Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Importance of Comprehensive Medical Insurance for Travel

By Ray Sondeo

People have to travel for business as well as for vacation. However, one gets exposed to a lot of risks while traveling. Accidents happen unexpectedly, and therefore you will never be able to anticipate it. This is the reason for which travel health insurance is of great importance. It provides high service excellence, and international coverage besides offering you value for your money.

We all know that ?Prevention is better than cure?. Isn?t it good to be protected than feeling sorry about the consequences? Travel health insurance might seem to be like an additional expense when you spend thousands on your trip. But you can enjoy your trip at the fullest by having a perfect travelers medical insurance.

Did you know that just one night?s stay in the hospital can cost you $2500 or more? Or a heart surgery abroad can cost you as much as $100,000? Hence, travel medical insurance is an affordable, safe and easy way for insuring unforeseen costs and events.

Expenses such as ambulance cost, loss of baggage or other personal belongings, personal accident, hospitalization, home burglary, etc. are all covered under travel insurance. However, travelers? medical insurance would be extended only during medical emergencies. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a policy which will provide you with maximum coverage against your expenses.

The amount of medical coverage available from travel insurance companies varies widely. While young people can feel secure by purchasing a policy of $500,000, older members can avail only up to $50,000 to $100,000. Most travel insurance found online offer a comparison tool particularly for older members. This gives them the opportunity to shop around for the best quote.

However, with fixed benefit travel insurance policies, the sum insured is not applicable for all expenses. There are some limitations for each type of an expense. For example, a policy of $ 100K might cover a maximum of $20K in case of personal accidents and $500 in case of dental expenses. This ceiling could vary from company to company. Any expenses above this cap have to be borne by you.

Furthermore, there is a deductible levied for certain expenses. The deductible is an amount pre-determined between you and the travel insurance company; it is a fixed amount, decided at the time of purchasing the policy. This is the amount that you pay towards your medical expenses before the insurance company will start their coverage. Typically, the higher the deductible you pay, the lower is your premium.

Medical expenses are not all that is associated with travel insurance. Repatriation costs, medical evacuation, loss of baggage/personal belongings, delayed or cancelled flights etc. are all covered by the travel insurance online. Therefore, medical insurance for travelers is highly recommended in order to meet these unforeseen expenditures.

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