This coverage provides reimbursement for emergency medical and dental care in the case of sudden, unexpected illnesses or injuries during your trip.
Let us tell you a story
Susan and Richard had long planned on an African safari for their 30th wedding anniversary. When they found a safari through Zimbabwe that included the opportunity to witness a wildlife migration, they jumped at it.
While they were in Tarangire National Park photographing the big game migration, one elephant was spooked and stampeded toward the tour jeeps, slamming into the one that held Susan, Richard, and their driver. Susan was thrown from the jeep, knocking her unconscious. The driver contacted their tour operator who sent a medical transport, while Richard used the driver’s global phone to contact their travel insurance provider. The operator told Richard which medical facility had the best doctors and could care for Susan’s injuries. When the medical team arrived, they determined that Susan had a broken pelvis and several broken ribs. They transported Richard and Susan to the medical facility Richard directed them to and Susan’s injuries were treated. Without travel insurance coverage, Richard and Susan would not have known which medical facility to trust or how to cover the transportation and medical care Susan badly needed.
What does Medical/Dental Expense cover?
This coverage provides reimbursement for emergency medical and/or dental care if you experience:
- a sudden unexpected illness or injury that is either life threatening or could result in irreparable harm if left untreated, or
- an injury or infection, lost filling, or broken tooth that requires immediate treatment by a dentist.
Reasonable and customary costs generally covered include:
- services of physicians and nurses
- surgery, anesthesia, X-rays and lab costs
- local ambulance services
- prescription drugs
- prosthetics and therapeutic services and supplies
Unlike your typical health insurance at home, travel insurance reimburses you for your medical expenses while on your trip. You’ll probably still have to pay your medical bills yourself first, and then receive reimbursement from the insurance company. In some cases, a travel insurance plan can advance payment to a medical facility, but this is on a case-by-case basis and depends entirely on the travel insurance provider.
What is NOT covered?
Medical expenses resulting from the following are not covered:
- pre-existing medical conditions (see this page for more information)
- suicide or any attempt at self-destruction
- injury or illness related to alcohol or drug use
- injuries related to participation in professional, semi-professional, or amateur sports (unless specifically included in the policy coverage)
- injuries related to participation in hazardous activities such as hang-gliding, para-gliding, skiing, scuba diving, and more (unless specifically included in the policy coverage)
- cosmetic or elective treatments
- mental, nervous, or psychological disorders
- normal pregnancy, resulting childbirth, or elective abortion
Most package plans exclude coverage for dental treatment except as a result from accidental injury to an insured’s sound natural teeth which means the following are not covered:
- dental bridges, dentures, dental braces or orthodontic devices
Understanding Primary and Secondary Medical Coverage
A primary health plan is a group health, an individual health, or a governmental health plan that will act as the first payor of claims (such as Medicare or your employer-based health plan) and, as such, is your primary medical coverage.
Secondary medical coverage starts paying after primary coverage has paid its portion. This means that secondary medical coverage will pay deductibles, co-pays, and additional out-of-pocket expenses up to the policy limit.
Secondary coverage assumes there is other coverage that is considered primary. If you don’t have other medical coverage, your secondary coverage becomes primary by default.
Travel insurance plans with primary medical benefits will ask for information about your other medical insurance. This also means that they will submit your claim to your other insurance first and then process the claim as secondary coverage.
Important notes about this coverage
- You must provide information about your other health insurance even if you are traveling outside the U.S. and know you won’t have coverage
- Dental coverage is usually limited to a per-tooth maximum (typically between $100 and $250)
What type of policy covers this?
Package Plans: How much coverage does each company provide?
Policy | Company | Primary or secondary | Policy limit | Deductible |
---|---|---|---|---|
Basic | Allianz | Secondary | $10,000 | |
Classic | Allianz | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Deluxe | Allianz | Primary | $50,000 | |
Drive Protection | Allianz | Secondary | $1,000 | |
QuickTrip Protector | Allianz | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Custom | CSA | Secondary | $50,000 | |
Custom Luxe | CSA | Secondary | $250,000 | |
Essentials | Global Alert | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Global Alert Preferred | Global Alert | Secondary | $100,000 | |
Global Alert Preferred Plus | Global Alert | Secondary | $250,000 | |
TravelGap Voyager | HTH Worldwide | Secondary | $50,000-$1,000,000 | |
