Does You Need Medical Travel Insurance If You Already Have Medical Insurance?

Research indicates that the further from their home someone is traveling, the more likely they are to take out travel insurance. This is probably because further trips tend to cost more - but there is also a "comfort zone" factor too - if you are traveling to an exotic, dangerous or far away location, you are more likely to consider travel insurance.

Unfortunately, many medical insurance policies don't cover the insured person outside the United States - other policies do, but there may well be various restrictions and limitations. Many health insurance plans contain a clause stating they do not guarantee payment directly to a foreign hospital or medical facility, and they may not cover the cost of emergency medical transportation.

And if you are using the services of a physician outside your medical plan service areas - you may find that substantial co-payments or deductibles will apply.

You may also want to find out whether your existing medical insurance will reimburse you for the costs of any prescriptions that you purchase overseas. Make sure you keep receipts and submit them to your insurance company as soon as you are back home.

To find out whether your policy will or won't cover you, the simplest way is to read it carefully - if the small print is too confusing, call and speak to a representative. If you do need additional travel insurance, be sure to take it out through a reputable company - industry experts advise using a company with preferably a B+ rating or higher.

Some insurance policies may cover you for a temporary trip abroad, meaning anything from a few days to a few weeks. If you will be taking frequent trips abroad, there is multi-trip insurance designed for you and if you are traveling in a group or as part of a family, naturally there is insurance designed for you too.

And your existing health insurance almost certainly won't cover you if you intend to participate in "hazardous activities" such as certain dangerous sports.

However, if you are moving to another country permanently to live or work, you may need to take out health insurance specifically designed to cover expatriates, especially a country where the medical facilities are not as good as in the United States. Many expatriates assume their existing health insurance covers them while living overseas - in reality, they are not covered at all.

You may not need so much travel insurance if you carry a major credit card - most of them include some kind of basic travel or trip cancellation insurance. Again, make sure you understand exactly what is covered - most credit cards don't include comprehensive travel medical insurance.