Stay Safe While You Travel! Consider Travel Health Insurance for Your Out-of-Country Trip

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us have forgone the idea of taking exotic trips for the now ever-popular “staycation.” While a staycation can be fun and discovering your own city or town has its own charm, it lacks the glamor and panache of a “real” vacation to new and exciting places.

Luckily, a good majority of those in the United States and Europe are vaccinated, and dreams of the perfect getaway are once again a reality. But, before you start packing your bags and buying those plane tickets, there are still a few administrative details to consider, including travel protection insurance and travel health insurance. Yes, that’s a thing.

Travel protection is usually offered by a travel company or travel agency to reimburse you in the event that you are unable to make the trip. Travel health insurance, on the other hand, is a policy that provides health coverage while you are out of the country. Many travelers in the past were more concerned with travel protection than travel health insurance, but that has changed since the pandemic.

Travel health insurance can be purchased from your agent at very little cost to you. Usually, you only pay for the days you need, but I recommend adding a few days on the back end for travel delays. Many of the plans will adjudicate the claims while you are out of country so you are not held at the border for ransom and you will see doctors that speak your language. Travel health insurance plans have coverage for up to $1,000,000 with a $0 deductible and other options as well.

You may be thinking, “I already have health insurance. Why do I need another policy?” Before you toss this idea aside, I advise you to contact your current health insurance carrier to see how they will handle out-of-country claims. Many of them will consider the claim as “out of network,” which means higher out-of-pocket costs that may be reimbursed once you are back in country—OUCH! Travel health insurance plans, however, are designed for accident and illness while you are out of country, thought they do not cover participation in sports—so be careful when you’re giving the cricket bat a good swing.

Travel health insurance plans can be for a single trip, multiple trips in a 12-month period, or extended-stay trips. Some plans cover pre-existing conditions and medical evacuation, and do require a primary health plan to be in place in your home country.

So while you are making out your checklist for that dream vacation—make it a safe one with travel health insurance. ARC Benefit Solutions has the tools to help! Contact us today to learn more about your travel health insurance options.