Buy Travel Health Insurance

Category : Insurance

It's a good idea to obtain travel health insurance before leaving the country, as medical care abroad can be expensive. Foreign care is often not covered by domestic policies, or by taxpayer-funded government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.

However, there are companies that specifically cover short-term travel in dedicated health insurance policies. Here's how to buy travel health insurance.

Determine your needs. How many travelers need coverage, your destination, method of travel and length of stay are all factors that need to be noted for gaining travel health insurance coverage on your trip.

Ask for quotes from several travel health insurance agencies before purchasing a policy. Find out what is included with each so that you can make accurate comparisons.

Inquire to make sure the policy you want to buy covers medical evacuations. You'll also want to make sure the policy covers a return of remains to your home country in case of death. This is known as repatriation of bodily remains.

Ask for trip cancellation and 24-hour travel assistance support as part for your travel health insurance package.

Sign on for the policy that best meets your needs and budget. Be sure to keep several copies of the pertinent insurance information with you on the trip, and a copy with a friend or family member at home.