Faced with an intercontinental journey, There is still a great deal of ignorance about what would happen if we were to suffer an illness or accident abroad, who would pay the medical expenses? If you have health insurance, you have a small guarantee. Let's take a look at what we need to take into account when making a decision, as travelling within the European Union is not the same as travelling to the United States, for example. Discover the coverage that travel insurance usually includes, 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
At Europe, we have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), This covers medical and hospital expenses in the event of an unforeseen event. The EHIC is a personal document that certifies the right to receive medically necessary health care during a temporary stay in the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Before travelling 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 those countries.
What is happening outside Europe?
The issue, and what we are talking about today, is when travelling to Asia, Africa, Oceania or America. As we explained, dealing with a medical emergency abroad can be very expensive. Hospitalisation and medical treatment in most countries have to be paid for by patients, so it is highly advisable to take out insurance with full coverage, including evacuation by medical aircraft, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists in its travel recommendations.
If you are going to do leisure and adventure activities, check out our post on travel and sports accident insurance. If you are going to take part in a risky sport or activity, such as mountaineering or scuba diving, make sure with a specialist that your international policy covers everything you need.
The special case of Travel Insurance for the USA
Let's take one of the most popular cases as an example: travel 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 from the USA by medical airliner: 50,000 euros
- Return journey to Spain of a patient on a stretcher on a scheduled flight accompanied by a doctor: 20,000 euros.
Also, if you do not have health insurance in the United States, they may require a deposit of several thousand dollars. If you do not make this deposit, your hospitalisation will probably not be accepted.
Without going any further, the The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends taking out this insurance. Specifically, they point out: “The guarantee of unforeseen medical care requires taking out temporary private health insurance, making sure that the cover taken out is as broad as possible.
International travel insurance in policyholders of a health insurance policy
As we have already mentioned, those who have private health insurance in Spain already have capital and what we could call a "capital of trust". “mini-policy”.” travel assistance. 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 potential problems. In many destinations, medical, pharmaceutical and hospital costs are very expensive, as we have seen in the example of the USA.
Months ago we talked about what medical cover is available on credit cards. We have already seen 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 can be included in a travel insurance policy abroad
What coverage does health insurance abroad include? These are some of them. Each insurance policy will include specific coverage. Make sure with your insurance broker that they cover a sufficient amount of money and that all the assumptions are covered.
- Ambulance transfer
- Medical transport or repatriation
- Hospital care in emergency departments
- Outpatient surgery
- Consultations in primary care
- Specialised consultations
- Hospitalisation
- Dental expenses
- Medical evacuation
- Pharmaceutical expenses prescribed by a doctor
- Surgical interventions
How to take out travel insurance
For these reasons, there is a clear need for insurance cover against illness and accidents outside Europe. Taking a risk can be very expensive. It 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 the nationals of the country where you are».»
Let's take a look at the steps you need to follow to take out travel insurance. What information do you 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 implementation so that they are included.
- Dates of birth of the insured persons.
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 make use of travel insurance
- advice in case of unforeseen flight problems
At PIB Group Iberia we offer travel insurance with special group rates, that we can apply also to individual travellers and couples. Call or email us, and travel with the peace of mind of being well covered.
