Medical-Only Travel Insurance: Your Essential Guide to Coverage Abroad

Travel medical insurance plans are specifically designed to offer crucial coverage for international travelers. These plans cater to individuals venturing outside their home countries and require medical insurance to bridge gaps in their primary health coverage while abroad. It’s highly recommended to consult with your insurance agent or health insurance provider to fully understand your existing medical coverage when traveling internationally.

If your primary concern is accessing emergency medical care while outside your home country, then a Medical-only Travel Insurance plan might be the ideal solution. These plans are specifically structured for travelers prioritizing medical emergencies over general travel-related inconveniences.

Travel Major Medical Plans

For those embarking on extended trips, travel major medical plans provide specialized coverage. These plans are tailored for individuals traveling outside their home country for six months or longer.

Typically, travel major medical plans extend beyond emergency medical benefits. They often mirror traditional health insurance plans, including provisions for routine and preventative medical visits, prescription drug benefits, and other non-emergency medical needs. This comprehensive approach allows you to maintain your health while traveling without the burden of unexpected and significant medical expenses.

To explore or purchase these plans, please contact us at 800-487-4722.

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Understanding Medical-Only Travel Insurance Plans

Medical-only travel insurance can be purchased as a standalone policy or as part of comprehensive travel insurance plans. Travelers commonly refer to these as “emergency medical plans,” while providers often term them “travel medical.” Crucially, international medical-only travel insurance plans are designed to provide coverage exclusively when you are traveling outside your country of residence.

Before securing emergency medical coverage, it is strongly advisable to first contact your regular health insurance provider. Inquire about the extent of your global benefits and how your coverage applies when you are abroad.

While some domestic health insurance policies may extend benefits internationally, travel medical plans remain a valuable consideration even if you have some overseas coverage. They often offer more specialized and comprehensive emergency medical benefits tailored for travel.

What is International Medical-Only Travel Insurance?

International Emergency Medical Insurance is often used interchangeably with International Travel Medical policies. Many insurance carriers structure these policies to heavily emphasize the medical and evacuation aspects of travel protection. This focus leads to them being marketed and commonly known as medical-only travel plans or travel health plans, highlighting their core benefit.

Key Coverages in Top Medical-Only Travel Insurance Plans

Travel health plans frequently include additional benefits crucial in the event of unexpected illness or injury while traveling. A primary example is Emergency Medical Evacuation. Should an illness or injury become severe and require treatment beyond the capabilities of the initial medical facility, the travel insurance provider, in consultation with the attending physician, may arrange evacuation to a better-equipped hospital. Transportation is typically arranged to the nearest suitable medical facility.

Finding the Right Travel Insurance Plan

Certain medical-only travel plans might also incorporate limited trip protection benefits, such as Trip Interruption and Baggage Loss coverage. Travelers may also find options for Accidental Death and Dismemberment benefits and riders for Hazardous Sports activities. Travel health plans are particularly well-suited for travelers who are primarily concerned with health emergencies and less focused on trip cancellation or travel delays. Carefully review the plan details; you may be surprised by the breadth of coverage offered by a medical-only travel plan.

Travel health plans also provide 24/7 Assistance Services. Depending on the specific plan, these services can include referrals for Emergency Medical and Dental care, coordination of Emergency Medical Evacuations, translation assistance, access to worldwide medical information, and much more. These assistance services can be invaluable when facing an emergency in a foreign country, providing crucial support and guidance.

Does Medical-Only Travel Insurance Cover All Medical Expenses?

Travel insurance is designed to cover unforeseen medical situations and emergencies, not routine or preventative medical treatments.

Medical-only travel insurance typically applies in scenarios such as:

Bone fractures
Heart attacks or strokes
Emergency dental procedures
Medical evacuations
Emergency transportation
Emergency repatriation

Generally, it covers medical emergencies requiring treatment during your trip. It’s important to understand the limitations that may apply to sudden recurrences of pre-existing conditions, as coverage might be less extensive than for new illnesses or injuries. Also, be aware of the look-back period in your medical history that providers may use to determine if a condition is pre-existing. Routine check-ups or planned medical care are not covered by travel health insurance and would be out-of-pocket expenses, potentially claimable through your domestic health insurance.

Determining Your Medical-Only Travel Insurance Needs

The required amount of medical-only travel insurance coverage is unique to each traveler. International travel, while exciting, carries the risk of unexpected illnesses or injuries leading to significant medical bills. While some domestic health insurance providers may offer some international coverage, others may offer none. Understanding your existing protection is key to determining the appropriate level of travel medical coverage to purchase.

Medical-Only Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa Requirements

Schengen Visa travel insurance plans are specifically designed for travelers needing a Schengen Visa to enter any of the 29 European Countries within the Schengen Area. Schengen Visa requirements are based on citizenship, not residency. If you are a citizen of a country on this list, you will need a travel insurance plan that meets Schengen Visa requirements, including specific medical coverage levels.

InsureMyTrip offers plans that meet Schengen Visa requirements, including coverage for medical emergencies, medical evacuation, accidental death, and limited baggage and trip interruption benefits. We emphasize the importance of safety, compliance, and adequate coverage for international travelers.

