Got a big trip coming up? Chances are you are excitedly planning your itinerary around Canada or mapping out your European driving vacation, but don't forget about one very important thing: international travel medical insurance. Most overseas vacations are very successful and you do not need to make a claim, but if disaster strikes you want to make sure that you are covered.
Insurance can cover the unexpected and give you peace as mind as you travel around, but knowing which insurance policy to choose can be a touch confusing. Getting the best insurance usually involves doing a bit of research and getting your head around all the inclusions and exclusions to compare them to the premiums charged.
When you have worked out the current level of coverage that you have, you will have to start looking at the different travel insurance options that are out there and start comparing what they have to offer. There are various types of travel insurance and most of them base the premiums either on the length of the trip or a fraction of the total price of the trip.
Basically there are four types of international travel medical insurance: short term or single trip coverage policies, long term or multiple stop trips of up to 12 months, expatriate covers people living overseas and foreign national covers people that are resident of the United States, but not citizens.
There can be a great deal of difference between different policies. You may be able to save money on some items that are not necessary for you and are extremely unlikely to be necessary when you are overseas. The level of coverage that you need might also depend on the length of time that you will be taking out the policy for.
There are a number of inclusions in a policy that are pretty standard. The basics to look out for include: emergency hospital care, emergency dental treatment, emergency medical removal from the country, trip delays, lost luggage covers up to a set price and includes sending the luggage onwards. You may find some more expensive policies are more comprehensive and this may appeal to you, but if you do not think you need some of the inclusions, then you may be able to get a lower priced policy.
There are also some items that are not typically included in a travel insurance policy. It is common for pre existing conditions to be excluded. If you do have some condition that you need covered, you will have to find out whether the company will insure you. If they do, you may have to pay an extra fee. Extreme sports are not usually covered by insurance companies. Pregnancy, mental illness and self harm incidents are also unlikely to be covered.
Before you pick the international travel medical insurance that you are going to go with you should look carefully at all the options. Most vacations go smoothly and you do not need to make a claim. But, and this is a big but, if something does happen or you get sick overseas you want to have the support and backing of your travel insurance to give you peace of mind.
Dan Pucher Insurance is an independent Travel Health Insurance Broker offering personal and corporate solutions. When looking for Visitors to Canada Insurance and information on Canada Travel Insurance please give us a call.
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