How travel medical insurance works and why it's so important
Whether you have private health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid, you probably won't be covered overseas. That's one way that travel insurance can be a lifesaver: A good policy will cover your doctor's bills, hospital stay, prescriptions and even medical evacuation if you need to be flown somewhere for treatment. There are countries that require proof of medical coverage before you'll be issued a visa, including Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
Here's what to know about travel medical insurance, including what it covers, how much it costs and which companies have the best policies.
Travel medical insurance pays for emergency health care while you're abroad, including doctor's visits, lab tests, hospital stays and ambulance services.
Travel medical coverage can also include:
Coverage is included in standard travel policies, but you can also buy standalone plans.
A plan with primary medical coverage will pay out before you need to submit claims to any other applicable health insurance you may have, while a secondary plan requires you to file with your primary carrier first.
Travel medical coverage is often part of a comprehensive travel policy that also includes reimbursement for trip cancellation, lost bags and other situations. Travel insurance policies average between 4% and 10% of your trip's total nonrefundable costs, although the price will vary based on your age, destination, trip length and any add-ons you buy.
A standalone travel medical policy is almost always less expensive than a comprehensive policy. For a 30-year-old taking a one-week trip to the United Kingdom, a travel medical plan from IMG costs an average of $19, while a comprehensive travel plan runs about $74.
Existing health issues are usually not covered by travel insurance unless you have a pre-existing condition waiver. To get one you must insure 100% of your nonrefundable trip costs and be medically able to travel at the time of departure. You must also buy your policy within 14 to 21 days of booking, depending on the insurer. Certain medical conditions, including pregnancy, dementia, mental health issues and substance abuse, are typically not covered by a waiver.
Your policy should have at least $250,000 in emergency medical coverage, although the amount can depend on a variety of factors, including:
If you have health insurance through your employer, review your policy. A few plans include some overseas coverage, which can affect how much you need and whether it should be primary or secondary.
You can buy a policy that only covers health-related expenses when you're traveling. While it won't cover canceled flights, lost luggage or missed connections, it's cheaper than comprehensive travel insurance and it might come with higher limits. If you book your trip with a credit card, it may come with some travel insurance benefits but many don't include medical benefits. Read your policies and terms to see what's included.
You may also be able to get a standalone travel medical plan from your health insurance provider. United Healthcare's SafeTrip and Blue Cross Blue Shield's GeoBlue both have up to $1 million in medical coverage, for example, with no deductible.
UnitedHealthcare's SafeTrip program offers standalone travel medical insurance, along with comprehensive travel insurance plans. Plans are available for travelers to than 150 countries worldwide.
Medical policies are available with up to $1 million in coverage with no deductible.
GeoBlue offers single-trip and multi-trip travel medical policies with worldwide access to telemedicine and no waiver needed for pre-existing conditions, as long as you have an underlying U.S. health care plan.
Policies are available with up to $1 million in medical coverage.
CNBC Select picked the best travel insurance for medical coverage in a variety of categories.
Essential, Advantage and Ultimate policies plus last-minute Travel Med Go plan and standalone plans for emergency medical and flight coverage. Upgrades include rental car, pet and adventure activities coverage
Upgrade with Ultimate plan covering 75% of nonrefundable trip costs if purchased within 21 days of initial deposit and 31 days of departure.
Included with Ultimate plan if purchased within 21 days of initial deposit
Who's this for? Travelex's Ultimate plan strikes a balance between affordability and generous coverage limits. And for each insured adult, Travelex include free coverage for one child 17 or under.
Standout benefits: Travelex has a wide window for getting a pre-existing condition waiver, allowing buyers to qualify up to 21 days after booking their trip.
IMG has a variety of policies available at different coverage levels, including standard travel insurance, travel medical insurance and international health insurance for expats. It also offers coverage for mental health services, which is uncommon in the industry.
Up to 75% reimbursement for nonrefundable trip costs if purchased within 20 days of your initial trip deposit.
Available if policy is purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit.
Who's this for? IMG's LX policy provides robust but affordable travel medical coverage. It comes with:
Standout benefits: IMG also offers health insurance for expats with longer coverage terms than standard travel policies.
Single-trip and multi-trip/annual policies and cruise insurance. Add-ons include Cancel for Any Reason coverage and a travel inconvenience benefit
Add-on to Worldwide Trip Protector Deluxe or Platinum plan that reimburses 75% of nonrefundable costs when purchased within 21 days of initial trip payment
Available if policy is purchased within 21 days of initial trip deposit.
Who's this for? Travel Insured International's World Trip Protector Platinum plan reimburses up to:
Standout benefits: While some insurers don't cover dental expenses, Travel Insured International will cover them up to $750.
