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Do you know about Travel Insurance?
1. Your Health Insurance Probably Stops at the Border
This is the one that catches the most people off guard. According to the U.S. State Department, the federal government doesn’t pay medical costs for citizens traveling abroad, and Medicare and Medicaid plans generally don’t, either. Many private plans cover little once you’re overseas, which is why the State Department recommends checking your existing policy and, if it falls short, purchasing a short-term travel health plan.
Coverage for prescription medication varies by plan, so it’s worth reviewing the details carefully. And remember to always pack medications in a carry-on rather than checked luggage.
2. Getting Home Can Cost More Than the Trip
The biggest surprise is usually the cost of getting home if a medical emergency occurs overseas. An air ambulance evacuation can run anywhere from $20,000 to $200,000. Travel insurance for Europe (or wherever you’re headed) is designed to step in exactly when your regular coverage won’t.
3. The Checkout Protection Box Won’t Check All the Boxes
That box you can click to add travel protection at checkout is reassuring, but it usually covers less than people expect. The plan an airline, hotel, or cruise line bundles with your fare tends to protect against trip cancellations and missed connections, not a hospital stay halfway across the ocean.
4. Cruises Come With Their Own Coverage Gaps
The CDC notes that insurance sold by airlines and cruise companies may not cover medical care or evacuation at all. That’s why many people sailing abroad buy travel insurance for cruises instead. It’s a separate plan covering the medical and evacuation costs missing from insurance sold with your cruise fare.
5. Preexisting Conditions Come With a Deadline
Many people travel well with a long-managed condition. The hitch is that many policies exclude preexisting conditions unless you ask. The CDC recommends checking whether a plan excludes them. Most insurers offer a waiver that adds them back in, but it usually has to be arranged early — generally when you first book or shortly after — and with the full trip cost insured. The deadline is easy to miss but just as easy to meet once you know it’s there.
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