Travel Medical Insurance for Coronavirus

This page is about travel medical insurance for coronavirus, which does not cover canceled trips. For information about trip cancellation insurance and coronavirus, go here.

Who this page is for

Travelers who are planning a trip outside their home country, and want insurance to pay expenses in case they get coronavirus.

Overview of Travel Medical Insurance

Travel medical insurance is something you should purchase whenever you leave your home country.

It covers emergency medical expenses from accidents and illnesses, evacuation costs, and acts as a lifeline to call in a foreign country.

Because, when you leave your home country, your health insurance from home might not travel with you. Medicare never covers you abroad. Even if your insurer from home does cover medical costs, there is likely a costly deductible.

Plus, even if your insurance from home covers medical expenses, they won’t cover evacuation costs which could be financially ruining ($100,000).

I always recommend you buy travel medical insurance when you leave your home country. It is very low cost, covers the unexpected, and could save you from financial ruin. Plus, it gives you someone to call to help arrange care and navigate foreign hospitals.

The Problem with Travel Medical Insurance & Coronavirus

When the COVID-19 outbreak started in early 2020, travel instantly fell by over 90% according to the TSA.

Due to exclusions, purchase dates, travel warnings, pre-existing conditions, and small print…many travelers were left confused about their travel insurance coverage.

For travel medical insurance, coronavirus coverage fell into 2 basic groups:

1. No coverage for coronavirus because there was a specific exclusion for pandemic.
2. Maybe coverage for coronavirus, depending on how the small print in the policy is interpreted. For example: travel to a country after a COVID-19 travel advisory was in place.

It is always better if something is specifically listed in the policy as being covered. This way you are not relying on it “not being excluded” to be covered.

How to Find a Plan That Covers Coronavirus

To find a travel medical insurance plan for coronavirus, we need to look at a few criteria:

Rule Out: Any company that specifically excludes pandemics in the policy. Exclusions like this apply to all claims related to the exclusion, so an exclusion for a pandemic would not be covered…no matter the reason.

Next Best: Any company that covers COVID-19 under their standard medical emergency coverage. Remember, travel medical insurance covers sickness, illness, accidents, etc. abroad. This would apply for coverage in the same way as an accidental slip and fall or emergency appendectomy.

However, some companies in this category have limits on coverage depending on when you travel and to which countries. For example: if you travel to a country under a travel advisory due to COVID-19, the claim could be denied.

Best Option: A company that offers “named coverage” for coronavirus. This means not only are they not excluding coronavirus, and not grouping it in with standard medical emergencies, but are specifically listing COVID-19 as being covered.

The Best Travel Medical Insurance for Coronavirus

Currently, there is only one known company offering travel medical insurance with named COVID-19 coverage.

Seven Corners is a company in Carmel, IN that, has specialized in travel medical insurance since 1993.

In early June 2020…Seven Corners introduced a line of insurance plans that have named COVID-19 coverage. This means they actually list coronavirus coverage vs. “not excluding” it.

The 3 plans from Seven Corners with COVID-19 coverage are:

• Liaison Travel Plus
• Liaison Student Plus
• Wander Frequent Traveler Plus

Liaison Travel Plus

This plan is the most popular. It is a travel medical insurance plan good for most travelers.

Highlights include:

• Specifically covers COVID-19 related claims
• There are no exclusions for pandemic or travel warnings.
• COVID-19 Treatment benefit covers up to $100,000 in medical expenses for COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2, and any mutation or variation of SARS-CoV-2.
• There’s an additional $500,000 in emergency evacuation and repatriation coverage, when medically necessary.
• Coverage available from 5 days and up to 364 days
• Worldwide coverage, and can include or exclude United States

Liaison Student Plus

This plan is similar to Liaison Travel Plus, but designed for students and faculty enrolled full-time.

Highlights include:

• Specifically covers COVID-19 related claims
• There are no exclusions for pandemic or travel warnings.
• Renewable as long as insured meets requirements
• COVID-19 Treatment benefit covers up to $100,000 in medical expenses for COVID-19, SARS-Cov-2, and any mutation or variation of SARS-CoV-2.
• Coverage available from 5 days and up to 364 days
• Worldwide coverage, and can include or exclude United States

Wander Frequent Traveler Plus

This is an annual insurance plan that covers several trips throughout the year. It is good for those taking several trips outside their home country on an annual basis

Highlights include:

• Specifically covers COVID-19 related claims
• There are no exclusions for pandemic or travel warnings.
• Full year of coverage (364 days)
• Deductible options
• Worldwide coverage, and can include or exclude United States

Frequently Asked Questions about COVID-19 Travel Medical Insurance

Disclaimer: The above links to Seven Corners are agency links, meaning I earn a commission when you purchase using that link. This does affect your cost at all. I am a licensed insurance agent, and my business operates by earning these commissions.