For many travellers, the idea of travel health insurance for their trip can be counterintuitive. If you’re reasonably young, healthy, and don’t have any medical conditions, then the idea of a medical emergency arising while on vacation may be the furthest thing from your mind.
- Travel Health InsuranceAlex E. Proimos / Foter.com / CC BY-NC
But that’s the very intent of travel health insurance. Travel health insurance policies generally exclude pre-existing conditions. That’s because travel health insurance isn’t intended to cover the stuff you already know about. Instead, it’s intended to cover the costs of the stuff you aren’t expecting. And because these emergencies happen outside of your home country, the insurance is intended to cover what can turn out to be some very large costs.
So what types of things can happen? Well, pretty much anything that you don’t expect and can’t really prepare for. Car and motorcycle accidents can result in painful injuries, but also large costs. And in many vacation-centric countries, things like helmet laws may be a lot less stringent than you’re used to at home. Or maybe you have a gall bladder attack or appendicitis that requires emergency surgery. My doctor’s rule of thumb to self-diagnose a gall bladder attack is to ask what your pain level is at on a scale of 1 to 10. If the answer is anything other lower than 11, then it’s probably not a gall bladder attack. That’s not the kind of pain you’re going to just stick out until you return home.
Travel insurance claims show that many emergencies happen as a result of the very vacation you’ve taken to relax. Enjoying the food? You may find yourself the recipient of bacteria and parasite infections. Spending too much time at the beach? Severe dehydration or sun stroke can result. Considering some more active types of recreation? Broken bones, sprains, and other injuries can all lead to a trip to the emergency room.
If the costs of these emergencies were inconsequential then we wouldn’t need travel insurance. Unfortunately, while these emergencies may have a reasonably low probability, they can come with an associated very high cost.
For example, the average E.R. room visit in the US can cost upwards of $1300. Car and motorcycle accidents can cost thousands of dollars. A simple gall bladder emergency can easily cost you tens of thousands of dollars. These types of expenses can turn an eventful vacation into a life-altering financial catastrophe.
And that’s what travel insurance can do for vacation travellers. It helps ensure that you’ve dealt with the cost of unexpected medical emergencies before they happen rather than trying to figure out how to pay the catastrophic cost after something untoward happens.
As always, it’s important to read your policy before you travel to understand the benefits in more detail, including exclusions, and contact your travel insurance provider if you have any questions, and as soon as there’s potential for a claim. This allows you to travel with confidence in your coverage and eliminates any confusion if you need to file a claim.
