Hurt? Sick? What would you do?
Here’s hoping you never get injured while traveling. According to the people at Medjet Assist (www.medjetassist.com), one in 30 trips ends in a medical emergency, and more than 10 million travelers are hospitalized abroad each year.
I’ve never used Medjet, but a jetsetting friend (and former travel agent) swears by it. How it works: As a member, if you become hospitalized internationally or domestically, 150 miles or more from home, Medjet will arrange medical transportation to a home-country hospital of your choice for inpatient care. Membership fees for their basic level of service range from $99 for a short-term membership to $315 for an annual membership.
And then there’s travel insurance. I’ve purchased it for far-flung journeys and visits to remote locations, but didn’t do so for this (shortish, not that far from home) trip. I reached out to Stan Sandberg, cofounder of www.TravelInsurance.com via email to see how travel insurance might benefit a traveler who gets injured away from home.
While US health insurance can differ greatly between plans, “most US health insurance plans have little to no coverage for travel outside of the US except in the case of medical emergencies,” Sandberg explains. “For senior travelers on Medicare, the answer is clear. Standard Medicare plans do not provide coverage outside of the United States.”
Given that, he recommends travel insurance with at least $50,000 worth of medical expense coverage for international travelers. Plans with coverage limits up to $250,000 are available.
Should domestic travelers consider travel insurance with medical expense coverage? If your plan limits you to in-network physicians, it might be a good idea, since your network may not be available out of state. A travel insurance plan can fill that gap, according to Sandberg.
Travel insurance plans with medical expense coverage will cover accidental injuries and illnesses. “But if the injury occurred during what is considered an extreme sport or hazardous activity, the coverage could be excluded unless an Extreme or Adventure Sports option was purchased. Similarly, an injury occurring as a result of extreme intoxication could be excluded as well,” Sandberg notes. Most plans also include 24/7 global travel assistance.
If you get really hurt or sick overseas, your first call, after calling the local 911 equivalent, would be to your travel insurance plan’s assistance service provider. “A representative will help you navigate the foreign medical system in a medical emergency,” Sandberg explains.