What if anything do you do when traveling to have health coverage? Will be spending 2 weeks in Europe with a 17 month old.

I've purchased Geoblue as it's relatively cheap and a hedge. Never had to use it though. I think they're all difficult to work with and often require pre-approval for services unless it's truly an emergency.

Depending on where you go, if you need care you may never be billed for it. Have known several people have hospital visits in Europe and never get billed for it or billed a marginal amount.

I've never needed medical coverage while abroad, but, I have had to use trip cancellation coverage, which I got through Travel Guard. Since they were so easy to work with on that claim, I've used them ever since. There might be other companies with better deals, but I can tell you what I got through this company.

The Travel Guard policy that I got with the "Deluxe" package for my Italy trip includes $150,000 of medical expenses, and, perhaps more importantly, $1,000,000 in emergency evacuation. Because of how Europe does health care coverage, the sticker price for hospitalization and other treatment in Europe is usually much less, so the $150,000 limit is probably enough for just about anything you could ever encounter. The coverage usually does not pay providers directly (they reimburse you), but mine will pay up to $5,000 directly to a hospital or provider if prepayment is required as a condition for provision of treatment.

The real trick is to make sure you have evacuation coverage, so that you can be flown back home once stabilized. That's why this plan has a $1,000,000 evacuation limit, and only $150,000 for medical expenses. If you end up hospitalized, but get stabilized to where you could theoretically be moved back home, then this coverage will get that done, even if it takes a private jet. Cheaper plans will usually have less generous evacuation coverage, and might only pay to move you to the closes suitable facility. Note that the evacuation coverage is greater than the medical expense coverage: that's because, once they get you home, you are back on your own health insurance.

Also, keep in mind that certain high risk activities may be excluded from coverage.

Travel Guard has their policies available online so you can review the terms before you sign up. They are fairly easy to read and decipher.

There are a few threads on this. In the past 2 weeks I've sold policies to Texagers. It can be surprisingly affordable.

My go to:

RoamRight
Travel Insured
Allianz

Happy to provide you a quote. Email in profile.

I've purchased Allianz several times and thankfully have never had to actually use it. It has been quite affordable.

A friend of mine broke his leg at a Mexico all inclusive several years ago. He needed surgery and wasn't about to get it from a Mexican hospital. He had to arrange medical transportation back to the states and it was pricey...on top of the extortion the Mexican hospital schemed up. They wanted a BIG cash payment before they would release him for transport home.

That scared me enough to always get travel insurance when headed overseas.

I have used American Express Insurance. You do not have to be a card holder to purchase and they sell it by individual segments so you only have to buy what you need.

I bought it for the first time when I went to Nepal last year. I think the policy had $1 or 1.5 million for medical transport. I went with the largest number I could find.

I'm a T1 diabetic, even though I haven't needed any ER type care in decades, I really didn't want to be stuck in a Nepali hospital and unable to afford to get myself home if needed.

EMY92 said:

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I bought it for the first time when I went to Nepal last year. I think the policy had $1 or 1.5 million for medical transport. I went with the largest number I could find.

I'm a T1 diabetic, even though I haven't needed any ER type care in decades, I really didn't want to be stuck in a Nepali hospital and unable to afford to get myself home if needed.

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One thing to keep in mind, pre-existing conditions are not always included. Usually there is a time-sensitive period from when you make the first deposit for the trip to when you purchase insurance to have them included. OR there is a "lookback" period of so many days (maybe 120?) that you haven't had issues. I always tell my clients with pre-existing conditions to call and verify what would be covered should something happen if they have pre-x.

JMac03 said:

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EMY92 said:

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I bought it for the first time when I went to Nepal last year. I think the policy had $1 or 1.5 million for medical transport. I went with the largest number I could find.

I'm a T1 diabetic, even though I haven't needed any ER type care in decades, I really didn't want to be stuck in a Nepali hospital and unable to afford to get myself home if needed.

