International Insurance – A must for travelers

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Health )



International insurance guarantees that you can seek immediate medical or emergency assistance when you reside or work abroad. Some policies apply worldwide while others have limited coverage. The international insurance you choose is based on your specific needs or what your company can afford to cover.

Factors that you must consider in selecting international health insurance plans are duration of your trip, destination and home country coverage. The longer you will be away from your country, the more comprehensive your travel insurance must be. Also, the more remote the area, the more important the emergency features such as emergency evacuation provisions. A 24-hour access to emergency evacuation is important if you are sick or hurt in a place where basic emergency services are not available. If you are traveling to Northern Europe, you must seek maximum benefits for hospitalization since emergency evacuation is less likely to happen in that region.

When traveling for a short duration of 2 weeks or less only, a supplemental plan is what you should get if you already have a local health coverage. The plan must have emergency evacuation features, a 24-hour worldwide assistance, and limited benefit for medical expenses ($10,000 to $50,000). It may also include lost luggage and trip interruption. Be careful of plans that require you to pay all your bills first with expenses to be reimbursed later when you get home. International health plans should free you from financial worries when you are confined or seek medical treatment abroad.

For intermediate trips of 2 weeks to 6 months, you should seek more medical benefits from your plan. Aside from higher emergency evacuation benefits, coverage should range from $100,000 to $1 million in medical expenses. It should also allow a family member to come to your aid if you are confined in a foreign hospital. And there should be a provision for hazardous activities like scuba diving, skiing and bungee jumping.

For trips of more than 6 months, your plan should have $ 1 million or more coverage which includes some health coverage when you return home. Also the plan should still cover you when you return home for a vacation after a year abroad.

If you plan to stay longer abroad, look for a more permanent international insurance plan which you can renew every year by just paying the premium. The health plan should be honored anywhere in the world including your return to the US. However, since these are medically underwritten, those with prior health problems may have difficulty obtaining this type of plan.

International insurance is also called worldwide health insurance, expatriate life insurance, expatriate health insurance, international health insurance and overseas medical insurance.


All rights Reserved © Tradenet Services srl
Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.