Medical Tourism Travel Insurance

As health care costs in the U.S. and Canada continue to rise, some people are seeking medical care abroad – as medical tourists. This type of travel insurance protects medical tourists from unexpected financial losses on a covered trip.

Contents (click to jump down) What makes medical tourism travel insurance unique? Why would you need this type of travel insurance? What coverage is included in medical tourism travel insurance? Who should buy this travel insurance? How much does this travel insurance cost? Where should you buy this travel insurance? Which companies offer medical tourism travel insurance plans? Summary

What makes medical tourism travel insurance unique?

A growing number of people are seeking medical care outside the borders in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and others. In most cases, the traveler has pre-paid for their medical treatment, but if they experience medical complications, or have to cancel their trip, this coverage will help them recover their costs and avoid unexpected high medical expenses.

Why would you need this type of travel insurance?

• You have pre-paid for medical treatment and want protection against the high costs due to medical complications.
• You have pre-paid for your trip costs (air fare, lodging, etc.) and want to protect your financial investment in case the trip is cancelled for a covered reason.
• You want evacuation coverage in case you have to be evacuated to another medical facility.
• You want travel medical coverage for incidents unrelated to your medical treatment.

What coverage is included in medical tourism travel insurance?

Only a single plan offers medical tourism travel coverage and that plan includes:

• Coverage for for medical expenses due to complications that result from your treatment
• Coverage for trip cancellations if the treatment or trip is cancelled for a covered reason
• Coverage for evacuations if you must be evacuated to another medical facility
• Coverage for unexpected medical costs not related to your treatment
• Coverage for flight accidents while on a covered trip
• Travel delays, missed connections, and lost luggage coverage are also included

Who should buy this travel insurance?

Travelers like these should purchase medical tourism travel insurance:

• Travelers seeking medical care abroad and want protection for their pre-paid costs and to guard against unexpected medical costs. A growing segment of the health care market is medical tourism and people in the U.S. and Canada who are seeking medical care abroad need protection against unexpected costs due to medical complications, trip cancellations, and more.

How much does this travel insurance cost?

Medical Tourism insurance is highly unique travel insurance and the factors that affect cost are varied. The factors that affect premium cost include:

• Choice of medical complication benefit
• Cost of pre-paid medical treatment
• Total trip costs

For a medical tourism trip with these costs:

• Total trip costs: $4,500-$5,000
• Scheduled medical treatment costs: $2,500-$5,000
• Medical complication maximum: $10,000

The premium would be $466.

See also:

• 4 Steps to 100% confidence in your travel insurance plan

Where should you buy this travel insurance?

You have two options for buying travel insurance – the best option is to compare plans from all companies, get quotes, and purchase your travel insurance plan online:

1. Compare plans from all companies: Compare travel insurance plans from all companies, get quotes, and buy online.
2. Quote and buy direct: Review the travel insurance companies and plans and purchase directly from the company.

All travel insurance companies include a free look period with a refund that lets you review the plan documentation. If you decide you need something a little different, you can make changes to your policy or cancel it for a refund (minus a small fee).

Summary

• Medical Tourism plans are highly unique plans customized to very specific traveler circumstances
• Very few insurance companies offer coverage for medical tourism
• Choose your medical benefit amount carefully