russ_in_LA

I've never bought Travel Medical Insurance before but am planning to do so before my trip to Thailand and Cambodia in 3 weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions on the best U.S. based companies from which to purchase this product? Thanks!

thursdaysd

I buy my medical and medical evacuation and repatriation insurance from Seven Corners.

jacketwatch

Try: www.insuremytrip.com.

We used them before and all went well. You enter the particulars they ask for and you will seen offers, usually three of them from several companies and you simply choose which one you prefer. I chose American Express and my claim was processed professionally.

Once we chose a plan offered thru UAL from Allianz and that too went well. You can contact them independently.

Kathie

Know exactly what kind of insurance you want, and know what your own medical insurance covers. I always carry med evac insurance, but my own medical insurance does cover urgent care in other countries. Take a look at your policy and call and talk to someone to confirm/clarify.

russ_in_LA

Thank you everyone for your replies!

shelleyk

Russ-Be aware that most policies sold by insuremytrip will not cover a preexisting condition unless you buy the policy within either 14 days or 21 days (depending on the company) of making your first payment for the trip.

russ_in_LA

Thanks for the additional info!

thursdaysd

There are been several threads on Fodors on travel medical insurance, with a lot of good info, you might want to try a search.

russ_in_LA

I ended up using squaremouth.com which lets you filter by the type of insurance and coverage amounts, select multiple plans in order to make a side-by-side comparison, and sort by user rating. I ended up going with GeoBlue Voyager Choice. Among the features, it covers pre-existing conditions regardless of when you paid for the trip, so long as you have primary health coverage, which we do. Thanks again for the tips everyone!

kja

Maybe I'm too late, but just in case....

Note that the "terms" of medical insurance have not yet been regularized. For example, "repatriation" can mean two very different things -- (1) bringing your bodily remains (i.e., your corpse or ashes) back to your country of origin or (2) bringing your living, if ailing, body to a place where you have chosen for your medical care.

To me, that's not an insignificant difference. YMMV. ;-)

IME, whether working with squaremouth.com or insuremytrip.com, you won't end up with the coverage you need if you don't look very carefully at the terms of the policies....

russ_in_LA

Hi kja,

Your feedback is always welcome! I haven't pulled the trigger just yet, so I'll be sure to read the fine print. Thanks!

joanne806

Hey everyone, can you share what your thoughts are on what the value of insurance should be? My personal medical insurance is very comprehensive and includes medical evacuation, but I'm curious what the total value of insurance should be?

Kathie

I'm not sure what you are asking, joanne. Are you asking what value you should ask for in a comprehensive policy? Note that the comprehensive policies cover all sorts of things you may not want or need. For instance in your circumstances, you don't need medical cover or medical evacuation. So you likely only need trip cancellation/interruption. And the dollar amount for that would be the amount of money you would lose if you had to cancel or fly home early. So add up what you have already paid and think about what other expenses you might incur for a cancellation or interruption.

Honestly, I never buy that insurance. If I had to fly home unexpectedly, for a change fee (often $200-300) I could change my plane tickets. That is less than it would cost to buy the insurance. Do you have a lot of prepaid expenses? For instance, did you prepay thousands of dollars to hotels?

Think about your particular circumstances and whether you might need to cancel or interrupt you trip. Do you have an elderly or ill family member, for instance?

Know that trip insurance is a big money-maker for insurance companies. They pay out pennies on the dollar for the amount they collect in premiums.

joanne806

Hi Kathie,

Sorry, I should have been more clear. I'm not talking about trip cancellation/interruption. I have that on my credit card, so I'm covered. I'm just wondering if my personal insurance is enough cover or if I should purchase additional insurance. From what I understand, policies cover you up to a certain dollar amount - from $25,000 to $1,000,000, with maximum amounts for each category such as medical evacuation, etc. What total value do people usually get?

Kathie

Your own medical insurance should cover you for doctor and hospital bills. The medical costs in these countries is very reasonable. What does your med evac insurance cover? Those policies do have a maximum. You would want to have at least $50,000 in med evac insurance. If you decide you do want/need more med evac insurance, buy a free-standing policy for that. Those policies are very reasonably priced. If you are a frequent traveller, you can buy such policies by the year.

I use a DAN membership (not the insurance program) to cover med evac - $55 per year for the two of us. Some people want to be assured that they will be med evaced home rather than to the nearest appropriate facility. If you feel that way, then get a policy that covers bringing you home. I am just fine with being treated in Bangkok. Thursdays, for instance, carries a policy that will bring her home. I knew someone who worked for Kaiser Permanente and her medical insurance covers med evac - she needs no additional insurance when she travels.

thursdaysd

I don't have a problem with being treated in Bangkok, but I want to get home after I'm stabilized.

joanne806

Thank you! My personal medical insurance covers me for $500,000 total, including medical evacuation. (There is no cap on how much of the $500,000 can be for evacuation.) Do you think this is sufficient?

Kathie

I think that is quite sufficient.