Should You Get Travel Health Insurance for Your Trip Abroad in 2024?

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No one expects to need emergency medical care while traveling, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared just in case. An unexpected illness or injury abroad can be stressful and costly. Travel health insurance can be the difference between a trip ruined by accident or illness and one where you have access to quality medical care and financial assistance in an emergency.

Read on to learn more about why travel health insurance is often important for international travel and to find out if you should invest in a policy for your next trip.

What does travel health insurance cover?
Travel health insurance is short-term supplementary health insurance intended to cover unexpected medical expenses incurred abroad. Depending on the policy you purchase, it may cover expenses such as:

Local ambulance costs (in case of inpatient hospitalization)
Surgery, labs and testing
Bill for your hospital room and board
Emergency medical evacuation
Accidental death and dismemberment
Some policies also include travel benefits such as trip interruption, trip delay, loss of checked baggage and lost or stolen passport/travel visa.

NOTE: Unlike a standard health care plan, travel health insurance may not cover services related to pre-existing conditions or preventive care, such as health checkups and regular prescriptions. Study the coverage description for any plan you're considering, paying special attention to exclusions and limitations.

Already have a standard health care plan?
Some standard health care plans do not cover any expenses incurred outside of your home county. Many others only cover extraordinary expenses incurred abroad. That's why it's so important to check your plan to see what, if any, international coverage you have when you travel abroad.

Travel medical insurance covers eligible medical expenses incurred outside your home country. It may also provide travel assistance services and travel assistance benefits (trip interruption, trip delay, lost checked baggage, lost or stolen passport/travel visa, etc.) that you won't find in your standard domestic plan.

When will you need travel health insurance?
Whether you're traveling to a high-risk area or somewhere as seemingly innocuous as Europe, there's always the risk of an accident. To get an idea of the types of accidents that travel health insurance covers, let's look at a few example scenarios.

Sickness - On a street walk in Bangkok, you taste seafood skewers that don't go down well. You end up with food poisoning in a nearby hospital.
Many travel health insurance policies cover the cost of hospital room and board, doctor's fees and medically necessary medications (if the illness is covered by the policy). Some providers, such as Atlas Travel, also provide translation services 365 days a year to prevent misunderstandings and confusion between you and your doctors.

Injury - You decide to explore Amsterdam like a local and jump on your bike, but when your bike gets caught in a tram track, you fly off and break your leg.
You can't walk, so you call an ambulance to take you to the nearest emergency room. Ambulance fees can be expensive. So are surgeries and casts. But when your injury is covered by travel health insurance and you are admitted to the hospital as an inpatient, you may only be responsible for the deductible and any coinsurance.

Trip Interruption – While lounging on a beach in the Philippines, you get a call from a sibling that your parent has had a heart attack and died.
To be with your family during this stressful time, travel medical insurance that covers trip interruption will ensure you get home as soon as possible. With many Travel agency, policyholders are covered for the cost of a one-way economy class ticket to their home terminal following the death of a parent, spouse, sibling, child or grandchild.

Travel Delay - During an extended layover, a severe storm rolls in, disrupting all flights until the next day.
Nobody likes sleeping on seats in airport terminals. Fortunately, many travel medical insurance plans cover travel delays. For a covered delay of 12+ hours, Major Travel Agency provides up to $100 per day for up to two days for reasonable lodging and meals.

Lost or Stolen Travel Documents – Walking through the streets of Barcelona, ​​you stop to join a crowd that has gathered around a group of street dancers. Unobserved, you hardly notice that someone reached into your bag and stole your passport.
Losing your passport can be a nerve-wracking experience for any international traveller, but if you have travel health insurance that covers lost or stolen documents, the solution is a little less stressful. Many Travel Agency provides foreign language assistance to help you obtain new travel documents and up to $100 in exchange fee reimbursement.

Is travel health insurance worth it?
Without travel health insurance, you can put yourself at risk of being solely responsible for unexpected medical bills while traveling abroad. Even the most common injuries, such as injuries caused by a fall, can result in significant expenses. That's why both the CDC and the US State Department recommend getting health insurance for travel abroad.

Here are some real examples of Major Travel policyholders:

An American missionary who fell 20 feet off a cliff during a hike had $32,805 in costs for multiple fractures, a concussion and emergency medical evacuation to a hospital qualified to provide medically necessary care.

A traveler in Bangkok who contracted multilobar pneumonia and tonsillitis from an insect bite had a medical bill of $12,149.37. He had 95% of his medical expenses covered with Many Travel Agency. He ended up paying a $68.78 premium and a $500 deductible.

When a Nigerian fellow American program leader learned of his father's sudden death, Atlas Travel covered his flight back to Nigeria. The total cost was $3,312.

It is important to note that travel health insurance may not cover pre-existing conditions and may not be the right choice for every traveller. See "Should I get travel health insurance?" and "Who may not benefit from travel health insurance" below to learn more.

Should I take out travel health insurance?
When traveling abroad, it can be a good idea to make sure you have global insurance cover, especially if you:

Holiday-maker
Backpacker
Adventure traveler
Ecotourist
Missionary
Business travelers
Study abroad student
You never know when a travel accident, accident or illness may strike you. So whatever your destination or the activities you're planning, it can be useful to be equipped with travel medical insurance in case of an emergency.

Most, but not all, should consider politics. Not sure where you stand? Here's a guide to help you determine if you need one