Thursday, June 26, 2008

Travelers Insurance: Getting Travel Medical Insurance for Unexpected Problems

Travelers Insurance
You may have every type of insurance you can imagine, but if you travel without travel medical insurance you may find that you aren't covered for everything. Many home, auto, and health insurance policies have exclusions in them for international travel. Something unexpected happens such as a medical evacuation, an automobile accident, a medical emergency, or lost luggage, you may find out the hard way that all of that insurance you bought insures nothing.

Because such exclusions exist in so many of the domestic insurance policies we typically own, it is a good idea to see what sort of travel insurance policies you can get for your trip. The type of travel medical insurance you purchase should depend on where you're traveling and what activities you want to do there.

There are basically three different travel health insurance types you can purchase. Your activities on the trip will determine which of these is appropriate for you. Those who are into adventure travel will want to purchase very full travel insurance policies, while those into luxury and shopping travel will only need the most basic insurance plans.

If you are going on an adventure travel vacation and you don't own any type of insurance for your health you should purchase a comprehensive travel health insurance policy. Long-term travelers should also consider getting comprehensive travel medical insurance because the longer you're away the more likely you are to have something go wrong.

If you have a good home health insurance plan, you may only need emergency travel medical insurance. This will provide you with coverage during your trip overseas where your current insurance may not provide any benefits. When you are home again you can get further treatment under your home insurance plan. You will want to check with your insurance provider to see what kind of emergency medical coverage they provide to you when you are traveling.

You can purchase travel medical evacuation insurance as well. This is recommended by most travel agencies and government agencies, as a type of insurance that will provide you with an air ambulance transport back to hospitals in the United States if you have a serious injury or illness requiring this service. While it is rare to have such a thing happen to you, it does happen. When it happens it often costs $50,000-$100,000, which must be paid up front. If you can't afford to pay that much up front, travel medical evacuation insurance is a good thing to have.

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