Medical insurance for americans travelling in europe

First, check with your provider in the states and find out what they cover/don’t cover. You might be surprised.

Also check your credit card coverage -- some premium cards have good insurance.

I purchase my travel insurance (that includes medical and medical evacuation) from American Express (my credit card).

Definitely check with your health insurance company first. You may already have coverage.

If you find you need to purchase travel medical insurance, make sure you research to find out that the company recommended to you pays on insurance claims without long delays or worse denials. Whether it’s American Express, Blue Cross Blue Shield, whatever, find online reviews or seek referrals from people you know who had to file a claim on travel medical insurance in which people applaud how quickly and easily filing a claim and getting full payment was.

There are those who give great reviews for the company that provided the insurance policy yet they never had to file a claim so that kind of review is worthless.

Barbra, I did submit a $US25 bill to IMG Global a few years ago. I came back from a Safari where I broke a bone in my shoulder. Had to come right back to work, so didn't get around to claiming for about 2 months. They paid up and it was pretty simple, but the most memorable interaction was some chicky on the other end of the phone giving me a lecture about not submitting 'promptly'. If she had been living my life for the 2 months, she might have been a bit more considerate.
Aside from that, I use Insure My Trip for a short list based on my needs, then I read the policies. My new premium CC does much better and I can add extra coverage.

We have had one claim with Travel Guard for medical expenses related to an injury while out of the U.S. There were even follow up treatments and rehab visits after returning home. We did pay a small amount (less than $100.) at the time and filed for reimbursement. They did require documentation of the bills, but it was not at all unreasonable. We had a check within a week of submitting the paper work. We have no complaints and still insure with them.

Insuremytrip and squaremouth are websites where you can explore coverage and costs of policies offered by many different companies. As far as I know, those are not insurance companies themselves.

We have Blue Cross/Shield and if covers us overseas, but it reimburses you for medical expenses. Even visiting Canada, unless it is an emergency, you have to pay upfront.

Also, you need to have Medical Evacuation Insurance to get you home.

The medical coverage that we pay for in our AmEx trip insurance only costs about $50 covering both of us for a month.

My medicare plan covers medical expenses incurred. According to the plan it involves saving expenses records and filing for reimbursement. Have not used it. The medical costs that I have incurred in Europe have been so minor it wasn't worth the paperwork time to file.

I believe cafetista.bruja is referring to a Medicare supplement plan. Regular Medicare (Parts A and B) does not provide overseas coverage. Some other US medical insurance does cover overseas medical expenses, or at least some of them.

Medicare Advantage plans generally cover emergency medical treatment outside the US. Typically there is a limit - for example $50,000.

Medicare does not cover foreign care but Medigap/supplemental insurance plans have limited foreign coverage.
https://www.medicare.gov/supplements-other-insurance/medigap-travel

Medigap coverage outside the U.S.

If you have Medigap Plan C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, M or N, your plan:

Covers foreign travel emergency care if it begins during the first 60
days of your trip, and if Medicare doesn't otherwise cover the care.

Pays 80% of the billed charges for certain medically necessary
emergency care outside the U.S. after you meet a $250 deductible for
the year.

Foreign travel emergency coverage with Medigap policies has a lifetime
limit of $50,000.

My work medical insurance will pay for any covered issue anywhere the world. But, it is reimbursement coverage meaning I have to pay up front, present receipts and hope they pay. So far I have not had to do this for real medical treatment, only for a prescription I got filled in Germany. The €20 was quickly paid without complaint.

I also have evacuation coverage through my employer. While I have not used it, 3 of my coworkers did when they were injured in London. Each was transported on a private jet set up for medical transport. Cost them exactly nothing.

Because of the reimbursement approach of my medical plan, I do purchase additional coverage when traveling on tours and other recreational outings. While I could cover most costs until I was reimbursed, a catastrophic injury or unexpected illness would be beyond what I could scrape up the cash for. Even though I have never had any medical issues while traveling requiring medical assistance (other than the mentioned prescription), I know it could happen no matter how slim the chance. I just don't feel all that lucky these days to chance it.

Since I haven't needed coverage, I can't recommend one over the other. I mostly use Travelguard and have not heard much negative about them. I would avoid policies offered by the travel provider as those seem to have more restrictions than separately purchased plans.

I have always purchased travel insurance, mainly to cover medical evacuation which can be insanely expensive. My friend's mother in law was evacuated from Italy after a stroke this summer and it cost $90000. Luckily they had coverage.

I recently learned that the most policies will only evacuate you to the nearest "acceptable" facility that can treat you. You don't get a choice. If you truly want to be evacuated home, you need a different kind of policy. Here's one of many articles I found: https://www.forbes.com/sites/everettpotter/2017/06/06/5-reasons-why-you-need-medical-evacuation-coverage/

Current NY Times travel article: How to Plan In Case Things Go Wrong

Ten days into what would have been two months in South America, I broke my leg in two places. I was deep in Chile, a country whose language I didn’t speak, and I’d just booked flights to Brazil and Easter Island. I could have panicked. Instead, I was just disappointed. After years of extended traveling, I had a system in place to handle emergencies. I was in a staggering amount of pain, in an embarrassed heap far from home and hostel, but I wasn’t too worried.
You don’t need to go overboard to be prepared for travel emergences. My advice is to plan for the obviously probable, and don’t sweat the unlikely and improbable. Here’s some precautionary steps I’ve found to be invaluable during my trips over the years.