Summary: Comprehensive international travel health insurance for U.S. citizens and foreign nationals.
Best for: Extended travel (up to 3 and 5 years), expats living abroad, and immigrants coming to the U.S.
Extras: Optional coverage and upgrades are available for specific types of travelers, such as athletes, adventurers, and travelers who need to occasionally return home.
Features
US-style health insurance while abroad
When you leave your home country, your health insurance may or may not follow you. In the case of Medicare, it definitely does not cover you. If you do have coverage in a foreign country, it may be limited and may not provide transportation back home.
The coverage in long-term major medical travel insurance plans is much like what you’ll find in your health insurance back home.
- Doctor visits
- Preventative care
- Diagnostic tests
- Hospital stays
- Emergency medical treatment
- Prescription drugs
Some plans include preventative and emergency dental care in their coverage, and some plans have an optional dental rider instead.
Additional benefits for travelers
In addition, these plans typically include additional features such as:
- Medical evacuations
- Repatriation
- Accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D)
- Term life benefits
Optional riders for specific needs and activities
A number of optional riders are available for those purchasing long-term major medical travel insurance, including:
- Pre-existing condition exclusion waivers
- Athletic and sports coverage for participation in team/contact sports
- Home country coverage for occasional trips to the traveler’s home country
- Hazardous activity coverage for scuba diving, skiing, mountain climbing, sky diving, etc.
Factors that Affect Plan Cost
Factors that affect the pricing on long-term major medical plans include:
- Policy maximum choice
- Traveler’s age
- Deductible choice (deductible options can vary widely from $0 – $5,000)
- Destination (some plans define regions that are considered more dangerous and therefore increase the plan cost)