TravelGap Excursion | HTH Worldwide | Secondary * | $50,000-$1,000,000 | |
Trip Protector | HTH Worldwide | Secondary | $500,000 | |
Trip Protector Preferred | HTH Worldwide | Secondary | $1,000,000 | |
Advantage Asset | MH Ross | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Advantage Bridge | MH Ross | Secondary | $100,000 | |
Advantage Complete | MH Ross | Secondary | $250,000 | |
RoundTrip | Seven Corners | Secondary | $150,000 | |
RoundTrip Choice | Seven Corners | Secondary | $150,000 | |
RoundTrip Elite | Seven Corners | Secondary | $75,000 | |
Adventure Travel | Travel Guard | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Basic | Travel Guard | Secondary | $10,000 *** | $50 |
Business | Travel Guard | Secondary | $50,000 | |
Gold | Travel Guard | Primary | $50,000 | |
My Travel Guard | Travel Guard | Secondary | $25,000 | $50 |
Pack 'n Go | Travel Guard | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Platinum | Travel Guard | Primary | $10,000 | |
Savvy Traveler | Travel Guard | Secondary | $10,000 | $50 |
Silver | Travel Guard | Secondary | $15,000 | $50 |
Sportsman's | Travel Guard | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Tee, Tour, and Travel | Travel Guard | Secondary | $25,000 | |
Select Basic | Travel Insurance Services | Secondary | $10,000 | |
Select Elite | Travel Insurance Services | Secondary | $50,000 | |
Select Plus | Travel Insurance Services | Secondary | $100,000 | |
Trip Protector Lite Expanded | Travel Insured | Secondary | $10,000 | $50 |
Trip Protector Lite Expanded | Travel Insured | Secondary ** | $15,000 | $50 |
Worldwide Trip Protector | Travel Insured | Secondary ** | $50,000 | $50 |
Worldwide Trip Protector Gold | Travel Insured | Secondary ** | $50,000 | $50 |
Basic | Travelex | Primary * | $15,000 (for sickness) $15,000 (for accidents) | |
Business Traveler | Travelex | Secondary | $50,000 | |
Travel Lite | Travelex | Primary * | $15,000 (for sickness) $15,000 (for accidents) | |
Travel Max | Travelex | Primary | $100,000 | |
Travel Plus | Travelex | Primary | $75,000 | |
Travel Select | Travelex | Primary | $50,000 | |
Travel Select Advantage | Travelex | Primary | $50,000 | |
Vacation | TravelSafe | Secondary | $35,000 | |
Vacation Classic | TravelSafe | Secondary | $100,000 | |
Protect-a-Group | TravelSafe | Secondary | $100,000 |
* Plan requires you to have a primary health plan
** Optional upgrade to make this medical coverage primary.
*** Optional upgrade to add additional medical
Travel Medical Plans: How much coverage does each company provide?
Policy | Company | Primary or secondary | Policy limit | Deductible |
---|---|---|---|---|
TravMed Abroad | FrontierMEDEX | Secondary | $100,000 * | $25 |
TravMed Choice | FrontierMEDEX | Secondary | $50,000-$500,000 * | $100-$250 |
TravMed International | FrontierMEDEX | Secondary | $1,000,000 | $100-$1,000 |
TravMed Global | FrontierMEDEX | Secondary | $250,000 * | $100-$1,000 |
Diplomat America *** | Global Underwriters | Secondary | $50,000-$500,000 | $50-$5,000 |
Diplomat LT *** | Global Underwriters | Secondary | $500,000-$1,000,000 | $50-$5,000 |
Diplomat International *** | Global Underwriters | Secondary | $50,000-$1,000,000 | $0-$5,000 |
Liaison Worldwide | Seven Corners | Secondary | $50,000-$500,000 ** | $100-$2,500 |
Liaison International | Seven Corners | Primary | $50,000-$1,000,000 | $100-$2,500 |
Liaison Majestic | Seven Corners | Secondary | $60,000-$1,000,000 | $100-$2,500 |
Liaison Continent | Seven Corners | Secondary | $50,000-$1,000,000 | $100-$2,500 |
Worldwide Health | Travel Guard | Secondary | $50,000-$1,000,000 | $100-$2,500 |
InterMedical | Travel Insurance | $25,000-$100,000 | $50 | |
WorldMed | Travel Insurance | $5,000-$500,000 * | ||
Study USA | Travel Insurance | $250,000-$300,000 | ||
Visit USA | Travel Insurance | $50,000-$100,000 | ||
Atlas Travel | Travel Insured | Primary | $50,000-$1,000,000 * | $0-$2,500 |
* Less if over age 70
** Less if over age 80
*** Eligibility limited after age 59 or 69 depending on the plan
Annual Plans:How much coverage does each company provide?
Policy | Company | Primary or secondary | Policy limit | Deductible |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual Travel Protection | Allianz | Secondary | $20,000 | |
Annual Business Traveler | Allianz | Secondary | $5,000-$25,000 | |
TravelGap Multi-Trip Gold | HTH Worldwide | Secondary | $250,000 ** | |
U.S. Student Abroad | HTH Worldwide | Primary | $250,000 | |
TravelGap Multi-Trip Silver | HTH Worldwide | Secondary * | $50,000 | |
Global Citizen | HTH Worldwide | Primary | $5,000,000 | $250-$1,000 |
Global Student USA | HTH Worldwide | Primary | $250,000 | $100 |
Business Traveler | Travelex | Secondary | $50,000 | |
TravelRite | Travel Guard | Secondary | $10,000 | |
Worldwide Health International | Travel Guard | Secondary | $50,000-$1,000,000 | $100-$2,500 |
MedEvac | Travel Guard | Secondary | $50,000 |
* Plan requires you to have a primary health plan
** Less if insured is over age 70
Summary
- This coverage provides reimbursement for reasonable costs associated with emergency medical and/or dental care while traveling
- Not all medical conditions are covered with this coverage (pre-existing conditions are not)
- You must provide information about any current health coverage when you purchase your plan
- The coverage may be secondary or primary depending on the plan