You think you are prepared for everything life has to thrown at you and you have all your policies prepared. There is your medical, auto and home insurance and you are covered against anything that can happen. However, if you decide to travel to another country, none of these policies may help cover you against international travel. During your travels there are many unexpected things that can happen such as accidents, diseases, dental care, trip cancellations, lost luggage, rental car damage and evacuations.
Many if not all of these events may not be covered by the insurance policies you have back home. That is why it is important to consider travel medical insurance before leaving on your trip. Although there are several coverage options to consider when purchasing travel medical insurance, it all depends on what you plan to do during your trip.
There are three types of travel medical insurance that can cover travelers and trips. You should choose your coverage based on what activities you plan to do during your trip. Obviously the more active individual who participates in a lot of outdoor activities will want to purchase a lot of travel medical insurance coverage while those simply going for a luxury vacation where they are going to do a lot of shopping won t require as much travel medical insurance coverage.
Comprehensive
The first type is comprehensive travel medical insurance which is a policy an individual should choose if they don t have any form of medical insurance whether at home or for travel. Those interested in comprehensive travel medical insurance include long-term travelers with no medical coverage due to a lack of a job and those who are living or working outside the country where they hold citizenship.
Emergency
The second option is emergency travel medical insurance. This plan is for those who have medical coverage at home, but no coverage while traveling. However, this travel medical insurance coverage will only cover emergency services that are required while traveling. Once you return home you will be on your own for follow-up treatment or continuing care since it is assumed your policy at home will cover this. Although not everyone needs this coverage since there are some health insurance plans in the United States that cover emergency care abroad for trips that are under 30 days.
Medical Evacuation
The final option is medical evacuation insurance. This type of travel medical insurance covers the cost of air ambulance transport and the care of an attending physician or nurse. This coverage is for those who become injured or so severely ill that they can t return home on a regular commercial flight. This type of medical treatment is rarely needed during travel, but can easily cost into the tens of thousands should it be required. Those who would most likely need this coverage are individuals such as scuba divers and extreme sports enthusiasts.