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One thing to keep in mind, pre-existing conditions are not always included. Usually there is a time-sensitive period from when you make the first deposit for the trip to when you purchase insurance to have them included. OR there is a "lookback" period of so many days (maybe 120?) that you haven't had issues. I always tell my clients with pre-existing conditions to call and verify what would be covered should something happen if they have pre-x.

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Good point. With Travel Guard, pre-existing conditions are waived if the coverage is purchased within 15 days of your first trip payment (could be airline tickets, could be apartment rental, etc.).

twk said:

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JMac03 said:

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EMY92 said:

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I bought it for the first time when I went to Nepal last year. I think the policy had $1 or 1.5 million for medical transport. I went with the largest number I could find.

I'm a T1 diabetic, even though I haven't needed any ER type care in decades, I really didn't want to be stuck in a Nepali hospital and unable to afford to get myself home if needed.

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One thing to keep in mind, pre-existing conditions are not always included. Usually there is a time-sensitive period from when you make the first deposit for the trip to when you purchase insurance to have them included. OR there is a "lookback" period of so many days (maybe 120?) that you haven't had issues. I always tell my clients with pre-existing conditions to call and verify what would be covered should something happen if they have pre-x.

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Good point. With Travel Guard, pre-existing conditions are waived if the coverage is purchased within 15 days of your first trip payment (could be airline tickets, could be apartment rental, etc.).

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Yep! Most major companies are 14-21 days, depending on the policy. This also assumes that one is medically cleared to travel at the time of purchase. Travel Guard is a good company.

Are you aware of any major differences in Travel Guard or Allianz? My annual policy is set to expire and I am shopping again. I am after the medical side of a policy, as my credit card has tons of benefits already for cancellation and that sort of stuff.

Hoyt Ag said:

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Are you aware of any major differences in Travel Guard or Allianz? My annual policy is set to expire and I am shopping again. I am after the medical side of a policy, as my credit card has tons of benefits already for cancellation and that sort of stuff.

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No. I would just compare coverage. Most medical is closely the same, it just depends on cancellation. Like Allianz has several tiers.

The main thing I would make sure is that medical is PRIMARY and not secondary. That matters if you have to involve your insurance and pay deductibles. I find its not always clear online and call in to ask those questions. Happy to quote it if you want to shoot me an email. My annual is with Allianz.

Email sent. Thanks as always!

Saw a timely article on this subject in the WSJ today: You Really Should Get Health Insurance When Traveling Abroad (paywall)

Quote:

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Carol Gebhardt is here to share a real travel nightmare, in hopes it drives home the importance of a good travel-insurance policy. (She made me a convert. More on that later.)

Gebhardt is no insurance salesperson. She's a 71-year-old retired broadcast journalist who broke her pelvis in three places on a solo trip to Spain in March. Her bills totaled $120,000, and it was all covered by her Travel Guard policy, which cost about $650.

Few things can wreck a vacation like an unexpected trip to the doctor or emergency room, especially in a foreign country where your health-insurance coverage may be limited or nonexistent.

Last year, emergency medical expenses topped all other travel-insurance claims in volume and dollar amounts for the first time in a decade, according to travel-insurance comparison site Squaremouth.

They accounted for 27% of claims, edging out trip cancellation at 26%. The average claim was $1,654, but the highest was $61,976, Squaremouth says. The data is based on payouts from one provider, Tin Leg, so overall expenses vary widely, especially if medical evacuation from another country is needed.

Gebhardt's bill from a tumble down a flight of restaurant stairs soared because she had to be flown from Barcelona to Erie, Pa., in an air ambulance after a two-week hospital stay. That bill was more than $100,000.

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So, like I said above, pay close attention to the evacuation aspects of your policy. In example cited in the article, this lady broke her hip in three places. The medical expenses were $20,000, but the evacuation home in a private jet was $100,000, and her travel insurance covered it all.