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health insurance plans -- including Medicare -- do not cover any
medical expenses incurred outside of the United States. Most of the travel plans we offer include coverage for: |
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Things
to Consider
Open your U.S passport to page two and
you may be surprised by the following warning:
HEALTH INSURANCE. Persons considering foreign travel should determine what
health insurance coverage, if any, they require while outside the United States.
Medicare does not cover health care costs outside the United States and its
territories, except under limited circumstances in Canada and Mexico.
The simple fact is that many international travelers do not have appropriate
insurance protection. Government sponsored health programs such as Medicare
almost never cover care received in a foreign country. Employer-sponsored plans
often limit overseas coverage to emergency care only (and the burden will be on
you to prove it's an emergency). Emergency medical evacuation is almost never
covered. Some hospitals won't provide any treatment--or won't allow a patient to
be discharged--until the hospital has received a guarantee of payment. Such
guarantees are commonly provided by travel insurers, in conjunction with
assistance providers, but rarely by other insurers or managed care plans. This
means you'll have to pay in advance, perhaps as much as tens of thousands of
dollars, with your credit card. Of course, for this to work the hospital must
accept foreign credit cards and your card must have a sufficient credit limit.
In addition, remember that leaving your destination--for a place with higher
quality medical care or to return home where your regular insurance is
accepted--can be difficult. Medical evacuations are tricky to arrange and there
are some air ambulance providers that should be avoided. Worse, local
authorities may have financial ties to certain evacuation companies. The
solution? Most travel insurance includes a medical assistance benefit, which is
critical. It gives you 24/7/365 access to a company that will arrange an
evacuation for you with a creditable evacuation company--or, through their
medical personnel, can help assure that you're getting appropriate treatment
locally. The assistance company will also be available to help with other travel
related problems such as legal troubles, lost passports or credit cards, etc.
Emergencies are rare but everyone should have a contingency plan.
Here are some links that you may find valuable:
US State Department-Travel Warnings & Consular Information
http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
US Department of Health & Human Svcs-Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/travel/
CIA's World Factbook
http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
US Embassies Worldwide
http://usembassy.state.gov/
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