Travel Health Insurance

Travel health insurance is important to have so you can cover yourself when going out of state or the country. If you already have health insurance and aren't sure if you need to purchase travel health insurance, it's important to check the terms to see if it covers you out of state. Often, the coverage will be less if, it exists at all, and won't cover anything abroad. When people think about getting travel health insurance coverage, they usually think about getting health insurance for international travel.

It makes sense when going to a completely foreign environment that you may meet up with bugs your immune system can't handle, or drivers that differ from your opinion of how the road should be ruled. No one wants to be turned away from appropriate health care for inability to pay, especially in countries like India, where those who can pay receive superior care, and those who can't, well... don't. Even in the UK or Canada, where everyone speaks the same language (mostly) and the food looks pretty much like home, you probably will not be covered by the countries' public health care system. Health systems around the world are taxed to their limits. It's not fun to be the immigrant who can't pay, further straining the system of your host country.

And no one wants to be stuck with expensive bills as a memento of their vacation. (Speaking of host countries, if you have a host family you are probably studying abroad. You should know that many programs or countries require health insurance when international students travel.)

Don't make the mistake that you only need travel health insurance when you leave the country. Just crossing the state line can void your health insurance. Hospitals and care providers in the US are required to give you at least emergency care. Yet they're also more proficient at debt-collecting, reporting to credit bureaus and using court-action to recover amounts spent for out of state accidents, injuries and illnesses. You can get cheap travel health insurance for trips out of state, and feel comfortable knowing that you're covered should you have a problem.

If you've never purchased travel health insurance before, consider consulting a travel health insurance association to find a travel health insurance company, or to learn more options about pricing and what is considered good, poor, and necessary coverage. Sometimes your home, car or renter's insurance agent can also help you find the information you need. It is important however to be educated about how to find the right kind of travel health insurance. It's best to consult multiple sources.