Travel Health Insurance: Here’s What You Need to Know

While vacation is supposed to be a time of fun and relaxation, accidents can occur. Planning ensures you have the protection you need in case you're sick or injured during your trip.

Depending on where you are and what your primary health insurance policy covers, you might be stuck with the bill if you do end up in the hospital. For this reason, it's better to be safe than sorry, and that means considering your options for travel insurance.

If you've never thought about this type of coverage before, it can be confusing. When should you buy travel health insurance? What kind of coverage do you need? How much does it cost? Keep reading to get answers.

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What is travel health insurance?

Stethoscope and suitcase on beach by the sea.

Travel health insurance can help you pay for emergency medical expenses that arise when you're on a trip, such as if you become ill or experience an injury and need to go to the hospital.

Even if you have a U.S. health insurance plan, most provide little or no coverage abroad. Medicare does not provide coverage abroad either.

Here's what travel health insurance covers:

Emergency medical expenses: ambulance service, doctor and hospital bills, X-rays, etc.
Medical evacuation
Prescription medications
24-hour assistance services
Accidental death and dismemberment

Travel health insurance doesn't cover expenses incurred as a result of routine medical exams, elective care, extreme sport injuries or intoxication.

Typically, pre-existing conditions are also not covered, unless you qualify for a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver.

You can choose from a number of policy types when deciding on a travel health insurance policy.

Single-trip coverage: As the name suggests, a single-trip insurance policy provides coverage for a single trip, from the time you leave to the time you return.
Multitrip coverage: Also called annual trip insurance, multi-trip coverage covers all trips in a calendar year, as long as each trip doesn't exceed a certain number of days.
Primary coverage: Your travel health insurance will pay out before any other health insurance you have.
Secondary coverage: Claims are first filed with your existing health insurance provider. If your U.S. health plan doesn't provide coverage overseas or cannot cover all expenses, then you'll file a claim with your travel insurance company.

When should you get travel health insurance?

The short answer is almost any time you're traveling abroad when your primary health insurance won't cover you. Approximately one in four people have had medical issues that required care while traveling abroad, according to a survey from GeoBlue.

At the same time, the study found that 76% of consumers either don't know how they'd pay for medical treatment abroad or likely won't have adequate coverage, and 46% expect to use their existing domestic health insurance plan.

If you intend to travel outside the U.S., it's a good idea to purchase some form of travel health insurance, even if you're in good health. This way, you're not stuck paying medical costs up-front in the case of an accident or emergency, since most U.S. health insurance policies don't provide coverage abroad.

You might also consider opting for a comprehensive health insurance policy, which also offers trip cancellation, lost luggage and trip delay coverage, but it'll cost more.

Many of these benefits also come with premium travel credit cards. Check out our article on credit cards with travel insurance to learn more.

UnitedHealthcare recommends travel health insurance for all travelers, particularly:

Families with children
Anyone visiting a country that speaks a different language
People with chronic conditions
Solo travelers
Travelers to a remote location

How much does travel health insurance cost?

Insurance costs depend on several factors, including the country you're visiting, how old you are, deductible amounts and how much coverage you'll need.

How much you pay also depends on whether you're opting for individual coverage or need coverage for family members traveling with you, such as your spouse or kids.

Policies average from $40 to $80, according to Travelers.com, but higher coverage limits and longer coverage terms typically increase the cost of the policy.

The average price for a stand-alone travel health insurance policy is a bit higher than this estimate, at $97, according to SquareMouth Travel Insurance.

The bottom line on travel health insurance

When planning a trip, travel health insurance can provide valuable peace of mind, covering unexpected medical expenses that your regular health insurance might not.

Before purchasing, carefully review the policy details, including coverage limits, exclusions and whether pre-existing conditions are covered.

With the right preparation, you can explore the world confidently, knowing you're protected if the unexpected happens.

Erin pairs personal experience with research and is passionate about sharing personal finance advice with others. Previously, she was a freelancer focusing on the credit card side of finance, but has branched out since then to cover other aspects of personal finance. Erin is well-versed in traditional media with reporting, interviewing and research, as well as using graphic design and video and audio storytelling to share with her readers.