kinds of travel insurance spread anew. There are insurance plans which provide accident coverage even when accidents happen during the flight. These types of insurance plans also cover cancelled flights and also flights halted at the middle of the trip.

One downside of travel health insurance is that you need to process it yourself. People who want to stay in a foreign country for a long period of time mostly avail the said plan. These types of insurance plans are being offered to those people who plan in staying in another country from about two weeks up to a year. Most travel health insurance packages are renewable up to two years.

International Medical Insurance, for example, reimburses medical expenses you incurred when you get sick while travelling in a foreign country. Package can also cover for extended hospital stay and emergency surgery depending on the package you applied for. Also, there are insurance plans which cover emergency evacuation in case you need to transfer from one location to another for treatment, death and accident benefits and other travel assistance services. There are even companies which provide coverage without medical examinations in the availing of the package.

There are also insurance plans available for expatriates and their families who will be living for an extended duration in a foreign land while there also those for the employees which works abroad for an assignment. Lastly, there are also insurance plans which cover for both the home and foreign country in the case that the person often transfers from one country to another.