Holiday Medical Insurance

Holiday medical insurance is very important right now whenever you travel out of your country. This is because of the current outbreak of the H1N1 influenza endemic (swine flu) that is very infectious and is spreading across many communities. Sitting on the plane for several hours with an infected carrier poses a very high chance of infection. You will want to make sure that you are covered for related expenses by your holiday medical insurance.

Unforeseen hospitalization expenses are usually covered by most international holiday medical insurance plans. The specific details such as co-payment and benefits are stated on your policy document. Covered items are typically inclusive of hospitalization bills, doctor consultation fees, cost of medication etc necessary in the case of accidents and other health emergencies. Since the H1N1 swine flu is just another disease, your holiday health policy will cover you for necessary expenses for treatment.

However, if your government has announced a travel advisory against visiting any destination (such as Mexico, China, Japan etc) because the endemic, or other health risks, then your holiday medical insurance has exclude H1N1 related expenses from your coverage if you still insist on traveling to these countries. If you decide to follow the advisory, you can be covered for trip cancellation and other loss of deposits by even your cheapest holiday insurance. However, if there are no such advisory announcements yet and you decide to cancel your trip because of personal worries, you are not likely to get any compensation.

Most holiday medical insurance also covers the following. You can choose to have medical evacuation back to your home country for better treatment especially when you fall sick in a third world country with swayback hospital facilities. You are covered for trip cancellation and reimbursements on paid deposits if you are suddenly unable to travel due to illness. It also acts like a term and personal accident insurance because there are benefits paid out in case of accidental death or dismemberment of body parts. Repatriation of remains and personal effects will also be covered by the holiday medical insurance policy.

Unlike your typical managed heath insurance plan such as HMO managed care plans, holiday medical insurance is considered short term and covers for many medical related expenses when you are away from your home country. For example, your HMO health insurance is not able to reimburse you for medical evacuation back home. The additional premium is very affordable and you should always buy it whenever you travel overseas.

Another common mistake travelers make is that they thought their travel insurance plan already covers them for medical related expenses. These are designed for two different types of protection. Your general travel insurance is meant for things such as flight delays, trip cancellations, loss of personal belongings etc. Some will cover accidental death and injuries, but these are different from illnesses and diseases that can happen to you while overseas.

Generally, the premium costs for holiday medical insurance depends on which country you are visiting. For example, you have to pay higher premiums for the United States, not because it is a high health risk country but because the cost of medical treatment there is much high compared to the rest of the world.

If you have any pre-existing health conditions, you must declare it upfront when buying the holiday medical insurance. Otherwise, the insurer can deny your claim on grounds of you not telling the complete truth regarding your medical history, whether of not it has any direct bearing on the expenses being claimed for.

If you have been rejected from a holiday medical insurance policy whether because you have an existing health problem or you are above 70 years of age, you can try applying for group travel health insurance policies. There may be some exclusion stated on your policy document but at least you are covered for the other expenses if they occur.

Pregnant women are considered to be high risk, since the probability of delivery is very high and there are a lot of hospitalization expenses involved. There is also chances of health complications developing with either the mother or the baby while abroad which may require expensive medical evacuation back tot the home country for proper treatments.

The premium chargeable largely depends on the age and health conditions of the pregnant mother. Holiday medical insurance for pregnant women is not available during the 8 weeks prior to their expected delivery date. In fact, they should not be doing any traveling and air flights unless there is a special reason for doing so. It is better to be safe than sorry.

The health care system in your destination country can be very different from what you are used to back home. It can be completely privatized and the cost of prescription medication may be very high from what you have expected. You have to check whether pharmacy coverage is already included in your holiday medical insurance plan. If not, it can be added for a small cost. On this aspect, do not just think of the cheap flu medicine you commonly take. It can also cover very expensive drugs that can save lives.

Since you are not very familiar with the situation, it is always better to be prepared with a holiday medical insurance before you depart. If you know for certain that the country you are visiting provides government subsidized medication at low prices even for foreign travelers, you may choose to opt out of pharmacy coverage to save some premiums over your holiday medical insurance.

Make sure you bring along your travel health insurance policy documents and a photocopy of your personal medical records along when you leave the country. These should include records of drugs you are allergic to, history of chronic illness and the long term medicine used or surgeries performed so far. This information will help the doctors make better diagnoses in the event that you need medical attention while traveling overseas.

Do not assume that you were be completely safe and protected with a holiday medical insurance, it is important that you take proper care of yourself when alone in a foreign country.