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SolveYourProblem
Article Series:
Health Insurance
Traveler
Health Insurance
Health insurance plans are designed to protect
you on the medical costs that occur everyday or in cases of
emergency or illness. They are wonderful in all senses except
your coverage is limited when you travel. Once out of your
network area, things can become costly if you need medical
attention. There is an answer, travel insurance. Travel
insurance is designed to pay for certain unexpected costs that
may arise
when you are traveling. These can include emergency hospital
medical costs, trip cancellation, lost baggage and accidental
death insurance. Not all plans cover all of these components.
For instance, the trip cancellation insurance you buy when
you book your holiday may not include health insurance. Be
sure you understand what type of protection you are buying
and whether it meets your needs. Make sure to pick up a policy
that has some medical coverage.
When
traveling out of the country, you will need to purchase
an over-seas plan that can be use in all the places you will
be going to. For out-of-country expenditures, coverage varies.
Health ministries strongly recommend that you consider other
sources of coverage if you are leaving the country because
health coverage, in itself, may not be adequate. Other sources
include group insurance through your employment, credit card
companies, and individual travel insurers. If traveling in
Europe, you can get a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)
to be able to receive medical treatment while visiting a European
Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland. So make sure you find out
if the country in which you are traveling even accepts your
insurance and if not what you will need, such as an EHIC card
or something else similar.
Questions you should ask your current insurance carrier are:
- Will
your policies cover you for the entire length of your absence
if you decide to extend the length of your stay, can
your policy be renewed? How would this be done?
- What
restrictions and limitations does your policy have? Does
your policy pay for services provided in outpatient clinics
or doctors' offices?
- Does
the insurance company have a toll-free or collect telephone
number for emergency assistance that you can reach from anywhere
you travel?
- Does
your policy require that you use the toll-free number at
the time of accident/ illness, in order to be eligible for
coverage?
- What
maximums, deductibles and/or co-insurance would apply in
the event of a claim?
- What
documentation is needed to submit a claim? What are the procedures?
- Does
the policy pay for emergency return home?
- If you are traveling with others, does each individual need
a separate policy or can one policy cover all travelers?
- Does
your policy provide for trip-cancellation, baggage loss and
other damages?
Make sure that you know all the details prior to booking a
trip. This way you will know what extra insurance you may need
to get prior to going. You never know how long it might take
to apply and get accepted for a specific type of insurance,
especially if you are traveling internationally. When traveling
to a foreign country research and find out what types of insurance
they accept from foreign travelers. Many countries have very
specific policies they will accept and won’t accept. Talk with
your insurance agent to see if there are any foreign policies
you can add to your existing coverage. You might be able to
get them at a reduced rate by already being a member and the
agent can give you the specific requirements for a particular
country or region.
Once you have worked out all the details for your health coverage,
take some time and find out what is covered in an
emergency situation. If you had to be flown back to your home at a different
scheduled time, is that fare covered or not? You want to find
out if you are required to receive full treatment where you
are located or could be returned home for treatment and/or
hospitalization once you are stable? Make sure you have coverage
for whoever is with you as well. This person might have to
rearrange their flight and schedule, too, so make sure that
is covered in your plan. All these things are important so
you know what to expect and don’t add more surprises to your
injury. Click here to to view health insurance quotes, compare plans side-by-side and apply for the most affordable health insurance within your budget. I did this myself (June 17, 2011) to change my health insurance policy. Saved me $84 per month (or $1,008 per year). It's my SolveYourProblem recommendation.
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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