by Grace Gosnell, Scoop Health Marketing Director
I was traveling through Europe recently and started talking with a group of women I met on a tour. They were talking about their travel insurance and health insurance and what would happen if one of them got sick or injured. And as I listened to them talk, it was very clear that none of them were quite sure which covered what, if anything at all with regards to their health.
So today I wanted to touch on this topic. Does health insurance still work if you’re traveling around the country or even the world?
The short answer to the question on the table is “maybe”. Generally speaking, if you’re traveling around the US and have traditional health insurance, then yes, you may be covered. However, and this is a big one, you’ll likely find yourself out of network with your insurance company. That means that unless you’re getting emergency care, you will likely find yourself paying out of network copays, coinsurance, and deductibles. And if you’re not familiar with that, those amounts are often at least double your in network rates are.
So if you’re someone who travels frequently for work or maybe have made the decision as a family to take life on the road, this is something to be very aware of.
Now let’s talk about international travel. Your average health insurance plan isn’t portable overseas. If you get stuck in a healthcare bind, you’ll likely be stuck paying those bills yourself. If you’re electing to purchase a general travel insurance plan, make sure you read all of the fine print and are aware of the limitations and maximums of allowable coverage – some may be a bit lower than what you’re expecting. For example, a popular travel insurance company, Allianz, offers $50,000 of emergency transportation coverage and only $10,000 for emergency medical coverage on their general travel insurance plan that’s good for one trip. $10,000 always sounds like a lot until you’re in the middle of a bad situation. For me personally, I’d opt to add on additional coverage there.
One other option for people who travel quite a lot would be replacing their health insurance with Medical Cost Sharing. It’s a great solution for people who consider themselves generally healthy. Because medical cost sharing doesn’t require that people stay within a specific network of providers, you can be free to get healthcare anywhere you find yourself without the worry or expense of being out of network. This even extends to international travel. I’ve even personally used it abroad in Canada when I tore an ACL skiing and required an emergency room visit. Medical Cost Sharing is also about 30-50% less than traditional insurance so it could even save you a little money that you could put towards your next family adventure.
For more information or to ask questions, contact us!
