Travel Health Insurance

Travel Health Insurance or Travel Medical Insurance provides coverage to overseas travellers from any medical contingencies or emergency evacuations abroad. It is also referred to as international travel insurance, international medical insurance or worldwide medical insurance across the globe.

What is Travel Health Insurance?

 A medical emergency can occur at any point of your overseas trip. It is no brainer that cost of healthcare abroad is way more than that in India. If you get hospitalised abroad for something as common as viral fever, it can cause a big dent on your trip budget. This is where Travel Health Insurance comes in.

Travel Medical Insurance is a variant of travel insurance policy that covers the insured traveller against any medical contingencies during their trip. It will protect you from any unforeseen medical emergencies, such as hospitalization due to accident or illness that may create a financial burden. It will also assist you in accessing healthcare services if you get stuck somewhere during your trip.

In short, a Travel Health Insurance takes care of your safety and makes sure that you travel stress-free. Regardless of your age and whether you are travelling for vacationing or for business, you can buy the best travel medical insurance in India.

Key Features of Travel Health Insurance in India

• Provides cashless hospitalization facility
• Available for occasional travellers and frequent flyers
• 24x7 medical assistance

Types of Travel Health Insurance

Broadly, a Travel Health Insurance policy can be divided into two types:

Single Trip Travel Health Insurance

If a traveller purchases Travel Medical Insurance for a single trip, then it can be referred to as a Single Trip Travel Health Insurance. This type of insurance begins with the commencement of the trip and ends as soon as the traveller returns back home.

Multi-Trip Travel Health Insurance

A Multi-Trip Travel Health Insurance policy provides coverage to the insured traveller for multiple trips. This type of insurance is usually taken for a policy term of one year. However, the duration of each trip is limited to 30/ 45/ 60 days as per the insurance company.

Travel Health Insurance Coverage

A travel medical insurance policy protects overseas travellers against the following adversities:

Medical Illness Treatment

Any emergency medical expenses that the insured traveller may incur on the treatment of a sudden illness during his trip will be covered under the travel medical insurance policy. It will include both daycare expenses as well as hospitalization expenses.

Personal Accident

If the insured meets with an accident during his trip, this insurance policy will bear the treatment expenses. It will also provide compensation in case the insured suffers from any partial or permanent disability due to the accident injury.

Emergency Medical Evacuation

A travel health insurance policy will come to the rescue of the insured traveller in case he needs to be evacuated urgently to a nearby hospital and covers the transportation cost involved.

Emergency Dental Treatment

If the insured traveller takes any treatment for emergency dental pain relief during his trip, then he will be covered by the insurance provider.

Hospital Daily Cash

In case the insured traveller gets hospitalized for more than a certain number of days, he will be eligible to receive an allowance to cover day-to-day expenses in the hospital.

Delay/ loss of Check-in Baggage

If the check-in baggage of the insured is delayed or misplaced by the scheduled airline, the insurance provider will reimburse the expenses incurred and provide compensation for the losses incurred.

Additional Coverage of Travel Health Insurance

A handful of insurance companies in India offer other kinds of coverage under Travel Medical Insurance. While some insurers may offer these cover under basic coverage, other insurance companies may provide these covers on the payment of the additional premium amount. Take a look at some of the additional covers under a Travel Health Insurance policy:

Pre-Existing Diseases Cover

In case the insured traveller takes medical treatment for any pre-existing diseases or medical condition, the treatment expenses will be incurred by the insurance provider under this cover.

Flight Delays

If the scheduled flight of the insured traveller gets delayed for more than a specified number of hours, then the insurer will compensate him for any losses incurred under the Travel Health Insurance policy.

Personal Liability

In case a legal liability is imposed on the insured traveller during his trip, this cover will enable the insurance company to pay for it on behalf of the insured.

Exclusions of Travel Health Insurance

Most Travel Medical Insurance policies do not cover the following events or situations:

• Travelling Against Medical Advice - If the insured is travelling against his doctor’s advice, then the insurance company will not pay for any medical expenses incurred during the trip.
• Pre-Existing Diseases - Most insurance companies do not provide coverage against any pre-existing medical condition or illness under Travel Health Insurance.
• Consumption of Intoxicants - Any medical expenses incurred on the treatment of an illness or injury arising due to the consumption of intoxicants such as alcohol and drugs will not be covered.
• War or Civil Unrest - Any injury or illness of the insured traveller resulting due to events such as war, an act of war, protest, strike, terrorism, etc. will not be covered under travel medical insurance policy.
• Cosmetic Treatment - No medical expenses incurred on cosmetic treatment and surgery will be covered by the insurance provider.
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV AIDS - If the insured traveller receives treatment for any sexually transmitted diseases or HIV AIDS while travelling, the expenses incurred will be excluded under this policy.
• Self-Inflicted Injury - In case the insured traveller takes medical treatment for any self-inflicted injuries such as suicide or attempt to suicide, it will not be covered by the Travel Health Insurance policy.
• Alternative Treatment - If the insured traveller receives treatment through Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Siddha and Unani during his trip, then the insurance provider will not cover the expenses incurred.
• Adventure Sports - Most insurance companies do not cover any expenses incurred on the treatment of any injury or illness arising due to participation in adventure sports activities such as rafting and skiing during the trip.
• Mental Disorders - If the insured travellers take treatment for any medical disorders such as anxiety, depression, etc. during the trip, then the medical expenses incurred will not be covered under the Travel Medical Insurance policy.

