Medical Travel Insurance Exploring Options

Medical Travel Insurance – just exactly what does this type of insurance cover? I made some interesting discoveries. Insurance programs often provide just trip insurance. They cover trip cancellation, loss of baggage, early termination of trip, etc. In addition, I needed medical insurance comparable to my health insurance at home for my summer term studying French in France.

Recommendations About Medical Travel Insurance I Received

Professors who traveled internationally regularly with students recommended buying medical travel insurance.  Medical travel insurance needs to go beyond basic illness/injury expenses.  It should pay for a next of kin to travel to you if you are hospitalized for a lengthy time or are unable to travel alone. This is called an emergency medical reunion.

Insurance should cover the cost of returning minor children to their home country. It should cover the cost of repatriation. Bringing you home if you are physically unable to stay in your destination country. And repatriation of mortal remains should you die.

We buy travel insurance of this nature every time we travel overseas.

I discovered that there is an extra charge  for participation in a hazardous sport. Hazardous sports include  motorcycle riding, snow skiing, bungee jumping, etc. Fortunately, the list doesn’t include bicycling, my favorite sport.

Before you book your flight, check with your credit card company to see what type of travel insurance they offer.

Suggested Medical Travel Insurance Sites to Investigate

Seven Corners “The company serves leisure, student, business, government and missionary/volunteer travelers. It offers an extensive selection of international medical and travel insurance policies to U.S. citizens traveling overseas or foreign nationals visiting the United States. ”

STA Travel  : This is the world’s largest student and youth travel agency. Through STA you can get an International Student Identification Card (ISIC).  If you are a teacher you can get an International Teacher Identification Card (ITIC). Both will provide discounts when abroad. An additional benefit of STA is their insurance.

Travel Guard (Chartis) : National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania underwrites Travel Guard. Like most companies, they offer the opportunity to compare their various plans and options and receive a quote before you buy.

World Wide Medical travel insurance is underwritten by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, Nationwide Life Insurance Company and Nationwide Mutual Fire Company. Like other options, they also provide coverage of lost baggage and interruption of travel.

Suggested Reads to Start Your Research

After a broad search, my top 4 choices are above.  My suggestions as you start your search are: Make lists of your options. Organize them in parallel columns for easy comparison. Don’t rush the decision. Set the list aside for a couple of days then revisit it. Don’t hesitate to email the site with your questions. You want to get the travel insurance coverage that is right for you, for your family and for your trip.

Money’s Best Travel Insurance Companies of 2021: COVID-19 has posed some unique challenges for the travel industry. Some companies have even opted out of offering travel insurance products for the time being. Money gathered some recommendations that offer COVID-19 coverage to some extent. Money has links to the latest information for each of their top picks.

Best Medical Travel Insurance was recently (March 2018) sent to me. They reviewed 22 different companies, ranking the top four. This page provides options completely different from those I addressed.

Consumer Advocates passed their research on to me (September 2019). They have analyzed coverage, extra benefits and price.  “[I]sn’t your peace of mind worth the average travel insurance policy price of 4-10% of the cost of your trip?”

Disclaimer

Disclaimer – These links are a service to my readers. France-Travel-Info does not make any express or implied warranties, endorsements or representations whatsoever as to the information, content, materials, or products found on the above websites. I provided this information for your use at your discretion and there are no affiliate links.