Travel Insurance Dilemma Solved
A woman and her husband are frequent travellers. In fact, they regularly travel for months each year. They know all too well how important it is to get a travel insurance to cover medical emergencies that may occur outside of their home province or elsewhere in a foreign territory. The problem is they have heard too much and fear they might not get what they initially signed up for. Is there a way to receive proper coverage?
Word to the Wise: Travel Insurance Buying Tips
Your future is a lot less troubling if you seriously consider getting a travel insurance before an impending trip. Avoid making a last-minute purchase, according to experts. Mull over your choices and weigh out all available options. One wrong move will cost you more than just your finances.
What can invalidate your travel insurance policy is a deliberate effort to mislead your travel insurance provider by either providing wrong answers to your application questionnaire or refusing to disclose salient details about your health.
Reassuring the public, experts from the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada say that 95 percent of claims have been covered. As long as you truthfully answered the questionnaire, you're unlikely to be among the 5 per cent denied claims.
Travel insurance providers are offering all kinds of plans. Determining the policy that suits you best requires thorough awareness of your health and a mapped out travel itinerary. Know your medical conditions as much as what you intend to do during your vacation.
Health Matters
Never play hide-and-seek with your travel insurance agent or provider. Declare all your pre-existing medical conditions such as hypertension, high blood sugar or lung problems. A number of travel insurance companies will cover you regardless of your condition but with certain adjustments to your premium. Another caveat you have to take note of is that the said medical condition has to be stable for a period of time. In other words, the medication or treatment method has not changed. Different providers set different policy terms so stability mean a few months to a year.
Should there be changes to your condition between the date you purchased your policy and your date of travel, contact your travel insurance provider immediately. Whether it's a positive or negative change, your provider must be informed so appropriate adjustments can be made.
Trying to be ignorant of your medical condition will get you nowhere. Tests have to be submitted as soon as they're released from the laboratory. They can make or break your insurance eligibility but honesty will still get you far.
For any misgivings or questions about health, seek the expertise of a physician. Whatever came up during your medical consultation, relay the important details to your travel insurance provider.
Travel Itinerary
It pays to have a list of all the activities you plan to do during your trip. Check whether these activities are covered by your policy. Read your policy at all cost. Many Canadians vacation elsewhere with the end goal of experiencing things they don't get to experience in their home country. Be careful with the types of activities you intend to do, though, because certain travel insurance policies refrain from covering sports and other undertakings considered “adrenalin-pumping” or “extreme.”
Good news is majority of Canadians are aware of how important getting a travel insurance is particularly when travelling to foreign countries. Bad news? They don't think it's necessary when they're just travelling to another state or province.
Local health insurance and inter-provincial laws may cover your basic medical bills like medical consultation or visit to the emergency room. However, medical evacuation fees will be shouldered by your own pocket – unless you have private travel insurance, of course. Mind you, medical emergency evacuation bills are no joke.
Since you have the time to save up for a vacation, then you can surely spare some money for a travel medical insurance policy that will safeguard you against sudden and unexpected medical expenses while travelling.
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