Why buy medical travel insurance for your trip
Most of the time, travel is interesting and fun. But, occasionally, things go wrong. It does not matter how well you plan things. Every now and again life will throw you a curveball.
When that happens having United Healthcare Insurance or a similar policy can make a huge difference to how well things ultimately turn out for you. As you will see there are several very reasons every traveller should buy a good medical travel insurance policy.
Get access to medical treatment if you fall sick
None of us knows when we are going to get sick. Sometimes it can be as simple as being bitten by an insect and the bite becoming infected. It does not matter how religiously you apply insect repellants. Every now and again, one of the little blighters is going to get through your defenses and bite you.
If you need medical attention, while travelling you will end up with a bill virtually every time. None of the countries that offer free healthcare to their citizens officially provide it for non-residents. It is true that some are better at enforcing the rules than others and actually making people pay. But, that can soon change. For example, in Spain, right up until about 10 years ago travelers would rarely be billed for non-emergency medical treatment. Now, trying to get seen without a travel insurance policy or credit card is virtually impossible. If you don’t have either, in many hospitals, you will have to be practically dying to get through the doors. The rules are increasingly zealously applied because medical tourism was becoming a huge and expensive issue for the country.
Coverage for medical evacuation
Most people realize that if they are seriously ill and require medical evacuation back to their home country, the bill will be high. It is one of the main reasons people see the wisdom of buying a policy that costs this.
Unfortunately, few realize that the cost of being transported for medical treatment within a country can also be high. For example, every year, hundreds of skiers need to be evacuated from mountains because of injuries. If a helicopter is involved in this operation the cost can be eye-watering.
So, if you are planning to spend time in a remote place. Or, are travelling to a country with a relatively undeveloped medical network make sure internal medical transport is covered by your policy. In some developing countries, you will still only find hospitals in a few of the biggest cities. Even then the facilities that are available can be limited. So, you can easily end up being evacuated elsewhere for treatment.
Cover for others in your group
If you are travelling with friends or family you also need to think about what would happen to them should you fall ill. The chances are if you are very unwell your partner will want to stay nearby. Some travel policies will cover the cost of their accommodation and a new ticket. But, others won’t.
As you can see there are several good reasons to buy medical travel insurance. But, you need to be very careful about which policy you buy. This short guide will help you to understand the small print and buy insurance that represents good value for money.
