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 July 2005 Back to Table of Contents Back to Archives Main Page Section: Being Well How Well Does Your Insurance Travel? By Sophie Knab Here’s a little quiz. When you’re trying to get away from it all, when you’re planning a relaxing, stress free vacation, what is your most important carry-on item? The truth is that you take your illnesses, conditions and common ailments with you when traveling. Before leaving, travelers should always attend to routine medical matters. It only makes sense. But let’s say, something unpredictable happens and you need the care of a dentist, physician, or heaven forbid, you require hospitalization. Do you know if your insurance provides coverage should you leave the country? Few people know whether their private health insurance will cover medical and dental costs abroad, so here are some things to consider. Medicare does not pay for care outside the United States. Some Medicare supplement insurances cover care outside the country — some don’t. Some Medicare HMO’s offer care outside the country — some don’t. Federal law does require state Medicaid programs to allow their patients to seek health care anywhere in the United States in the case of a life and death emergency. However, this does not apply to a situation outside the country. Very few Medicaid HMO’s cover care outside the United States. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Veterans Administration disability pensions are cancelled if you leave the country (or, sometimes, even the state) for over 30 days. Call your health insurance company before leaving to find out exactly what’s covered when you are traveling abroad. The big question: should you purchase travel insurance? More importantly, what kind of travel insurance? There are “travel insurance” policies and then there are “travel health insurance” policies. Always read any additional “travel insurance” plan with great care as the wording can be confusing or misleading. One type of travel insurance offers refunds for trip interruption and cancellation. Some insurers waive the pre-existing condition clause in their trip cancellation policies, provided you buy the insurance within a week or two of making your travel deposit. Without the waiver, if you cancel the trip because you, a traveling companion or a close family member has become ill, you might not be able to collect the nonrefundable portion of your trip cost. This type of plan is really travel insurance — getting some of your money back if something occurs to interrupt the trip. Make careful inquiries. Ask if the policy has the important pre-existing condition clause. The other form of travel insurance is the type that pays for health care services outside the United States. Make sure you are buying actual insurance that pays for services that may take place in a hospital or doctor’s office. This is where the real costs are incurred. Ask about genuine health insurance coverage that can be used by patients with pre-existing conditions. Travelers should also ask whether the policy provides direct payment to the health care or evacuation provider. In some cases the patient must foot that bill up front and seek reimbursement later. In addition to the cost of medical care, one should consider the cost of emergency evacuation, especially if you are traveling to the back country. Interestingly, some credit cards offer limited benefits. The American Express Platinum Card, which costs about $300 a year, pays for emergency medical evacuations and some treatment. But read the fine print. You can get the best, most up-to-date advice about travel health insurance from a trusted travel agent. Though be sure to review the material quietly at home, and not at the travel agency where there may be distractions that prevent concentration on what you are reading. The answer to the little quiz? Your most important carry-on is peace of mind. Happy trails! back to top back to table of contents Current Issue | About Forever Young | Where to Find | Advertise | Our Advertisers | Community Calendar | Contest | Clubs | Contact Us | Archives | Home |