Travel Health Insurance: Don't Leave The Homeland Without It

Insurance is designed to give us peace of mind. It is there to help us when things go wrong. Whether it is insurance of our health, possessions, or income, we willingly pay our premiums in order to rest easily in knowing that we are protected from loss. Yet it is truly ironic that when we are farthest from home and on foreign lands, our health insurance is often at its most useless. For peace of mind when traveling or living internationally the smart traveler is sure to purchase travel health insurance.

Many of us spend thousands of dollars each year in purchasing comprehensive and complete health insurance coverage. Yet many people are surprised to learn that what is comprehensive coverage within our own borders is often useless when we travel abroad. And it is not just those who purchase extensive private health insurance coverage who are surprised, student health insurance and U.S. Medicare both fail to cover the insured when they are beyond the border.

If you are planning international travel and you wish to avoid the shocking expenses that an unexpected injury or illness can cause, then you should consider the purchase of travel health insurance.

While the format and benefits of various travel health insurance plans can vary, the basic premise remains the same; if something goes wrong you are covered. Depending on the cost of the plan you can purchase coverage that will have various maximum limits, from as little as $25,000 to as much as $1,000,000. Further, it is not uncommon for travel health insurance plans to cover more than just medical bills.

Other common features are the cost of medical evacuation in case you need to be moved back to your native country for care or treatment. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage provides insurance benefits in the event of a loss of life, limb, eyesight, speech, or hearing. Some plans will cover the expense of returning your remains to your country of origin in the unfortunate event of death, or cover the expenses of children or family members who need to be returned home due to your condition.

Still others can include coverage for less catastrophic occasions, such as trip cancellation or lost baggage. These features, and others not listed, are not available on all plans so smart consumers will be sure to investigate further in order to determine the plan that best covers their particular needs.

Travel health insurance is a product that should appeal to anyone who is engaged in international travel. Whether coming to or leaving from the United States, travelers can rest comfortably when they know their basic needs will be covered without incurring massive expenses. If you are planning to travel across international lines then you would be wise to investigate your travel health insurance options right away, and a great place to start is by getting a quote from a reputable broker. This can be done with a few clicks of the mouse on the Internet.

If you are traveling through a university function, or with a group tour or cruise line, you may be able to purchase insurance directly from the trip organizers. But do not wait until it is too late; only a few dollars spent before you depart can save you thousands of dollars, or more, as long as you remember to make travel health insurance a staple item in your pre-travel planning.