Filed under Travel Tips
Travel insurance is coverage designed to protect against risks and financial losses that could happen while traveling. The risks range from minor inconveniences such as missed airline connections and delayed luggage all the way to more serious issues including injuries or major illness.
When you’re traveling, whether for business or pleasure, it’s important to have travel insurance. If something goes wrong – like your flight is canceled or your luggage is lost – travel insurance can help you recover the costs. This is why you need travel insurance and how it can protect you while you’re on the road.
A lot of people don’t think they need travel insurance because they have a credit card. They figure that if something happens while they’re on vacation, their credit card will protect them. This isn’t always the case. In fact, credit cards often have a very limited amount of coverage when it comes to travel accidents and emergencies. If you want to be sure that you’re protected while you’re on vacation, you need to buy travel insurance.
Travel insurance for the United States is a necessity for all travelers, as U.S. healthcare costs are the highest in the world.
If you can afford to lose the money, don’t buy the insurance. Travel insurance is best when your pre-paid and non-refundable expenses are more than you are willing to lose. If you only have a few hundred dollars at risk, you can afford to “self-insure” this risk.
Many people traveling from countries where healthcare cost is cheap are used to paying out of their pocket, even for major surgeries, and may simply not realize how expensive the treatment could be. Unlike many countries, the United States has no set or fixed prices for various medical procedures. A simple visit to the emergency room could cost a few thousand dollars. A surgery may cost $10,000 or $85,000. Few days’ hospital stay could run up the bill from $30,000 to $90,000.
Generally, most domestic health insurance policies are not accepted abroad, so there is a benefit to purchasing travel medical insurance as a supplement to your health insurance coverage. The travel medical coverage is only valid while you’re traveling.
All travel insurance for the United States is not alike. Even though there are similarities, there may be a lot of differences. Therefore, it is best to get various quotes from a comparison website such as This One, compare the plans side by side and make a purchase. For any questions, you can discuss with a U.S.-based licensed insurance agent to help you select the travel insurance plan most suitable for your specific needs.