Faced with an intercontinental trip, there is still a lot of ignorance about what would happen if we suffer an illness or accident abroad, who would pay the medical expenses? If you have health insurance, you have a small guarantee. Let’s see what we must take into account to make a decision, since it is not the same to travel within the European Union than to the United States, for example. Discover the coverages usually included in travel insurance, the options and in which cases it is advisable to take out a policy of this type.
Medical costs abroad: why international travel insurance is so important
In Europe, we have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which covers medical and hospital expenses in the event of an unforeseen event. The EHIC is a personal document that proves the right to receive medically necessary health benefits during a temporary stay in the territory of the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Before traveling to a European country, make sure that it is part of this group of countries. In these cases, you will have access to public health care under the same conditions as nationals of these countries.
What is happening outside Europe?
The issue, and what we are talking about today, is when traveling to Asia, Africa, Oceania or America. As we explained, dealing with a medical emergency abroad can be very expensive. Hospitalization and medical treatment in most countries have to be borne by the patients, so it is highly advisable to take out insurance with full coverage, including evacuation by medicalized aircraft, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists in its travel recommendations.
If you are going to engage in leisure and adventure activities, see our post on travel insurance and sports accidents. If you are going to do any sport or risky activity, such as mountaineering or diving, make sure with a specialist that your international policy covers everything you need.
The special case of U.S. Travel Insurance
Let’s take as an example one of the most popular cases: the trip to the United States. There are insurance companies that have quantified certain medical procedures in the United States, for example. Their objective? To raise awareness of what we are talking about.
- Appendicitis operation: US$ 30,000
- Heart attack: $100,000
The Ministry also provides the following data:
- Transfer of a sick person by medical airplane from the USA: 50,000 euros
- Return trip to Spain of a patient on a stretcher on a scheduled flight accompanied by a physician: 20,000 euros
Also, if you do not have medical insurance in the United States, they may require a deposit of several thousand dollars. If you do not make this deposit, they will probably not accept your hospitalization.
Without going any further, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends taking out this insurance. Specifically, they state: “the guarantee of unforeseen medical assistance requires the subscription of a temporary private medical insurance, making sure that the coverage contracted is as broad as possible”.
International travel insurance in policyholders of a health insurance policy
As we mentioned earlier, those who have private health insurance in Spain already have a capital and what we could call, a “capital of trust”. travel assistance “mini-policy”. We say that mini, because the capitals they usually cover are:
- 12,000 euros → ADESLAS, ASISA, MAPFRE and SANITAS
- 15,000 euros → AXA and CASER
- 20,000 euros → DKV
These capitals may seem sufficient. Unfortunately, if we want to be well protected, we should increase it to avoid possible problems. In many destinations, medical, pharmaceutical and hospital expenses are very expensive, as we have seen in the example of the USA.
Months ago we talked about what medical coverage is available on credit cards. We saw that, fundamentally, they were indemnities for death or disability due to accidents. Very few covered travel assistance and, when they did, it was with low capital sums.
Coverage that may be included in a travel insurance policy abroad
What coverages are included in a medical insurance abroad? These are some of them. Each insurance will include specific coverages. Make sure with your insurance broker that they cover a sufficient amount of money and that all assumptions are covered.
- Ambulance transfer
- Medical transport or repatriation
- Hospital assistance in emergency departments
- Outpatient surgery
- Consultations in primary care
- Specialized consulting
- Hospitalization
- Dental expenses
- Medical evacuation
- Pharmaceutical expenses prescribed by a physician
- Surgical interventions
How to purchase travel insurance
For these reasons, there is a clear need for insurance to cover us against illnesses and accidents outside Europe. Taking a risk can be very expensive. Having one is not only recommended by insurance companies, but also by the State itself, which warns that “Embassies and Consulates do not have the resources to meet or guarantee the costs in case of an accident, nor can they assure you better treatment than that of the nationals of the country where you are”.
Let’s take a look at the steps to follow to take out travel insurance. What information do I need to provide to take out travel insurance? Simply:
- Travel dates.
- Destination (also report stopovers and short stays).
- Leisure and adventure activities: report on their realization so that they are included.
- Dates of birth of the insured.
Our recommendation: subscribe 100,000 euros for medical expenses that may arise.
We leave you this PDF document, which we always provide to our policyholders when subscribing their policy, before the trip, in which we talk about:
- how to use travel insurance
- tips in case of unforeseen flight problems
PIB Group Iberia offers travel insurance with special rates for groups, which we can also apply to individual travelers and couples. Call or write us, and travel with the peace of mind of being well covered.
