Medical Travel Insurance: What you need to know
Shopping for travel insurance can be a daunting task when there are so many providers out there to choose from.
However, to keep the ’shopping around’ period as straightforward and stress-free as possible – there are a few things to bear in mind from the beginning that will help you ensure that you get the best deal to suit your personal circumstances.
What are the essentials?
There are a few essential benefits that you need to make sure any given policy has in place in terms of cover.
If a policy is cheap, it could mean that the coverage limits are restricted. You should therefore never base your decision on price alone
Your decision should be based on value and making sure your needs are covered.
And, to ensure you’re getting the best possible value from your travel insurance policy – you might want to strongly consider the following:
- Emergency medical repatriation – this is essentially the cost of transporting you back to your home country if you become too unwell or injured.
- Medical expenses – if you’re hospitalised for whatever reason.
- Cancellation and curtailment – if you’re flight or holiday gets cancelled out of your control – you’ll definitely be relieved that you took out a policy with this benefit.
- Theft/loss of belongings – unfortunately, tourists are sometimes targeted for this in certain foreign countries.
- Personal accident – it doesn’t matter who you are, accidents can happen.
What should I keep an eye out for in the small print?
As mentioned above, travel insurance is so accessible nowadays – with the explosion of the internet.
However, regardless of the amount of choice on offer, this should never deter you from carefully breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of each option. And, interrogating the terms and conditions is good common sense more than anything.
These will obviously vary from provider to provider – which makes it even more important to keep an eye out for the following:
- Excess – when you make a claim, the deductible is the amount of money you need to pay before the insurer picks up the costs. If this is too high, you might think twice about buying it.
- Exclusions – it’s just as important to check what’s NOT included as what is included in the coverage. Some insurers won’t cover pre-existing medical conditions or extreme sports, for instance.
What if I have a pre-existing medical condition?
If you do have a pre-existing medical condition – you may need to declare it to avoid the risk of not having your claim fully covered.
You don’t need to trawl the internet to shop around for specialist medical travel insurance, either. Comparison sites like Medical Travel Compared enable you to access quotes from over 40 specialist providers all in one place.
In order to get a quote – you only need to enter your personal details once. Of course, you’ll need to answer a few questions regarding your medical history – but this only takes a matter of minutes.