Seven Corners offers single-trip, annual and student plans and travel medical insurance. Optional add-ons include Cancel For Any Reason and Interruption for Any Reason (IFAR) coverage and protection for rental cars, sports equipment and event tickets.
Reimburses up to 75% of nonrefundable trip costs if purchased within 21 days of booking.
Available with Trip Protection Choice plan if bought within 20 days of initial deposit
Who's this for? Seven Corners gives travelers 20 days from booking to buy coverage that includes a waiver for pre-existing conditions. That gives you a lot more wiggle room than many other providers.
Standout benefits: Seven Corners also offers travel insurance for groups and annual plans for multiple trips.
SquareMouth is a travel insurance marketplace that allows you can compare top-rated providers, including Berkshire Hathaway, Nationwide, Seven Corners and Tin Leg.
Yes
Read our SquareMouth travel insurance review
Who's this for? Squaremouth provides price quotes from dozens of providers instantly, allowing you to choose the one that offers the most bang for your buck.
Standout benefits: Squaremouth's money-back policy lets you get a full refund within 14 days of purchase, provided you haven't departed or filed a claim yet. If you have a complaint with the handling of your claim, Squaremouth's Zero Complaint Guarantee means it will mediate with the provider on your behalf. If the issue isn't resolved to Squaremouth's satisfaction, it will remove the provider from its platform.
If you are buying a comprehensive travel insurance policy, look for one that offers at least $250,000 in emergency medical coverage. If you are older, have existing health conditions or plan to engage in high-risk activities, you may want to increase that amount.
While most credit cards have some form of travel insurance, many don't include medical coverage. Among those that do, we like Chase Sapphire Reserve and The Platinum Card® from American Express. Check with your credit card provider to find out more about its travel medical benefits.
Travel medical insurance is a worthwhile investment if your private health insurance doesn't reimburse for illnesses, injuries or evacuation overseas. (If you're enrolled in Medicaid or Medicare, you most likely won't be covered abroad.)
In addition, if you are traveling to a developing nation or a remote area, a travel medical policy can reimburse you for the cost of being evacuated to a place with adequate services or even back home.
Money matters — so make the most of it. Get expert tips, strategies, news and everything else you need to maximize your money, right to your inbox. Sign up here.
At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every travel insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of travel insurance products. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics.
CNBC Select analyzed more than two dozen U.S. travel insurance companies, focusing on cost, limits for medical coverage and availability of waivers for pre-existing conditions.
We based our selections on a quote for a 30-year-old traveler visiting the United Kingdom for a one-week trip with $2,000 in nonrefundable expenses.
We also considered CNBC Select audience data when available, such as general demographics and engagement with our content and tools.
Based on these criteria, our picks for best medical travel coverage are:
Best comprehensive travel insurance: Travel Insured InternationalBest standalone travel medical insurance: IMGBest for high coverage limits: TravelexBest for pre-existing conditions: Seven CornersBest travel insurance marketplace: Squaremouth
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Exclusive: HHS watchdog finds more than $16B in health savings
The Department of Health and Human Services' watchdog identified more than $16 billion in overpayments, fraudulent billings and possible cost savings in health programs over a half year spanning the Biden and Trump administrations, including more than $3.5 billion to be returned to the government. Why it matters: The semiannual summary, first shared publicly to Axios, comes as the Trump administration says it's prioritizing government efficiency and rooting out waste, fraud and abuse. It reflects growing concern over federal payments to Medicare Advantage plans, along with enforcement actions like McKinsey agreeing to pay $650 million to settle charges that its advice caused Purdue Pharma to submit fraudulent claims stemming from the opioid crisis. The report was sent to Congress late Friday. By the numbers: The HHS Office of Inspector General identified $16.6 billion in real and potential savings from October 2024 through March of this year. The office's investigations identified $3.5 billion in funds due back to the federal government, and its audits found another $451 million that the government will recoup. More than $12 billion in potential cost savings were identified if HHS makes recommended policy changes. The office issued 165 recommendations over the six months. In one example, OIG found that Medicare could have saved $7.7 billion if it lowered payments for swing beds at critical access hospitals so that they match skilled nursing facilities. The change would require action from Congress, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said it didn't agree with the recommendation. Nearly 400 civil actions, including settlements, resulted from OIG's work during the period. OIG says its work returned $11 to the federal government for each $1 invested in its office. "Whether it's us, whether it's [the Government Accountability Office], whether it's DOGE, whether it's state auditors, there's always a need for program integrity and oversight," said John Hagg, assistant inspector general in the IG's office of audit services. Zoom in: OIG over the six months covered in the report continued its investigations that raise concerns over improper payments in Medicare Advantage. OIG found that many patient diagnoses reported by privately run Medicare plans were supported only through health risk assessments. That allowed plans to be paid more to care for sicker, more expensive patients without enough supporting documentation, raising questions about their validity, per OIG. OIG recommended that Medicare further restrict plans' abilities to get higher payments based on diagnoses reported only on in-home health risk assessments in order to save an estimated $4.2 billion for Medicare. The office plans to do more work on Medicare Advantage in the near future, Melicia Seay, assistant inspector general in the office of evaluation and inspection, told Axios. "There's a lot of areas in terms of Medicare Advantage that we're exploring, whether it is the payment policy related to the program, the service delivery, quality of care," she said. Catch up quick: President Trump in January abruptly fired several agency inspectors general, including longtime HHS watchdog Christi Grimm. He claimed that"some were not doing their job."
