Medical Travel Insurance

[2017ish]

Just yesterday, I purchased an annual travel policy from GeoBlue (Trekker Choice) primarily for its medical evacuation coverage of $500k and $1 million in medical coverage. It also comes with a 24/7 Global Medical Assistance benefit. GeoBlue was the only company I could find that would insure longer duration trips (up to 70 days) in an annual policy.


We paid $390 for the policy, and it could be money well spent or money flushed down the toilet (I'm hoping for the toilet), but the policy offers great peace of mind while traveling.

And for trips longer than 70 days, you can easily buy a rider from them for the additional days. (Because of this, if it is close, we try to stay under 70 days, but typically we fail every other year....)

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

I often wonder how much should I insure for evacuation and medical coverage. The recent trip to Canada (since it is relatively close to US), I insured $250K for medical, and $500K for evacatuion. My next trip to Europe I insured for $500K medical and $1 million for evacation, which is just the reverse of yours.

I have never used the travel insurance that I purchased. I would think in the event of an accident, they will just patch you up, and send you home via evacuation. Am I thinking this wrong?

Thankfully, I have no idea how any of this works. I just insure and hope for the best (knowing that, if push comes to shove, it might get ugly, and I will have to get uglier). My medical insurance benefit with GeoBlue is $1 million (because I'm under 70), but I don't need that much at all since my retiree health insurance covers me while traveling internationally. If I could have designed my own policy, I would have switched the $1 million medical benefits with the $500K evacuation benefits, but noone asked me.

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

And for trips longer than 70 days, you can easily buy a rider from them for the additional days. (Because of this, if it is close, we try to stay under 70 days, but typically we fail every other year....)

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[athena53]

FYI. Some of these act as reimbursements. Meaning you have to pay the bill in the foreign country and then make a claim. My FIL had to wire tens of thousands to a Croatian hospital to get my MIL out after an accident during a cruise. They also had to have an accompanying nurse on the flight back to the states.

I had a neighbor’s daughter have a diving accident in Belize. The flight to medivac her to Miami was $28,000. She didn’t have insurance. Don’t be under insured.

I've mentioned this before but I use MedJetAssist for evacuation coverage. They are NOT insurance but if you're admitted to a hospital anywhere in the world they come and get you in a private plane with medical staff and take you to any hospital in the world, including back home. I got an annual subscription this year since I was taking two trips out of the country during that time, including one with 2 hikes around Macchu Picchu and snorkeling in the Galapagos. Contrast this with a friends' brother who had transient ischemic attacks on a Caribbean cruise and his insurance paid to get him to St. Kitts, where the hospital was pretty much meals and a bed. No physical therapy. Friend had to fly down and get him home because he'd lost his ability to read and to walk unaided. (He's recovered, but not 100%.)

My tactic has been to use InsureMyTrip to choose a policy with primary coverage (i.e., it doesn't require Medicare to pay first) and a large limit. The other coverages are nice-to-have (trip delay, baggage arrives late) but not as important. I'll be wary of Allianz after seeing the earlier post.

I haven't had a claim yet and I'm happy about that.

 

[OldShooter]

Be very careful. There are a number of organizations that that claim to offer evacuation "insurance" that are not regulated insurance companies. Read carefully. There are plenty of legit evacuation insurance companies to choose from.

 

[athena53]

Be very careful. There are a number of organizations that that claim to offer evacuation "insurance" that are not regulated insurance companies. Read carefully. There are plenty of legit evacuation insurance companies to choose from.

MedJetAssist is very clear that they are NOT an insurance company. I agree, though, that you need to read the fine print. Like many companies, they won't evacuate you if, say, you get a cast on a broken arm but are not admitted to the hospital. Some of the cheaper policies will just get you to the nearest medical facility where you can be stabilized. A former employer offered some sort of support for leisure travel outside of the US and it turned out to be referrals to local medical professionals. You were on your own for the cost.

Another coverage that you don't want to think about: repatriation of remains. If you prefer in-ground burial or you die in a country that doesn't permit cremation, embalming and shipping your remains can be very expensive.

 

[brett]

A number of years ago a Canadian friend of ours had a serious heart attack while in Floridia.

Fortunately he had excellent insurance. What did his medical insurance cover

-His hospital ICU expenses for the period when it was not safe to evacuate him home. That was hundreds of thousands.

-The cost of his air evac home to a local hospital when his medical team deemed him to be stable. Private medical plane back to Vancouver Canada accompanied by medical personnel.

-Having his RV moved from Florida back to his home in Vancouver.

The bottom line was in excess of $2M USD.

I have no doubt that it would be more expensive today.

It is one thing to think that if you become ill you can simple return home immediately. This is not always the case....especially if you are in ICU for a few weeks.

