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Location: People >> CS For All Ages >> 50s+ Travellers 
Health Insurance: Long-Term Travel
Posted January 9th, 2013 - 9:38 pm by  from Bangor, United States (Permalink)I realize that group members come from around the globe and that my question may be nation-specific, but frankly, I don't know where to start. I hope to travel extensively for several months to a full year starting in 2014 or 2015. I am doing advance planning in many areas (especially financial). What I have not figured out is how to get affordable health coverage that would be useful in many parts of the world, since leaving my job means losing health coverage. I have heard horror stories of bills in multiples of US$10,000 just to transport a sick/injured American back home. Does anyone know anything about affordable catastrophic health insurance for an American traveling internationally long-term? Susan
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Posted January 14th, 2013 - 1:38 am by  from Kalamazoo, United States (Permalink)Travel Guard has a policy for 1 year for many trips within.....price depends of the travellers age. Travelguard.com.
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Posted January 10th, 2013 - 11:51 am by from Bangor, United States (Permalink)Thank you all for your excellent advice, resources, etc. As an American, I have great fear of being impoverished due to uncovered medical expenses. About 40 years ago I was in Hong Kong with my parents and my mother had to be hospitalized. We had the wonderful experience of being treated well medically and financially, much like some of you described. We ended up taking her attending physician and his girlfriend to dinner to thank them before we left the country. I will take out some type of insurance nonetheless. I am healthy, but know that getting older means a greater chance of needing medical care. I love the idea about documenting that my cold, rigid body doesn't need to be repatriated. What a waste of money that would be. Counchsurfing...yes. Morguesurfing...no! Susan
Posted January 10th, 2013 - 9:28 pm by  from London, England (Permalink)Susan - I used the medical travel insurance made available by my credit card provider without doing too much research elsewhere which it seems you might have time to do. Whoever you use, the insurer will want your itinerary to cost out the coverage. As everyone else before me has already pointed out, if you will be travelling to jurisdictions with expensive medical services, your premiums will be much higher than if you are travelling to jurisdictions with less expensive medical services. Re: David's remark re: pre-existing conditions, I have a pre-existing condition and was given the option of having any medical problem arising from the condition covered or not covered with,of course, a price adjustment. So credit card travel insurance is just one option you may want to research. Catherine
Posted January 11th, 2013 - 1:43 am by from Bangor, United States (Permalink)Very helpful info, Catherine. Thank you!
Posted January 11th, 2013 - 7:26 pm by  from Langley, United States (Permalink)Question: as I prepare to go to France for the first time, is there a particular credit card i should get to cover insurance benefits, travel points, etc.? Thanks for any advice. Cherie
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Posted January 12th, 2013 - 2:05 am by from Bangor, United States (Permalink)I have an American Express card and came upon this: https://www295.americanexpress.com/premium/travel-medical-insurance/home.do Susan
Posted January 14th, 2013 - 3:20 am by  from Duncan, Canada (Permalink)Back in the '80s, I was (foolishly) living in Japan without medical insurance. I had a severe gallbladder attack that left me overnight in the hospital. The doctor, on hearing I had no insurance, talked to their accountant and I ended up paying only a small fraction of the actual cost. Two years ago, we were in Milan and my husband got some kind of bug bite that caused his arm to swell alarmingly. Our trip to the emergency room cost us ... nothing! Our only expense was a small bill at the pharmacy for an antibiotic and some cortisone cream. Now, having said this, I would never suggest someone travel without sufficient insurance. Perhaps you will never use it, but the one time you don't have insurance will be the one time you really need it.
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Posted January 19th, 2013 - 4:19 am by from Bangor, United States (Permalink)Just found this on a travel blog: Please have a travel insurance. You might never need it, and in this case, be happy about it. Don't consider it as a waste of money. Travel insurance is most likely cheaper than your health care plan you have at home. I pay as a German Citizen 350 EUR per year. It's so far the cheapest I found, but prices are different, depending from which country you are. I can highly recommend WorldsNomads. They cover residents from over 150 countries. You can buy, extend and claim, even while traveling. Also good and reliable is Travel Guard, Sta Travel and Allianz. This is a quit-your-job-and-travel blog. If you are interested in going directly to the source, it's: http://www.justonewayticket.com/2013/01/13/8-steps-to-freedom-how-i-quit-my-job-and-traveled-around-the-world/#permalink Susan |