TravelinFeet

I've just spent an hour or so reading the ugly fine print on these various travel insurance plans. Although on balance you may get coverage of similar value for cost, the actual details are all over the place. For example, a plan I was considering, MH Ross, covers only $500,000 of Med Evac -- But to hospital of choice. Other plans of similar cost cover up to a million of Med Evac, but only to closest hospital -- probably fine in the alps, but I'm heading to Africa, so....

And Hospital of Choice means different things too. I've only found one carrier, Medjet who lets you go anywhere you want, with the sole condition that you are hospitalized where you are. All the others require agreement between the local physician and someone with the insurance company who have to agree that you need to be moved! Phew!

So now I'm considering buying a full year of Medjet for $260 and then getting basic trip insurance per trip. Any other thoughts? Any ideas I might have missed?

Many thanks!

TF

hispanic

It sounds like you are talking about travel (health) insurance, not just travel (trip-cancellation) insurance. I maintain a DAN membership, which includes TravelAssist:
https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/m.../Travel_Assist

It accounts for what I think I'd need and isn't dive-specific. Take a look and let me know what you think.


Mike...

thursdaysd

Have you looked at Seven Corners? The only insurance I currently take out is evacuation, although I'll have to add medical when I go on Medicare. But if you're going on safari you probably need cancellation/interruption.

doug_stallings

MedJet is probably the most wide-ranging travel evacuation company out there, but what they offer is so specific that I'm not sure it's worth paying that much extra to have it unless you travel internationally in the third world a lot. If this is a one-time trip and you are not likely to do a lot more international travel in the next year, then I'd look at more general plans.

Most safari operators include actual evacuation to the closest realhospital in the basic cost of their safaris. If you aren't going to on a safari, then that's a different story.

But general travel insurance companies like Travel Guard have good policies, though I'm not sure they offer coverage that is as good as what you want. I'm glad you're reading the fine print since so many people do not, but you can also get caught up in the details and miss the real issue.

You want insurance to get you 1) to a good hospital that can offer you quality care, and 2) back home in reasonable comfort. Is "hospital of choice" really that important? If you want to pay for that, by all means do it, but my instincts tell me that many people tend to over-insure, and that's not always the best course.

TravelinFeet

Thanks all. The problem, of course, is who is going to decide what a "reasonable" hospital is. Perhaps I'm being a bit overly paranoid, but after a couple of near-misses during cancer treatment I really do want to be the one to pick my doctor...

As for TravelGuard -- yeah, they're ok otherwise. I had to file a claim with them when I did get cancer. They were a a pain about wanting an actual "receipt" for my purchases... and I had to keep explaining that all I had was an electronic receipt as everything was paid online, but eventually they did come through and even reimbursed me for the broadway theater tickets I couldn't use.

TravelinFeet

PS: Have also found a website called Quotewright.com that gives insurance quotes.

doug_stallings

There are several comparison sites for travel insurance. Squaremouth.com is one that I use often.