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Absolute Disaster:' Senate Dems Take Aim At Trump's Tax Bill
Senate Democrats laid into President Donald Trump's sweeping tax bill on Sunday, emphasizing the impact it is poised to make on millions of Americans on Medicaid. 'This Republican budget bill is an absolute disaster for the country, in particular for middle-class and poor people,' Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said in an interview on CNN's State of the Union, noting that it seeks to pay for tax cuts by curbing spending on social programs. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) echoed these concerns in an interview on NBC News's Meet the Press, stressing that 'Republicans are trying to push forward this big ugly bill that's going to literally cut as many as seven million Americans off of their healthcare.' Murphy and Warnock's statements come as Republicans' massive tax and spending bill heads to the Senate, where it's likely to face staunch Democratic opposition as well as GOP dissent. The bill slashes spending on social programs like SNAP and Medicaid, while proposing trillions in tax cuts and billions in investments to strengthen border security. According to an initial analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, it would push 7.6 million people off Medicaid, in part by making it more difficult to qualify for the program. One way it does so is by imposing a new work requirement, which would force many able-bodied recipients to prove that they've worked, volunteered or attended a training program to obtain Medicaid coverage. Warnock stressed that a similar policy in Georgia has added new barriers for people in need of healthcare. This 'work reporting requirement is very good at kicking people off of their health care,' he said. 'It's not very good at incentivizing work at all.' Earlier this May, House Republicans narrowly passed the bill by just one vote. It'll take a simple majority – which Republicans have – to advance again in the Senate, though some GOP lawmakers have said they'd like to make changes of their own to tax and Medicaid provisions. GOP Senators like Rick Scott (R-FL) have also raised concerns about how the bill could add to the federal debt, an issue Murphy alluded to as well on Sunday. 'It's just unreal the amount of gaslighting this administration is doing,' Murphy said, while referring to the White House's claims that the legislation won't alter the deficit at all.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Absolute Disaster:' Senate Dems Take Aim At Trump's Tax Bill
Senate Democrats laid into President Donald Trump's sweeping tax bill on Sunday, emphasizing the impact it is poised to make on millions of Americans on Medicaid. 'This Republican budget bill is an absolute disaster for the country, in particular for middle-class and poor people,' Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said in an interview on CNN's State of the Union, noting that it seeks to pay for tax cuts by curbing spending on social programs. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) echoed these concerns in an interview on NBC News's Meet the Press, stressing that 'Republicans are trying to push forward this big ugly bill that's going to literally cut as many as seven million Americans off of their healthcare.' Murphy and Warnock's statements come as Republicans' massive tax and spending bill heads to the Senate, where it's likely to face staunch Democratic opposition as well as GOP dissent. The bill slashes spending on social programs like SNAP and Medicaid, while proposing trillions in tax cuts and billions in investments to strengthen border security. According to an initial analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, it would push 7.6 million people off Medicaid, in part by making it more difficult to qualify for the program. One way it does so is by imposing a new work requirement, which would force many able-bodied recipients to prove that they've worked, volunteered or attended a training program to obtain Medicaid coverage. Warnock stressed that a similar policy in Georgia has added new barriers for people in need of healthcare. This 'work reporting requirement is very good at kicking people off of their health care,' he said. 'It's not very good at incentivizing work at all.' Earlier this May, House Republicans narrowly passed the bill by just one vote. It'll take a simple majority – which Republicans have – to advance again in the Senate, though some GOP lawmakers have said they'd like to make changes of their own to tax and Medicaid provisions. GOP Senators like Rick Scott (R-FL) have also raised concerns about how the bill could add to the federal debt, an issue Murphy alluded to as well on Sunday. 'It's just unreal the amount of gaslighting this administration is doing,' Murphy said, while referring to the White House's claims that the legislation won't alter the deficit at all.
