Some health insurance carriers in the U.S. do provide some level of coverage for medical emergencies that occur while traveling abroad. It’s important for travelers to carefully examine their current health insurance coverage against their planned itinerary to determine which medical services, if any, will be covered if you get into an accident or become ill while traveling outside the U.S.

The following are the things to consider:

• exclusions for pre-existing medical conditions
• out-of-network policy services
• coverage for pregnancy complications
• exclusions for high-risk activities such as SCUBA diving and mountain climbing
• exclusions for injuries due to terrorist attacks or acts of war
• whether pre-authorization is necessary for treatment
• whether a second opinion is required for emergency treatment

Another consideration is whether there is a toll-free number the traveler can call 24-hours a day for plan information and/or to speak to a representative.

While Medicare and Medicaid will not cover services outside the U.S., some traveler insured by more liberal plans may find that they have some coverage available outside the country.

Typically, even if you are covered abroad, you’ll have to pay for your care out of pocket and submit a claim with the receipts and medical records for reimbursement. That being said, an injured or ill traveler should not wait to contact their health insurance provider until after they return. The sooner you can get in touch and let them know that you are in trouble, the better.

Yes, and no. If you have a travel insurance plan with trip interruption protection and your ‘getting sick’ is being hospitalized due to a heart attack, then that’s a covered reason to head home early.

Any unexpected illness or injury that causes an attending medical doctor to advise you to return home is covered. (Be sure to get that in writing – you’ll need it for the travel insurance claim.)

Trip interruption coverage reimburses a traveler up to 150% of their unused pre-paid trip costs if they have to end their trip and return home for a covered reason. This is post-departure trip cancellation coverage that allows for additional reimbursement to cover the costs resulting from the purchase of additional tickets to return home.

What are the covered reasons for abandoning a trip?

The covered reasons for trip interruption are usually the same as trip cancellation in any travel insurance policy. These covered reasons usually include:

• Illness, injury, or death of you, a traveling companion, a family member or business partner (be sure to review the definitions of ‘family member’ and ‘business partner’ in the plan’s description of coverage).
• Common carrier delays due to severe weather, mechanical breakdown, and unannounced strikes.
• Being involved in a documented traffic accident, being hijacked, being quarantined, being required to serve on a jury or appear in court (be sure to review the definitions in the plan’s description of coverage).
• Having your home destroyed by fire, flood, natural disaster.
• Mandatory evacuations.
• Being called into active military service to provide disaster relief.
• A terrorist act occurs in your departure city or city you will visit on your trip.
• Being laid off or terminated from your employment (minimum employment length applies).

If you simply don’t feel good or find yourself bored, not having a good time, or just wanting to head home early, those are not covered reasons to cancel your trip and return early.

First, let’s take a look at what exactly are your winter travel risks. Winter storms are not generally predictable more than a week in advance (neither are summer storms, in fact), so travelers need to plan ahead to avoid spending the night crammed in an airport chair (those don’t recline you know). Travelers also have to prepare ahead to avoid forfeiting their entire vacation deposit because they are stranded due to flight cancellations during a storm.

Every year, winter blizzards and snow storms cause thousands of travelers to endure flight cancellations, delays, and mishandled luggage. According to the U.S. Weather Service, this winter is expected to be significantly colder and wetter than usual.

So when winter weather impacts a vacation or business trip, it’s helpful to have these travel insurance coverage benefits on hand to cover the following risks:

• Missed nights. Ski resorts and hotels will not usually refund your deposit for late arrivals or cancellations. Travel insurance will reimburse you for those lost non refundable costs if the trip is delayed or interrupted due to heavy snow or closed roads. If the airport is closed and you can’t arrive on time, travel insurance will refund you for your lost nights and help you find and pay for a hotel where you can wait out the delay.
• Flight cancellations. When the airlines cancel flights due to weather, they are no longer responsible for what happens to you. Their only job is to reschedule your flight and allow you to rebook. Travel insurance will reimburse you for the unused portion of your air ticket, letting you rebook at your convenience.
• Travel alternatives. If flights are grounded, you may be competing with hundreds – even thousands – of other travelers who all want the same thing at the same time – nearby hotel rooms and rescheduled flights. Calling your travel insurance assistance services team can help you locate and reserve hotel accommodations ahead of the pack. They can also find alternative transportation and reschedule your flights if your trip is disrupted due to severe weather.
• Unexpected costs. When you have to overnight in a hotel because your flight is cancelled, that’s just one of the  unexpected expenses you’ll face. There is also taxi costs, meal costs, and more. With travel insurance, you’ll have a daily reimbursement for those costs if your trip is interrupted or delayed by a winter storm.

To be sure you are protected on your winter trips, we recommend the following:

1. Purchase your trip insurance soon after paying for your trip. Many policies waive pre-existing medical conditions when you purchase the plan within a certain number of days of booking your trip, so don’t wait.
2. Print an extra copy of your travel vouchers, receipts, and confirmations in case you need to file a claim.
3. Read the policy when it comes in so you know what’s covered. All policies have a review period (usually 10-14 days) in which you can make changes or cancel your policy.
4. Keep a copy of your policy with you and record the toll free number in your phone so it’s handy when you need to call it on your trip.
5. Be sure to get written proof that your trip is delayed or cancelled due to bad weather. Airlines routinely provide this documentation upon request.