His insurer co-ordinated everything, kept his spouse up to date, provide support for her. She made one phone call. The insurer's team kept in constant communication with her.

 

[Luvdogs]

I also keep an annual policy for Medjet for medical evacuation (not insurance).

They say that they will transport you to the "hospital of your choice"-not the cheapest podunk hospital. (at least that's what they say...)

I've read that medical evacuation can cost 100K from Europe to the US.

I know someone who had to be transported about 500 miles within the US to a very specialized center and it cost them 20K.

So that is something I would not be without. I don't want to get stuck in a hospital in a 3rd world country.

 

[OldShooter]

... His insurer co-ordinated everything, kept his spouse up to date, provide support for her. She made one phone call. The insurer's team kept in constant communication with her.

This is why we buy evacuation insurance but not trip insurance. We could absorb financial costs, but I do not want myself or DW trying to deal with logistics in anything but an OECD-level country where English is commonly spoken. For Europe, etc. we do not buy the insurance.

Regarding non-insurance-companies offering evacuation services. I'm sure many are just fine, but technically the customer is an unsecured creditor of a business in unknown financial condition. State regulation is not perfect but IMO still better and there are state guarantee funds as a last resort if an actual regulated insurance company goes paws up.

 

[brett]

Ditto. We self insure for trip cancellation insurance. Or we use our premium credit card provided cancel insurance.

In many, many years of travel we have only had one cancellation because of medical issues. A China trip four years ago.

Placed a claim, with the relevant supporting docs, with our credit card insurer. We had the full amount of the claim paid within 21 days. This was unusual for us.

Everyone has a different risk profile and a different risk tolerance.

 

[athena53]

I don't want to get stuck in a hospital in a 3rd world country.

A guy in my last tour group said that his wife (since deceased) had broken her pelvis in a fall in Australia. He didn't mention what company they'd used but she was transported back to the US with a medical person on board. They told him that they never evacuated people to anywhere in Africa- just not enough resources to treat anything complicated. They'd go to Israel if the person needed treatment and couldn't be taken as far as Europe or North America. I'm sure the medical people in developing countries are working hard with what they have, but they have limited resources at their disposal.

 

[skyking1]

Just yesterday, I purchased an annual travel policy from GeoBlue (Trekker Choice) primarily for its medical evacuation coverage of $500k and $1 million in medical coverage. It also comes with a 24/7 Global Medical Assistance benefit. GeoBlue was the only company I could find that would insure longer duration trips (up to 70 days) in an annual policy.


We paid $390 for the policy, and it could be money well spent or money flushed down the toilet (I'm hoping for the toilet), but the policy offers great peace of mind while traveling.

Thanks for this post, it is a good description of what we will want. My insurance is Blue Cross Blue Shield now, and we have been happy with it.
Brett is also my travel hero. Everybody here is generous with sharing valuable information and it is inspiring.

 

[bmcgonig]

Just yesterday, I purchased an annual travel policy from GeoBlue (Trekker Choice) primarily for its medical evacuation coverage of $500k and $1 million in medical coverage. It also comes with a 24/7 Global Medical Assistance benefit. GeoBlue was the only company I could find that would insure longer duration trips (up to 70 days) in an annual policy.


We paid $390 for the policy, and it could be money well spent or money flushed down the toilet (I'm hoping for the toilet), but the policy offers great peace of mind while traveling.

Interestingly as soon as we pass 70 it changes from 1m to 100,000. That’s a big cut!

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

Interestingly as soon as we pass 70 it changes from 1m to 100,000. That’s a big cut!

Well, it is a big cut, but GeoBlue requires that you have health insurance in your home country, so do you really need $1 million coverage? My domestic health insurance is a high deductible health plan ($3500 self and family deductible) that covers me internationally. After I meet my deductible, my health insurance plan covers me generally with a 5% co-pay. I can't really see any scenario where I would need $1 million health coverage or even, for me, $100k. I guess if a person is 70 years old, Medicare coverage would factor in too, so one would need to do his/her research, but the reduction in coverage may not, in the long run, be all that meaningful.



Just my thoughts. FYI -- I'm not on Medicare yet and have retiree health insurance that covers me and DH when we travel internationally.

 

[athena53]

Traditional Medicare does not cover outside the US. My Medicare supplement (through AARP) does but with a lifetime limit of $50k. I’m sure Advantage plans vary.

 

[Gotadimple]

Traditional Medicare does not cover outside the US. My Medicare supplement (through AARP) does but with a lifetime limit of $50k. I’m sure Advantage plans vary.

True. It depends on the carrier and the plan offered.

An HMO plan would not offer coverage outside of its service area.

A PPO may be the same, however, there may be coverage for international travel if the plan is issued by BlueCross or BlueShield company. But you must use the doctors and hospitals that agree to accept BC/BS members - and those may be limited. There is a database of clinics and hospitals by country on the BCBS website.

