Don’t be excluded! Know what your travel insurance covers—and more importantly, what it doesn’t
Posted on | December 13, 2009 | 9 Comments
Whatever your travel plans, buying travel health insurance is a smart idea. Without proper insurance, you could subject yourself and your family to potential risk — and huge financial losses.
Why travel insurance?
When you are away from home even the most minor injuries or illnesses can become a major expense. So while an accident or illness can happen anywhere at anytime, emergency medical travel insurance helps to protect you from the unexpected costs that can come with a visit to a doctor or hospital outside of your home country.
Out of country medical expenses are costly.
The cost of medical treatments and services abroad can be staggering. Even the most minor injury or illness could cost you thousands of dollars. Consider the following example provided by a leading Canadian travel insurance provider – the total cost of medical expenses for a 44-year-old who accidentally fell from a ledge was a staggering $457,370. His provincial health plan only covered $29,149, which means that, without emergency medical travel coverage he would have been $428,221 out-of-pocket.
Your provincial health plan may not cover the bill.
Many travellers don’t realize that their provincial health plan doesn’t cover all the costs of medical treatments received outside Canada. At best, your health plan may cover a small portion of your medical emergency costs.
A flight home may not be an option.
Medical evacuation can easily cost more than $10,000, depending on your location and medical condition.
The good news is that even the most basic emergency medical policies can cost as little as $13 dollars a week and provide coverage for emergency medical treatment and services such as:
§ Hospitalization
§ Ambulance services
§ Lab tests
§ X-rays
§ Prescription drugs
§ Emergency flights home
In addition, more comprehensive packages can be purchased that include:
§ Transportation of a relative to your bedside
§ Dental accidents
§ Vehicle return
§ Out-of-pocket expenses
§ Childcare attendant
§ Meals and accommodation
§ Pet return
§ Baggage loss or damage
However, you should be aware that emergency medical travel insurance policies do have exclusions, which is why it’s important to read through the coverage details carefully.
Common travel insurance exclusions
In general, most emergency medical policies do not cover the cost of medical treatment for accidents, injuries or illnesses caused by or related to the following conditions or activities:
§ Professional Sports
§ Elective treatment or surgery
§ Alcohol or drug use
§ Pre-existing conditions
§ Mental, emotional or nervous disorders
§ Speed contests or organized motor contests
In addition, most basic emergency medical policies do not provide coverage for or have significant restrictions on the following activities or events:
§ Scuba diving, sky diving, rock climbing etc.
§ Pregnancy/Childbirth
§ War or Terrorism
If you plan to participate in any sports or activities similar to the ones highlighted above you should speak to a travel insurance representative to get more information on any exclusions or conditions. Additional coverage may be available for certain activities.
Finally, some travel insurance savings tips
§ Don’t accept the first package you’re offered. Travel insurance policies can vary by over 100% for similar coverage. By doing a little legwork, you could save a lot of money.
§ Don’t feel pressured into buying a policy from your travel agent. Although you may save a little time by buying your policy through your travel agent, it is unlikely you’ll get your policy at the best price.
§ If you are a frequent traveller consider purchasing an annual policy. If you plan to take more than one trip this year, buying an annual policy instead of a single trip policy could save you both time and money.
Before you leave, get emergency medical travel insurance quotes from competing insurers online and get the coverage you need. Compare emergency medical travel insurance today!
Related posts:
- Basic Facts for Travel Insurance Canada
- Time For Travel Insurance?
- Why Travel Insurance is a Must
- Get useful information on travel insurance
- Single Trip Travel Insurance: Buy for Some Special Occasion
- What Travel Insurance Company Would be the Best for You?
- 5 Ways to Deal Travel Insurance
- What are the Losses Travel Insurance Covers!!!
- Benefits of Multi-trip Travel Insurance for the Frequent Traveller
- Travel Insurance For Peace Of Mind During Your Travels
Comments
9 Responses to “Don’t be excluded! Know what your travel insurance covers—and more importantly, what it doesn’t”
Leave a Reply
December 13th, 2009 @ 10:13 am
Try this site for a quick quote on travel medical insurance. TravelEx allows for pre-existing conditions. —> http://www.travelex-insurance.com/index.asp?location=07-0018
December 13th, 2009 @ 11:29 am
I think that you will find a great deal on Moneysupermarket.com thats where I got my travel insurance, and they actually had to pay out on my policy as I ended up in a French hospital.
My insurance was about 40pounds, and it was for annual insurance! I think from memory you could go away for up to 94 days at a time, or 17days at a time if you included winter sports.
Hope this helps – just remember to read the small print about how many consecutive days away from the UK you are covered for! Happy Travels!
December 14th, 2009 @ 1:45 am
December 14th, 2009 @ 3:43 am
healthquotes.awardspace.info – here is my health insurance plan. As I remember they can provide such a service.
December 14th, 2009 @ 6:07 am
You can get a refund if your insurance covers illness as a reason for cancellation. Different policies cover different contingencies. The way you would prove illness is by a note from your physician.
InsureMyTrip.com is one site that has comparisons among policies. I'm sure there are others.
December 14th, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
Here are some links-
I had a similar situation- I was living in the Caymans Islands, no longer a Canadian resident, and wanted to travel for the summer. But every policy required that Canadian citizens be insured in their home privince, which I no longer have as non-resident. IMG was the only one I found, but as you DO have Canadian insurance, this will be easy for you. There are lots of short-term plans.
https://www.imglobal.com/travelinsurance/index.cfm?show=&&CFID=1718830&CFTOKEN=d9392e2d0226f2d2-EC75C061-1143-EBE5-76B31862584AA777
http://www.internationalsos.com,
http://www.travelexinsurance.com,
http://www.ijet.com,
http://www.travelassistance.com,
http://www.wallach.com,
http://www.travelguard.com,
http://www.independenttraveler.com/resources/article.cfm?AID=48&category=8,
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/insurance.htm.
December 15th, 2009 @ 7:38 pm
There are some good travel insurance companies. Get ones that pay your expenses or pay you in cash. Dont get ones that make you take another trip or give you a voucher to travel again with them.
I only buy insurance if the trip is WAY more than I can afford to lose.
Read the fine print of the policies before you purchase.
December 16th, 2009 @ 9:14 am
It could very well be true. Although they are different countries to where you are, we are in the UK and when we book to go to Ireland the company we book with insists on having our insurance details. Besides, as the first answerer says…they would be daft to travel without it as the cost of treatment is far more than the cost of the insurance. Accidents do happen…believe me, I broke an elbow last year, and a few weeks after that was healed I broke my foot…if I had been abroad I would have been in sh*t street without insurance!
December 16th, 2009 @ 8:00 pm
Checkout their theft rider, and the link for a free quote. http://www.travelex-insurance.com/index.asp?location=07-0018