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Medical Travel Insurance Finder
Compare medical travel insurance plans that cover your medical expenses if you get sick overseas.
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While medical expenses are generally covered by most travel insurance policies, travel medical insurance is specifically designed for travelers with health concerns — and who may need emergency medical assistance while overseas.
What is medical travel insurance?
Medical travel insurance coverage is tailored to travelers with health conditions. It offers coverage for emergency medical and hospital expenses, as well as medical evacuation services to the closest hospital or a hospital of your choosing.
What does medical travel insurance cover?
Medical travel insurance typically covers health-related expenses, such as:
- Hospital stays (up to a specified limit)
- Intensive care costs
- Local ambulance services
- Emergency room costs
- Prescription drugs
- Treatment costs — if you don’t need to be admitted to a medical facility
- Emergency dental treatment and surgical procedures for damaged or lost teeth due to an accident
- Emergency medical evacuation to the nearest medical facility. It also covers your return trip back to your vacation destination or home country.
- Transportation and lodging required as part of your medical evacuation.
- 24-hour assistance and referrals to medical and dental facilities wherever you are in the world
- Medical repatriation costs
If you pay out of pocket, travel medical insurance policies can also reimburse you for medical bills incurred while traveling.
How does emergency medical evacuation cover work?
Emergency medical evacuation, or medevac, provides transportation from one hospital to the next if you’re injured or sick. Medevac is only provided for covered injuries and illness if the transferring hospital doesn’t offer the course of treatment needed for proper care and recovery. Medical evacuation also covers transportation back to your home country if you need more treatment.
- Medical evacuation coverage is ideal if you are traveling to a country or region where the medical treatment is scarce or not of a high standard.
- Evacuation to the nearest facility or a hospital of your choice in your home country.
- Repatriation back to your home country.
- Emergency reunion with a family member or friend.
- Luggage lost while you are ill or injured.
What is medical repatriation?
If you’re can’t finish your trip abroad because of sickness or injury, medical repatriation will pay for your trip home so you can continue having your treatment here.
Medical repatriation covers:
- Medical service
- Medical treatment
- Transportation home
- Medical supplies needed for your repatriation
Some policies also pay for repatriation of remains, which means your body will be sent home if you pass away as a result of a medical emergency while traveling.
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What’s not covered by medical travel insurance?
The policy has its limitations. The most common exclusions are:
- Loss, illness or injury suffered while participating in an unlawful act.
- Loss due to psychological, mental or nervous disorders, including anxiety, psychosis, depression or neurosis.
- Injury from extreme high-risk sports like scuba-diving, skydiving, skiing and bungee jumping.
- The cost of a trip that was designated to receive medical treatment outside of your home country, also known as medical tourism.
- Loss due to pregnancy (except complications caused by pregnancy), AIDS, abortion or venereal disease.
- Travel medical insurance will also not provide coverage for childbirth, artificial insemination, birth control, sterilization or reversal of the procedure or treatment for impotency or infertility.
- Routine physical exams and immunizations.
- Joint treatment, unless expressly stated in your certificate of insurance.
- Elective surgeries or treatment, experimental, or investigational procedures for research.
Can I add on other travel insurance coverage?
Yes. Most medical travel insurance policies offer these features — either as built-in benefits or add-ons:
- Lost luggage. Provides a benefit for lost, damaged or or stolen luggage and other personal effects.
- Terrorism. Provides coverage if you become injured or ill as a result of an act of terrorism that you weren’t directly involved in.
- Sports and activities. Provides coverage if you’re injured from any activities for leisure, entertainment, recreation or fitness.
- Trip cancellation, delay, or interruption. If you need to return home due to the death of an immediate family member, destruction of your home or if there is a break-in at your home. he cost of a one-way flight or ground transportation back home is covered.
- Pre-existing condition. Provides coverage if there’s an unexpected recurrence of a pre-existing condition and you need of medical evacuation.
- Accidental death and dismemberment. Offered by most companies as an additional benefit in the event of an accidental death or the loss of a limb during the period of your coverage.
- Stolen passport/visa. Provides coverage in the event that your passport is lost, stolen or damaged
Can I get a medical travel insurance policy if I have a pre-existing condition?
Generally, no. Most travel insurance companies don’t want to cover medical conditions that you already have.
However, some insurers offer a “pre-existing condition waiver” for an extra fee. This add-on covers you if your condition worsens or recurs and interrupts your trip. You’ll typically need to prove your diagnosis in order to apply.
How does the pre-existing condition waiver work?
When you make your claim, the insurance company will go over your medical records to determine when the medical condition started. This review is known as a look-back period — and most insurance company will go as far back as 180 days.
Bottom line
If you’re dealing with a recurring illness or health condition, it’s worth looking into medical travel insurance for your next trip. That way, if your condition flares up, your coverage will kick in to cover a larger portion of the medical costs.
To get the best coverage at the lowest price, compare travel insurance companies.
Frequently asked questions about medical travel insurance
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Ask an Expert
Can you help me find travel insurance that provides coverage at 27 week’s pregnancy? I know there are some Australian options but I don’t see any for US citizens. Thank you!
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your inquiry.
Yes, pregnancy is usually not covered by travel insurance brands. Although if you’d like to get covered and your insurer would allow it, you may have to add that to your policy and need to pay for an additional cost. You may check your options for travel insurance. You can contact the insurer to confirm if they can add your condition to the policy.
Best,
May