excited_confused

Hi, DS is leaving on a backpacking trip to Japan, Southeast Asia and Australia next week for just under 2 months. He will not have medical insurance in the US so needs a policy mainly to cover illness, accidents, repatriation in case of emergency etc. Covering trip costs is not as major an issue, just basically his return flight, maybe $1500. Any suggestions on which companies/plans are good? Anyone have personal experiences - either good or bad with any specific companiesand their medical coverage? He is considering World Nomad or CSA but given the many negative reviwes of both, is wary and confused given all the choices. He is not looking at doing any reckless, dangerous activities but will definitely go snorkelling. Some plans seem to have restrictions on certain activities.
Never having looked at travel insurance nyself, I figured this was the best place to get some help. I (and he) would appreciate any suggestions anyone can offer. Thanks.

thursdaysd

Is he a US citizen or a UK citizen ( or something else)? The answer will be very different depending on his citizenship and residence. I am in the US and I buy my medical and medical evacuation insurance (evacuation/repatriation is as important as medical) through Seven Corners, but he could try insuremytrip.com and just put in zero as the cost of the trip. However, since you mention World Nomads, maybe he is a UK resident.

excited_confused

US resident, I guess he has been looking at backpacking sites. He did try insuremytrip.com but is confused by all the choices. Have you had any experience with them as far as paying a medical claim?

Any other suggestions?

excited_confused

I am also wondering - I assume all travel insurance plans pay after the fact, reimburse your actual bills. But if (God forbid) you incur any major medical bills while abroad and your credit card limit is not as much, how do you pay the bills?

Sojourntraveller

Do you plan to extend the apron strings throughout his trip?

I never understand why a parent posts about something that is part of the son/daughter's trying their own wings phase that a 'Gap Year' type experience is all about.

Your DS is right to be posting on more relevant sites like Lonely Planet's Thorntree Forum which is where people planning backpacking trips are to be found and where people who know about the necessary topics like insurance for longer term travel and backpacking will provide answers.

Your job is to say, 'make sure you have proper insurance coverage son'. His job is to then take responsibility for himself and work out his 'confusion'. It's called growing up,on his part and letting go, on your part.

I once read a post by a Mother saying, 'my Daughter has just texted me that she is in X and her debit card won't work in the ATM, what do I tell her to do?' The basic answer is, 'tell her to figure it out for herself.'

thursdaysd

Ignore ST, he's the local grouch. As I said, I use Seven Corners, with whom I have a good experience. If your son is confused, he needs to figure out what he needs and then compare costs.

kja

squaremouth.com also provides information to allow comparisons.

excited_confused

Anyone? I'm sure someone must have used their travel insurance to file a health claim?

thursdaysd

You will get more replies, if you don't find these helpful, on the continent-specific boards. If your son is going to Australia, try that one, although Europe is probably the most active.

kja

Claim procedures may differ with the SPECIFIC policy, so IME, any information you get from anyone who did file a claim may or may to apply to a different policy.

TC

Travel insurance and health insurance are two entirely different things. I would advise you and/or your son to be quite sure what type you're buying. As for bringing him home in case something happens, check into Medjet Assist. We care a policy with them whenever we travel to far off lands.

IMDonehere

Just as an aside, in the US, your son will face a penalty for not having health insurance under Obamacare which will escalate every year.

As noted above, travel insurance does not cover healthcare within another country. Although I have never traveled to Asia and Australia, each country will have their own internal policy as to how deal with people who either have no health insurance or a foreign health insurance policy.

november_moon

We always choose a policy through insuremytrip.com - use a highly rated company that offers the coverage we need. Thankfully we have never had to file a claim.

crellston

EC - regarding making a claim on a travel insurance policy. Clearly it will vary between insurers and each will have their own procedures. I am mostly based in the UK but travel most of the time. i never travel without comprehensive travel insurance which is the norm in the UK.

My own travel insurers policy provides an emergency contact number which it is necessary to call in the event of a medical emergency. this can be done by the policyholder. if the claim is approved, the insures will ask the hospital to bill them direct. A friend or the hospital concerned.

in the event of a non medical claim or a claim for missed flights, stolen baggage etc. it is necessary to get a police report or documentary evidence of a missed flight,stolen camera etc. and make a claim upon return.

i note that your son is on his way to Australia where my own son is a doctor in ER in a Sydney hospital. we were discussing this very subject only last week and he was warning me to make sure our insurance is uptodate before our next visit as it is VERY expensive to get treatment in Australia and the authorities will do their utmost to make sure that patients pay up.

Hope this helps a little

clevelandbrown

Travel insurance can or cannot include medical treatment in other countries, that is why you have to read everything before buying it. I've never seen a travel insurance policy that covers medical treatment in your home country.

My wife became ill in Amsterdam; at the time we were in an HMO (Kaiser) that, surprisingly, provided limited overseas medical coverage. I paid the doctor and the pharmacist, whose prices were unbelievably low, and each gave me a report of what they had done, and the cost, in English. When we got home, I called Kaiser, and they said I had to file two claims and gave me the addresses. It took a long time for them to process the claims, and they used different exchange rates on the two claims for services performed on the same day. I got the impression they didn't get a lot of claims, so it took a while to process them.

You never said what your home country is. If it is the US, I think one change in that poorly thought out law was to extend coverage to children up to age 26. So I suggest you look at your own policy and see if it covers your child, and whether it covers overseas treatment.

Beyond that, I would say that travel insurance policies can be very different in terms of cost and what is covered. As you plow through them you may think that medical evacuation sounds like they will fly you home, but hidden deep in the policy they define it as evacuation to the nearest treating facility, which could be as little as a local taxi ride.

When I was younger, I never bought travel insurance, but I have a fairly large rainy-day fund. Now that I am older, I buy it for some trips, but not for others. It is expensive and the coverage does not seem that good. My wife has coverage under her medicare supplemental policy. Every time I have bought it, I have not needed it. I think there must be a secret law to that effect.

WilliamT

I think it’s quite prudent of you to make sure your son has the right coverage. Make a list of the absolute must haves in the plan benefits for you and compare the plan benefits on a site like www.visitorguard.com Speaking to an agent might help you pick a plan with the benefits you need. Evacuation does not always imply you will be brought back home in an emergency. It is usually meant to take you to the nearest medical facility unless the plan specifically states you will be taken to the hospital of your choice. As far as rating the plans themselves, typically most plans follow similar claims procedures but an agent might be able to help you narrow down your choice. An agent can also assist you in the event of an emergency and can guide you to the appropriate channels. Hope your son has a fun and safe trip!