When to Purchase

• Your international health insurance coverage costs and duration may be based on when you are going, when you are returning, where and how you intend to travel. Many insurance companies do not offer to insure travelers whose international travel has already begun. If you are planning to be away from your home country, the time to buy travel health insurance is before travel begins. The insurance company will probably want to make sure you have a valid passport, so have your passport in order before you apply. If you have your airline or ship reservations, you can confirm your travel dates and destinations with these. If your travels require a visa, it is a good idea to obtain that also.
  
  

Fixed Plan Types

• With a fixed health insurance plan, you are usually responsible for a deductible for a claim. After you pay the deductible cost, the plan pays up to a dollar limit for medical or hospital care. This type of plan is usually less expensive to purchase than more comprehensive plans, and it may leave you with expenses to pay out of pocket. In the event you were hospitalized for three days, for example, and the plan limit was $1,000 a day, the hospital bill might be $3,000 and you would be responsible for perhaps a $100 deductible. If additional charges for doctors, medications and therapies were added to the bill, the fixed plan would not cover them, and you would be responsible.
  
  

Comprehensive Plan Types

• The plan known as comprehensive is likely to include coinsurance just as the fixed plan does, such as the $100 deductible. However, even though comprehensive plans may cost more, they can end up covering more. The coverage is usually structured on a percentage basis. If hospital and other associated charges amount to $4,000, for example, and the plan covers 80 percent, that means your total expense would be $100 plus $800, a total of $900. Some plans are structured to prevent devastating financial loss. For instance, you pay the coinsurance up to a limit, such as $5,000, and any expense above that amount is covered 100 percent to the top end of the policy limit.
  
  

Coverage Options

• Depending on where you intend to travel, you can opt for any number of variations on health insurance coverage. Medical escort services can assist travelers who have a language barrier in the country where they are visiting or who need help finding services. Some travelers visiting in one country may decide that medical services in a neighboring country are preferable and they would prefer medical treatment across a border. Transport insurance may cover this situation. Ambulance companies, including air ambulances, may be options available in international insurance plans. Other travelers may want medical evacuation services and return to the U.S. included in their international insurance plans, and these may also be available.