How to Utilize Overseas Travel insurance for Hospitalization Abroad

Will Your Travel Insurance Cover Medical Expenses Abroad

The tourism industry is now flourishing more than ever. People all across the world had been cooped up in their houses for more than a year and now that the pandemic pause is over, they are heading out for trips and travels. Although the pandemic threat has somewhat subsided, you should still be careful of getting injured or sick while traveling. Imagine you’re stuck in a foreign country with no funds or no medical or financial help, amidst an emergency. You can save yourself from panicking during your trip by getting your trip insured. Investing in a travel insurance plan will make your journey not only safe but also hassle-free.

You might have to be hospitalized should you get sick, get injured, or have an underlying health condition during your stay in a foreign country. Moreover, if you’re traveling with kids or senior citizens, you should be even more careful and prepare yourself before you get started on your journey. One way to prepare yourself for medical risks along with other uncertainties like loss of baggage, and loss of passport is to buy a good travel insurance plan. You can contact your insurer immediately for urgent assistance in case of an emergency. Although your insurer will be more than willing to assist you in finding immediate medical help, keeping these few things in mind may help and make the process easier for you.

• Contact details of your family doctor or hospital 
• Duly filled claim form 
• Duly signed Release of Medical Information form (ROMI). This form gives your Indian doctor permission and approval to provide your medical information to your treating doctor. This is a basic form since medical details are considered confidential and sensitive, and only your signature on a ROMI form can help your treating doctor access your medical information.
• Copy of your passport and insurance
• Details of your travel insurance and health insurance policy
• Medical reports and prescriptions
• The estimated amount of medical expenses in a foreign country 

Things to Keep in Mind

You need to research travel insurance plans and choose the one that suits your needs. If you are looking for a comprehensive solution that takes care of your travel as well as medical uncertainties during the trip, you should look out for certain pointers. Here are a few things that you should keep in mind while choosing your travel insurance plan.

Emergency medical evacuation:

There could be cases where the insured person, in case of an injury or sickness, might have to be transported to a healthcare facility through the air or any other mode. Ensure that your chosen travel insurance plan provides coverage for emergency medical evacuation services. Also, check the hospital network covered by your insurance plan. It is suggested that you opt for the travel insurance plan that has a wide coverage of hospitals in its network. Moreover, most travel insurers may also provide the cost of traveling to the home country for treatment. 

Time duration:

Do you visit a particular country often or it is a yearly vacation? You can opt for multi-trip insurance coverage if the frequency of your travel is high. Choose a single trip policy if it’s a yearly vacation. It should be noted that your travel insurance will cover several medical emergencies for the period of your travel only. Your travel plans abroad will be the premise of the medical assistance that the insurer will provide.

Day care treatment:

In a foreign location, even an outpatient or day care treatment along with some diagnostic tests can run at a very high cost. If you are to shell out money because you have fallen ill during your trip, it may burn a hole in your pocket. You don’t want to ruin your overseas trip with such possibilities. So check if your travel insurance takes care of these regular non-hospitalisation related medical expenses as well, or not.

Destination cover:

Does your travel insurance plan cover your foreign country destination? Although many travel insurance policies offer global coverage, some are limited to certain geographical exclusions. Key tip: look out for sub-limits and premiums since insurers charge higher premiums for countries that are considered high-risk or volatile.

Check restrictions or exclusions:

Most travel insurance plans come with certain restrictions and exclusions. Read the terms and conditions along with the exclusions before you go on board with the travel insurance plan. Also, make sure that the exclusions mentioned are not against any of your travel needs. By doing prior research you can avoid travel risks. Choose the most lenient and comfortable policy with not too many exclusions.

Check your destination country’s requirements:

Some foreign countries have made it mandatory to travel only with travel insurance. Traveling to these countries without a travel insurance plan could be difficult. Your entry could be banned if you don’t possess travel insurance. Moreover, you also need to provide your travel insurance plans along with your visa application. Your visa application could get rejected if you don’t have a travel insurance plan.

Exclusions in an Overseas Travel Insurance Plan

• If your medical treatment is the purpose of the travel, then your medical expenses would not be covered by your insurance plan. There’s a separate travel medical insurance plan for people that are looking to travel abroad solely for the purpose of medical treatment. You can avail such a travel medical insurance plan under medical tourism.
• Any treatment that is not urgent can be delayed until the insured travels back to the host country.
• Dental procedures that can be postponed and are not urgent. 
• Treatment that takes care of birth defects or congenital anomalies (diseases present from birth)
• Hormone replacement therapy 
• Any elective treatment 

To conclude, it is always better to have a travel insurance plan ready whenever you plan to head out of the country. Your travel insurance plan will keep you stress-free by ensuring support and assistance throughout your trip. We hope this extensive guide answers all your questions on how to utilize your travel insurance for hospitalization abroad.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.