Travel Medical Coverage

MEDICAL

Travel medical coverage is designed to pay for medical expenses that result from a covered injury or sickness while traveling.   Medical coverage is usually found as part of the basic coverage provided under Package plans.  This coverage provides payment for:

• Ordered by a Legally qualified Physician
  
  • medical services,
  • prescription drugs,
  • prosthetics,
  • therapeutic services and supplies
• Result from a visit to Hospital or ambulatory medical-surgical center services
• Transportation furnished by a professional ambulance company to and/or from a Hospital.

What to look for:

Medical coverage can either be secondary or primary.  Here are the pros and cons of each:

Secondary - pays after other insurance that you might have for the same financial loss.

• Pro:  usually more coverage for the cost but it varies by plan.
• Con:  claims take longer since you first have to submit your claim to your own (at home) coverage before the travel insurance company will consider payment.

Primary - pays before any other coverage that you might have for the same financial loss.

• Pro:  claims take less time since you're only dealing with just the travel insurance company.
• Con:  coverage usually costs more because the travel insurance company is responsible for the full coverage.

Pre-existing medical conditions might or might not apply.  Some things to look for: 

• Does the plan offer a "waiver of pre-exisitng medical conditions"?
• If not or if you don't qualify than what is the "look back" period?

Deductibles:  is there a plan deductible?  If so how much because this would be the portion of the claim that you are responsible to pay.