Benefits of Travel Health Insurance

Travelling can be quite uncertain. With the change in climate and exertion involved, the chances of the traveller getting ill increases leaps and bounds. Travel Health Insurance benefit travellers who unexpectedly fall sick or meet with an accident during their trip. Here are some of the ways through which a Travel Medical Insurance policy can benefit a traveller:

Emergency Medical Expenses

If the insured travellers get ill or meet with an accident and require hospitalization, his Travel Health Insurance policy will cover all the expenses incurred on his treatment. It covers both pre and post hospitalization expenses as well as the cost of transporting the patient to the hospital by reimbursing the ambulance charges. Moreover, Travel Medical Insurance provides compensation if the insured suffers from temporary or permanent disability.

Medical Assistance at Remote Areas

This type of insurance can turn out to be quite useful if you are travelling to a remote area with poor healthcare services. Your insurer will evacuate you to the nearest hospital in case you require emergency medical assistance. 

Coverage for Each Traveller

No matter where a traveller is going and for what purpose, a Travel Health Insurance covers all kinds of travellers. From individuals to families and senior citizens to students, every traveller can opt for protection under this travel insurance policy. Even people who travel frequently to different places are protected.

Travel Stress-Free

Travelling can get quite stressful if someone gets ill or injured in an accident. However, people with Travel Medical Insurance can travel without a worry as they are covered for any unforeseen medical emergency under the policy.

Travel Health Insurance Companies in India

Travel insurance and health insurance are booming sectors in India. There are various public and private companies providing travel insurance, health insurance as well as Travel Medical Insurance. Various companies providing Travel Health Insurance are rolling out competitive plans with a range of coverage to attract new customers. Take a look at the list of some of the leading travel insurance providers in the country.

• Bajaj Allianz Travel Insurance
• HDFC ERGO Travel Insurance
• Religare Travel Insurance
• HDFC ERGO Health (formerly known as Apollo Munich) Travel Insurance
• SBI Travel Insurance
• TATA AIG Travel Insurance
• IFFCO Tokio Travel Insurance
• Reliance Travel Insurance
• Future Generali Travel Insurance
• Bharti Axa Travel Insurance

How to Buy Travel Health Insurance?

A Travel Health Insurance policy can be purchased both online and offline. People who want to buy travel insurance offline can visit the nearest branch of the insurance company or contact one of its agents. People who want to buy travel health insurance online can follow the steps given below:

• Visit the official website of the travel insurance company
• Select the plan you want to buy
• Fill in the online application form with the required details such as travel dates, destination, etc.
• Pay the premium amount
• You will receive the soft copy of your policy document

Claim Procedure for Travel Health Insurance

The claim procedure for buying the best Travel Health Insurance policy is similar to that of a travel insurance policy. Follow the steps given below to register a claim under your Travel Medical Health insurance policy:

• Inform the insurance company or the assistance provider about your hospitalization through phone or email
• Arrange documents that you need to submit in support of your claim, including the claim form
• Submit all the documents to your insurance provider via post, email or fax
• The claims team will verify your claim and make the payment

Cashless claims can only be made if the insured gets hospitalized at one of the network hospitals of the insurance company. After receiving the treatment, the insurer will settle the bill directly with the network hospital.

How to Renew Travel Health Insurance Policy?

A Travel Health Insurance policy comes with renewability option. In case the insured decides to extend his trip and wishes to stay covered against any unforeseen medical expenses, he/ she can renew his policy. Just make sure to renew the existing policy before it gets expired.

The insured traveller can renew a Travel Medical Insurance policy both online and offline. Offline policy renewal would need him to visit the nearest office of his insurance provider or contact his insurance agent.

People who want to renew their Travel Health Insurance online can follow the steps given below:

• Visit the official website of the insurance provider
• Enter the details of the existing policy such as policy number
• Pay the premium amount
• The renewed policy will be sent to the policyholder

Compare Best Travel Health Insurance Plans

It can get very difficult for an individual to select the best Travel Health Insurance plan as there are lots of options available in the market. Therefore, the best way to find the most suitable Travel Medical Insurance is by comparing various plans offered by different companies. This will help you to find an ideal plan for yourself which will provide the best coverage at an economical rate. You can compare different travel health insurance policies at websites such as Policybazaar.