Emergency Medical Evacuation Coverage - Does your HMO or PPO
offer this?
Travelers insurance may be the only way for most Americans to
insure they are fully protected in case of emergency medical
evacuation while traveling abroad, because for 70 percent of
these U.S. resident HMO and PPO medical insurance plans do not
cover such an event.
Some travelers' insurance plans offer transportation to a safe
location during emergency medical evacuation but do not offer
medical insurance for the duration. Others offer both.
One travelers insurance site that we looked at, for example,
offers travelers insurance for medical emergency evacuation, for
a single person, a couple, or a family, for a designated time
period of three, six or 12 months. Online you can get a quote
instantly and can purchase the travelers insurance. While this
company was clear that it offered no medical coverage it did
link to other travelers insurance providers that did so.
One offered trip insurance - in other words, for one designated
trip - that provided trip delay, interruption or cancellation
insurance, protection against lost or delayed baggage, traveler
assistance as well as missed connection travelers insurance
coverage.
The trip insurance site asked your departure and return dates,
the number of people traveling in your party, the age of each,
the cost of the trip for each and whether you are a U.S.
resident. We indicated two U.S. residents would be traveling,
one 55 years old, the other 56, and each was spending $1800 for
the trips. The results: nine different travelers' insurance
firms offered plans ranging in price from $166 to $293 per
person. Three of these offered additional flight insurance - one
for $100,000, the others ranging between $300,000 and $1
million. One also offered rental car insurance for $6 a day.
If you'd prefer travelers insurance that covers more than one
trip, the site offers a quote on this as well. Here you indicate
your citizenship, your residency, and the state in which you
reside if in the U.S. You can choose domestic travelers
insurance coverage or international coverage that does or does
not include U.S. travel. You can choose coverage from $25,000 to
$2 million. You indicate the dates of travelers' insurance
coverage, your age, the age of your spouse if applicable, and
the number of children under 18. The travelers insurance firms
displayed in the results now allow you to choose deductible and
then offer you their firms' quotes as well as a handy comparison
chart.
Clearly, you'll find a variety of affordable travelers'
insurance options, including emergency medical evacuation
coverage, when you decide to travel overseas.