Your Health Insurance and Your Vacation: What to Know before you go

Articles on Health | Topics: health, healthy

by Wesley Craft

Nothing ruins a fabulous vacation faster than an unanticipated medical emergency - except, that is, experiencing such an emergency and knowing you are unprepared to handle it. Buying travel insurance before you leave for your trip won't guard against emergencies, but it may ease some of the difficulty of dealing with whatever problem has interrupted your vacation.

Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, you never know when something might happen. You could miss a flight and be stranded somewhere, your partner might have a heart attack, or you might be caught up in a natural disaster. Whatever the case may be, having additional options available will make the situation much more bearable.

Travel or vacation insurance is available in many formats. You can buy a basic package that protects you from logistical issues such as being bumped from a flight and not making your cruise departure, to more complex packages that incorporate logistical issues, health care, and loss or theft. You can also purchase limited policies that guard against specific risks or events either on or before your trip. For example, you may want an 'out' to cancel your walking tour of England if you broke your leg three days before your departure. Or you may want to purchase health coverage so that if you break you leg while on the walking tour, you can receive proper medical attention without having to deal with the possibility your provider won't pay for care administered in another country. This is a super way to protect against loss of deposits and pre-paid expenses.

Trip insurance can be purchased from a number of sources including your travel agent and insurance agent. In addition to the different kinds of travel or vacation insurance that are available, you can also find a plan that is flexible in terms of length. Policies may be obtained to cover a specific period such as two weeks, on a price-per-day open-ended basis, or, particularly in the case of organized vacations, for a flat rate covering your vacation getaway.

Historical Quote

I wish more and more that health were studied half as much as disease is. Why, with all the endowment of research against cancer is no study made of those who are free from cancer? Why not inquire what foods they eat, what habits of body and mind they cultivate? And why never study animals in health and natural surroundings? why always sickened and in an environment of strangeness and artificiality?

—Sarah N. Cleghorn (1976–1959)

Vacation or travel health care insurance is a valuable tool, especially if you purchase a comprehensive policy that includes coverage death or injury to yourself or your family/travel companions; accidents or illness requiring hospitalization while at your vacation destination; emergency dental work; ambulance fees, medi-coptor, or transport back to the United States while you are abroad; and, medical evacuation to a safe location if necessary. You may have comprehensive domestic health care insurance in the United States, but many plans provided by insurance, HMO or governmental organizations are not honored if you require medical attention while abroad.

Long before you leave home, while you are still in the planning stages of your vacation or business trip, it is wise to review your existing health care insurance package to see what, if any, coverage you may have while in transit or once you have reached your destination. Pay special attention to the exclusions section of your agreement, and if you are confused or unclear about any of the language, contact your provider for a more understandable explanation. In fact, have your provider review the entire policy with you so you can take note of what coverage you have, what documentation you need to carry in order to access insurance-sponsored health care while you are away, and any particular accommodations you may need to make, such as whether family members have to be named individually on your agreement in order to be protected.

By figuring out what coverage you have, you can avoid the cost of purchasing duplicate coverage. You may think you are doubling your protection by buying a redundant policy, but almost all plans exclude coverage of claims that can be made under an already existing policy.

So should you buy travel health insurance? Probably. Hopefully you will never need it, but you will have to make a personal decision about whether you are willing to take a chance to save a couple hundred dollars or less. Your destination and the nature of your trip should be considered when making a decision. For example, an authentic African safari or wilderness white water rafting trip has a higher probably of medical implications than a seniors' train tour, but life isn't predictable. Assess your risk, financial capability to handle possible emergencies and your comfort level, and work from there.

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Please note: All personal opinions expressed in the "Your Health Insurance and Your Vacation: What to Know before you go" article belong to the contributing author and are not necessarily shared by HealthExerciseSports.com.

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