Travel Medical Insurance – Annual Multi Trip Insurance

Tips On Buying Travel Insurance For Families

The most important part of booking a group or family holiday is to purchase the travel insurance to cover you against pre-departure cancellations due to:

injuries, especially if you have children who may or may not be travelling with you.
illness or death in the family
accidents
anything else that’s beyond your control; some insurers also cover natural disasters.

Medical Cover

If you are an expatriate family returning home for a break, you are quite probably not covered by your country’s public health-care. For e.g. British Expats are not covered by NHS once they are resident elsewhere. So as an Expat it is often necessary to ensure you have adequate travel insurance cover for you and your family when returning home.

Additionally, ensure you and your family have adequate cover for any medical treatments you might need. In particular, check what the deductibles and pay-out ceilings are. The pay-out ceiling is whereby the insurance company limits its pay-out per medical instance and some even have a per-day expense ceiling. So read the policy wording very carefully indeed.

Some insurance companies only pay-out 50% for children which will not be helpful if you have a big medical bill.

Adventure & Sports Travel Insurance

With a family, the interests are never going to be the same so it’s essential that you check the activities you & your family plan to engage in is covered by your policy. Most travel insurance companies charge an additional premium for what they consider “dangerous activities”. So check what is covered under the standard premium.

These are the 3 main ones. That said, you should always read your policy, especially whats covered & not covered and the general exclusions. If you think the policy is too long or in double-dutch then just ask your questions.

Other Useful Links
Travel Advice To Your Destination – UK Foreign Office
The Importance of Reading The Trave Insurance Fine Print
Annual Travel Insurance Buying Tips
Top Tips For Buying Travel Insurance

The Top 10 Travel Insurance Claims of 2012 Exceeds Million Dollars

When considering travel insurance we all weigh the risks of what we think might go wrong, but more often than not it’s what we didn’t think that’ll blind-side us. I don’t think anyone outside the medical profession has even heard of points 1 & 3 in the list below but together they cost the insurance companies $575,000!

The Costliest Travel Insurance Claims Of 2012 are not surprisingly all Medical Emergency related and here they are:

1. Pauci-immune glomerulonephritis, USA = $469,000
2. Fractured pelvis and back, head injury, Peru = $152,500
3. Meningoencephalitis, UAE = $106,000
4. Fractured leg, Fiji = $75,000
5. Respiratory bacterial infection, Monaco = $74,500
6. Back fracture, El Salvador = $50,300
7. Injured leg, Philippines = $44,300
8. Brain tumour, Greece = $40,400
9. Meningitis, China = $32,600
10. Fractured humerus, Austria = $32,100

About of Meningitis cost $32,000 in China! The medical costs have gone up drastically all over the world. I used to think that travel medical insurance cover of millions of dollars was ridiculously unnecessary … until this top 10 list. Travelling without adequate Travel Medical Insurance in this day and age can bring financial ruin to you and your family. It’s simply not worth the risk and if you are planning on doing sports activities this winter like skiing, ensure you have Ski Insurance to cover your equipment, cancellations and medical emergencies.

Links:
Check Travel Advice To Your Destination
Always Read The Policy Fine Print

What You Need to Know About EHIC

What is EHIC?

The European Health Insurance Card is issued free of charge to citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) and it entitles the cardholder to free or subsidised medical services from state owned hospitals within the EEA. All members of the EEA & Switzerland participate in the EHIC, however the the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man do not participate in the EHIC and their residents are not entitled to EHIC.

What does it cover?

The medical cover provided and charges, if any, is determined by state owned medical services normally provided by the EEA member state you are in. This can vary from state to state, anyway the EHIC generally covers:

Illnesses & Accidents
Emergency Medical (EHIC hotline is 112)
Pre-existing or chronic medical conditions
Maternity and Emergency unplanned delivery
Monitoring & Treatment of chronic or pre-existing conditions

Who is Eligible?

Generally all residents of the EEA are eligible for EHIC. Here are the EEA Countries that participate in EHIC, click on the country to see the level of medical cover provided.

What if I am a Citizen of the EEA but reside outside the EEA?

If you are non-resident of the UK you are not entitled for NHS and consequently not eligible for EHIC either; this may differ with other EEA countries. Here is the UK NHS position on non-residents. There many companies that provide Travel Insurance For Expats that will cover you for trips worldwide, including trips back to your home country.

How do I apply?

UK residents can apply for EHIC by filling out this form and submitting it to the NHS business services authority.

Do I need Travel Insurance when travelling within EEA countries if I have EHIC?

The answer to that is YES as advised by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office. And here is why you need Travel Insurance over and above what EHIC provides:

Your choice of treatment is limited to the government hospitals of the EEA state you are in. These could be good or bad. Additionally, in the event of an emergency, proximity is all important.
Travel Cancellation costs if you have to cancel or interrupt your trip for medical reasons.
Costs related to stay extensions for medical reasons.
Cost of medical evacuation (especially skiers)
Repatriation related costs
Cost of flying relative or friend to you if needed.
Ancillary “in-patient” related costs.
Legal Representation.
Loss, Damage or Theft of personal effects.
Third party liability.

Here are some Compelling Stats from the UK FCO as to why you need Travel Insurance over and above your EHIC entitlement. From 01-April-2011 to 31-March-2012:

1909 Brits were arrested in Spain alone, requiring legal representation.
30246 lost, stolen or damaged travel documents had to be replaced, which costs time and money, not mention travel cancellation or postponement related costs.
6322 deaths and related repatriation costs.

As the NHS & FCO emphatically reiterates, EHIC is not travel insurance and if you are travelling within the EEA its good to have both.

Why Medical Travel Insurance is necessary for Expats visiting home.

Most expats don’t buy travel insurance for trips home because they assume they are entitled to free/subsidised health services provided by the government. In most countries, the access to government-provided medical ceases as soon you migrate and stop paying taxes.

Here is the NHS position on the matter for the British Expats; the rules are the same whether you are living in Spain or Japan. It is much the same for other expats too, so do check with your country’s respective authorities before deciding against travel insurance. Besides the medical travel cover; you are protected against cancellations, loss, theft, and much more, so it makes sense to have a good travel insurance.

HolidayGuard provides single and annual travel insurance for expats and is open to residents of all countries except US & Canada.

UK Foreign Office video on the very same matter!

When Not To Take Travel Insurance

Travelling within adequate travel insurance cover is always risky, but there are instances where you don’t need it. Here is an article that explains when you don’t need Travel Insurance.

What You Don’t Know About Travel Medical Insurance

Let’s face it, how many of us actually read agreements anymore? On the web we all tick that “I Accept” box all too easily, but not reading the policy wording of a Travel Insurance cover can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Here is an eye-opening article from HolidayGuard on Travel Medical Insurance.

Category: Travel Medical Insurance