Is Travel Medical Insurance Essential?

What is Travel Medical Insurance?

Travel medical insurance plans help you pay for any sudden medical expenses while you're travelling abroad. Your insurer will reimburse you for any medical costs incurred due to an accident, illness or injury according to your policy terms.

Your travel health insurance plan can be a part of a comprehensive travel insurance policy or a standalone plan only covering medical expenses. The type of plan should be decided by you, depending upon your needs and budget.

Why is Travel Insurance Necessary?

To ensure that you have a safe trip, travel medical insurance offers much-needed protection. It is designed to cater to different medical emergencies that may otherwise ruin a person's budget.

This kind of insurance becomes important for people who are either on a budget or travelling to a much more expensive country than they're used to. The sheer cost difference between health-related procedures of the two places can entirely derail their careful budgeting.

Also, your regular health insurance may not cover your medical bills once you leave for another country. In such a case, a separate travel health insurance plan will offer you the necessary safety net.

What are the Benefits of Travel Health Insurance?

The main benefit of this kind of plan is to save the traveller from exorbitant expenses. Especially when travelling to a developed nation with a high cost of living or expensive healthcare, even a simple health condition can burn a huge hole in your pocket.

The exact benefits vary from insurer to insurer and must be confirmed before any purchase. Some of the expenses that your travel health plan will cover are:

• Doctor consultation
• Emergency illness/accidents
• COVID-19 coverage
• Ambulance service
• Hospitalisation expenses up to the set limit
• Operating Room Charges
• Diagnostic tests carried out during the hospitalisation including X-rays, blood tests, examinations, and anaesthetics
• Costs of pharmaceutical drugs/medicines
• Dental expenses, depending on the coverage
• Emergency medical evacuation
• Repatriation of remains in case of unfortunate demise

However, there are many things to keep in mind before you buy any plan. Make sure to read up on the policy terms, especially exclusions. Certain cases are not covered by your insurer, for instance, pre-existing conditions, or routine check-ups.

Only emergencies are covered under this plan, claims for any other medical expense not related to the emergency are usually rejected by the travel insurance company.

Is Insurance Mandatory for Travel?

Whether or not a country needs you to have travel insurance depends on that nation’s entry requirements. There are several countries in the world that require travel insurance policy before they process your visa application.

Some of these countries are Australia, Germany, Japan and many others. In such a case, it becomes mandatory for you to buy an insurance policy.

Because of the pandemic, many other countries have made it mandatory for foreign visitors to have relevant travel medical insurance. Indonesia, Jamaica, Qatar and many more nations specifically require a certain sum insured along with necessary coverage like quarantine or hospitalisation expenses, as well as the cost of COVID-19 treatment.

While these countries have made it necessary for visitors to buy trip insurance, you should never compromise your safety. Apart from medical benefits, your plan will protect you from many other financial emergencies. Some of these include:

• Safety from a delayed or cancelled flight
• 24X7 travel assistance during an emergency
• Coverage for the passport or luggage loss
• Protection from legal liability (third-party liabilities)
• Personal accident coverage that may lead to disability or demise

Depending on the type of policy, these benefits will vary. Compulsory or not, insurance is not an option but a necessity.

How much does a Travel Medical Insurance Cost?

The cost of any trip insurance plan will depend on your age, the location you’re going to, and any health complications that you may have.

If you’re a senior citizen going on a trip abroad, then your insurance plan will have different benefits and cost you accordingly. For senior travellers, insurance plans are costlier as they have a higher risk of falling sick or getting injured because of their age.

Similarly, the longer your trip is, the costlier your travel insurance premium will be. If the country (or countries) you’re visiting are extremely wealthy nations, then your plan will be costlier.

Some places such as Schengen countries need you to meet the minimum coverage requirements before they process your visa. All these factors will affect the cost of your travel health insurance plan.

To Conclude,

There aren’t many precautions that can prepare you as well as insurance for any disaster. If you don’t want to worry about falling sick in an alien place, don’t forget to buy travel insurance before your trip. You can easily buy one on Policybazaar.com in a few easy steps!