Understanding Coverage Limits for International Medical-Only Insurance

Determining the appropriate medical coverage limit for your trip can be complex. Policy options typically range from $50,000 to $2,000,000 in coverage, with some plans offering lower limits for older age groups. When deciding on your needed coverage level, consider these factors:

Does your domestic health insurance extend coverage internationally? Some policies do, some don’t. Even with secondary travel insurance, understanding your primary coverage is important. If your domestic insurance offers limited or no international coverage, especially for extended trips, a higher medical limit is advisable. Notably, Medicare generally does not provide benefits outside the U.S., making higher medical benefits crucial for Medicare beneficiaries traveling abroad.

Primary Health Coverage vs. Secondary Health Coverage

Trip duration is also a factor. Longer trips, exceeding a month or two, inherently increase your exposure to risk, suggesting a need for higher coverage limits. Again, the extent of your domestic health insurance’s international coverage remains a key consideration.

Planned activities play a role. Engaging in hazardous activities like hang gliding, zip-lining, extreme skiing, or mountain climbing may necessitate a higher medical limit. Confirm that your chosen plan does not exclude such activities; exclusions are detailed in policy certificates and can be clarified by consulting with travel insurance experts.

Ultimately, your comfort level is paramount. Insurance provides peace of mind. If a $100,000 limit offers greater comfort than $50,000, opting for the higher limit might be the right choice for you.

Deductible Options in Medical-Only Travel Insurance Plans

Alongside Emergency Medical limits, deductibles are a key consideration. A deductible is a specified amount you must pay out-of-pocket before your medical-only travel insurance benefits begin to pay.

Most single-trip medical plans initially display with a $250 deductible. However, many plans offer options to adjust this deductible – increasing, decreasing, or eliminating it entirely. These adjustments will affect your premium, with lower deductibles typically resulting in higher premiums and vice versa.

Multi-trip medical plans usually include a non-removable deductible, detailed in the “Additional Benefits” section of your quote.

Exclusions in Travel Health Insurance Plans

Depending on your chosen plan, insurance companies may review your medical history for a predetermined period to assess if an illness or injury stems from a pre-existing condition. Look-back periods commonly range from 6 months to 3 years before your plan’s effective date.

Exclusions may also apply to specific activities, such as scuba diving. Some providers offer optional Hazardous or Adventure Sports riders for an additional premium. Adding such a rider may extend coverage to include certain higher-risk activities.

Medical-Only Coverage Within Comprehensive Plans

Comprehensive travel insurance plans include travel medical coverage as part of a broader package. While the medical coverage within comprehensive plans can be similar to standalone medical-only plans, premiums will differ.

Travelers seeking robust coverage for baggage or trip interruption should consider comprehensive plans. Both comprehensive and medical-only plans are valuable in ensuring access to adequate medical care while traveling abroad.

Utilizing International Medical Coverage While Abroad

In a medical emergency abroad, immediate access to your travel insurance plan information is crucial, especially the 24-hour Emergency Assistance program contact details. Before traveling, ensure this information is readily accessible in your luggage and understand how to call this number from abroad, often requiring a collect call. Keep your policy number with this information for easy reference by the assistance representative.

In any medical emergency requiring treatment, your first step should be to contact the emergency assistance provider. Notify them of your need for medical attention. If you are unable to call immediately due to your medical condition, do so as soon as possible. This proactive contact helps avoid potential claims issues and grants you access to valuable help and advice from the insurance company’s Emergency Assistance program. For serious emergencies requiring Emergency Medical Evacuation, pre-approval from your insurer is necessary, and they often manage the arrangements. Failure to contact them beforehand may result in denied coverage for evacuation expenses. Specific procedures for contacting emergency assistance vary by plan and provider, so thoroughly review your plan details before your trip.

When receiving medical care, meticulously document your experience. You will need records for claim submission, and obtaining documents from foreign hospitals after returning home can be challenging. While at the medical facility, request copies of all records and store them securely with your travel documents. Providing proof of treatment and costs promptly will facilitate a smoother and more successful claim process.

Cost Factors for Medical-Only Travel Insurance

Travel insurance costs are not uniform; plan prices and conditions vary based on several factors:

Age of the travelers
Number of travelers
Trip length

For a deeper understanding of pricing, refer to our detailed article on travel insurance costs.

Why Choose a Medical-Only Travel Plan?

Each type of travel insurance offers distinct benefits. A medical-only travel plan is an excellent choice if your primary concern is medical emergencies while traveling internationally, and you are less concerned about trip cancellation or delay coverage.

For broader coverage including baggage and trip interruption, consider comprehensive plans. Medical-only travel insurance plans excel in providing services to help travelers access appropriate medical care abroad. Prioritize safety and carefully compare different plans available on our site before purchasing. Use the quote form on this page to compare options and review plans tailored to your specific international or domestic trip.

Leading Providers of Medical-Only Travel Insurance Plans

Major travel insurance carriers offer specialized travel health insurance for medical emergencies occurring overseas.

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