- Rita

 

[OldShooter]

... A PPO may be the same, however, there may be coverage for international travel if the plan is issued by BlueCross or BlueShield company. But you must use the doctors and hospitals that agree to accept BC/BS members - and those may be limited. There is a database of clinics and hospitals by country on the BCBS website. ...

Our insurance agent's research put us into a BCBS Medicare Advantage PPO plan specifically because it provides international coverage. I have no idea what the details are, leaving that to the agent and DW.

I have never worried too much about this because non-US medical costs tend to be low. DW broke her foot in India at the beginning of a 2 week trip a few years ago. At least three doctor visits, two casts, and a purchaed wheelchair that we abandoned at the departure airport cost us in total about $200, coincidentally what we spent for one dinner in Paris on the way over.

 

[stephenson]

Hi All,

Looking into travel/medical insurance now - for trip departing US on 18 Sep - so, close in. Have travelled internationally, but never had insurance previously.

It seems like many like GeoBlue, and the 12 month quote online for less than 70 yr olds (2 of us) is $294.

Background - retired military, and other person is my wife, both 69 yo. Trip is combined visit to UK, river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, and then train and touring of Italy - total of about a month. Will have another trip of like time within the same 12 month period.

Is there a better option - or, did I stumble on the best option?

Thanks!

 

[Gotadimple]

Hi All,

Looking into travel/medical insurance now - for trip departing US on 18 Sep - so, close in. Have travelled internationally, but never had insurance previously.

It seems like many like GeoBlue, and the 12 month quote online for less than 70 yr olds (2 of us) is $294.

Background - retired military, and other person is my wife, both 69 yo. Trip is combined visit to UK, river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, and then train and touring of Italy - total of about a month. Will have another trip of like time within the same 12 month period.

Is there a better option - or, did I stumble on the best option?

Thanks!

Maybe. Aggregators (insurance agents representing many companies and licensed in all 50 states to sell) have comprehensive websites you can use to compare costs and coverages. Try Insuremytrip.com or Squaremouth.com.

 

[stephenson]

Did quick quote at insuremytrip ... Diplomat coverage about same as GeoBlue - about 20x the price. I didn't sort through completely, but for the same 12 months coverage.

 

[nwsteve]

Just came across this posting for Senior Travel Ins
https://thedailynavigator.com/travel-insurance/best-senior-travel-insurance-companies.
We use Squaremouth for pricing and coverage. I like you can buy primary medical. This frees you of a lot of paperwork and follow-up as any bills are paid without waiting for your domestic primary to process.

 

[Scuba]

Ditto. We self insure for trip cancellation insurance. Or we use our premium credit card provided cancel insurance.

In many, many years of travel we have only had one cancellation because of medical issues. A China trip four years ago.

Placed a claim, with the relevant supporting docs, with our credit card insurer. We had the full amount of the claim paid within 21 days. This was unusual for us.

Everyone has a different risk profile and a different risk tolerance.

Brett, will you share the issuer of the premium credit card that provides travel insurance? We have Chase Sapphire but they only cover $10K of costs. Is there a better option?

 

[SecondAttempt]

Just yesterday, I purchased an annual travel policy from GeoBlue (Trekker Choice) primarily for its medical evacuation coverage of $500k and $1 million in medical coverage. It also comes with a 24/7 Global Medical Assistance benefit. GeoBlue was the only company I could find that would insure longer duration trips (up to 70 days) in an annual policy.


We paid $390 for the policy, and it could be money well spent or money flushed down the toilet (I'm hoping for the toilet), but the policy offers great peace of mind while traveling.

I always hope money I spend on insurance goes down the toilet after providing peace of mind during the coverage period!

I've been doing a deep dive into this lately including asking questions on this forum in other threads lately. I'm not an expert but I have decided to buy Geo Blue for peace of mind.

We have Global Rescue for medical evacuation insurance. In my late 50s I've already known 2 people who needed to be returned home during a trip. Fortunately neither was terribly serious but they incurred hundreds of dollars in extra fees for changing flights, etc. Honestly not sure how I would be covered but knowing I can get basic treatment anywhere in the world and brought back home if necessary is reassuring.

 

[LARS]

Stumbled across this thread. And very glad I did. Thank you!

GeoBlue looks incredibly interesting as a way to cover insurance overseas for several months at a time.

 

[imbatman]

To be clear, Chase Sapphire Reserve only provides $2,500 of emergency medical / dental....which won't cover much of significance. They do have $100K emergency evac and $10K of cancellation/ interruption. It is a nice perk to provide some "free" coverage (I have used it for trip delay and they reimbursed in about one week) but not very comprehensive for true medical events.