Travel Insurance Ups & Downs


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Published: May 26th 2009
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Mt. Everest As Seen From SpaceMt. Everest As Seen From SpaceMt. Everest As Seen From Space

Do [i]you[/i] see the nearest hospital?
So what happens when, at your moment of glory atop Mt. Everest, you get a really bad hangnail and can't climb back down?

Hopefully you've planned for it and have a sherpa handy to haul you back.

But what if you've reached base camp, the nail has become infected, you suddenly develop altitude sickness and need emergency medical care?

I doubt the sherpa will be able to help you at that point, unless he/she has their own helicopter and wants to pay your way to Kathmandu.

This is where your travel insurance kicks in, and you'd better hope you have it, because emergency Himalayan helicopter rides are extremely expensive.

I have regular health insurance through Blue Cross Blue Shield, but as I learned when I called to ask about my coverage overseas, it has definite limits. For starters, I would have to pay all expenses up front, with no guarantee of payment from my insurer. Some overseas hospitals will not admit you unless they can get that guarantee.

So let's talk travel insurance.

There are essentially two main varieties, as best I can tell: trip interruption/cancellation; and medical.

Trip interruption and cancellation insurance
A HangnailA HangnailA Hangnail

Don't let it ruin your trip!
will cover you for when your flight gets cancelled due to tornados, tsunamis, rain, wind, strikes, bad hair days, or lack of miniature lemon-scented towelettes; when your boss is a jerk and decides you can't take vacation because you haven't gotten any actual work done in the past month; when those stupid terrorists hijack the plane you were supposed to take and you need to book a hotel for the night; for when you have to rush home to help check your mother-in-law into the rehab clinic; and for when you are flying Delta.

Most of this doesn't concern the budget traveler, who is not booked on a tour or catching a cruise boat. It's main utility is then to get you home in the event of an emergency.

Medical travel insurance, for residents of my state (check your own as it differs), covers you for those oh-my-gosh-the-world-is-falling kind of emergencies, and the occasional painkiller and anti-diahhreal treatment.

You want to make sure that you have at least the following:

Emergency Evacuation: This can costs tens of thousands of dollars, particularly if you need to be evacuated back to the U.S. for treatment (and depending on
Evac HelicopterEvac HelicopterEvac Helicopter

If you really want a helicopter ride, this is about the most expensive kind you can take.
where you happen to be traveling - say, Burma? - this might be your best option in terms of quality care)
Accidental Death and Dismemberment: (although I have to wonder, who goes overseas to deliberately kill or maim themselves when it would be so much more cost-effective to do it from home?) This covers repatriation of remains or a lump sum to make you feel better about losing that toe
Accident/Illness Medical Expenses: This may already be covered by your primary health care insurance, but if not it is a must

Optional Coverage

There are many options for travel insurance, which you can add on according to where you are going and what you think is likely to happen. Some examples are: Cancel for Any Reason; Cancel for Work Reason; Car Collision Insurance, Additional Baggage Insurance; and

-Terrorism

-Adventure Sports Coverage: No, I don't plan on climbing Everest this time around, but if I do end up scuba-diving or rock-climbing, I prefer to know I'm covered

-Hospital-Of-Choice: I get to choose where I am evacuated to. Not bad for an extra $8.

I should mention that I shopped around a lot. Some plans were much more expensive than others; some offered too much or too little coverage, and some excluded places like Burma. You really want to get familiar with the fine print. An excellent tool for checking out your options is the web site . Select "Editor Reviews" and start reading up.

I eventually went with TravelGuard (. They have a build-your-own plan called MyTravelGuard (original, isn't it?).

In addition to some basic trip cancellation and medical benefits, it offers reimbursement for lost or stolen documents and baggage.

So when I get that hangnail (or foot fungus, or third-degree sunburn), I will not panic, I will not curse my sherpa, but I'll calmly get on the phone to TravelGuard and let them sort it out.



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19th November 2009

Medical Travel Insurance
Thank you for such a useful post .I really appreciate your effort and encourage others to view this post Medical Travel Insurance

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