Medical Insurance for Europe

I advice my American friends to buy it in Europe. In this particular case we went to Prague and my friend was able to buy insurance in Vseobecna Zdravotni Pojistovna for US$40 (in local currency) valid for one month. Age 60. Certainly better deal than here. I am not aware about other countries in Europe but I assume that it could be similar. You may be able to investigate it on line.

I usually just buy evacuation insurance that also has some medical included. Even if you don't have medical insurance, you will be shocked what the "full price" of medical care is. Shocked, that is, on how much Americans pay and how little Europeans do. The real risk, is if something very serious happens and you can't make it home on your own, like being comatose and not being able to board a plane, or needing full time care in transit.

Most of these policies are priced on your age and how long you will be away. If you are under 60 and going for 3 weeks, its not too much.

I will be going for 3 weeks and I'm under 55,non smoker.

First, look at your own medical insurance policy at home. Many cover you overseas. You may have to pay out of pocket at first and then be reimbursed by your insurance company when you get home.

Otherwise you could to go insuremytrip.com and compare policies.

I used to insure with Travel Guard on a trip by trip basis but it got expensive. I now have a yearly policy through Alliance. I also have a separate medical evacuation policy with Medjet Assist with an AARP discount.

Health care costs are fairly low in Europe compared to the U.S. However, in case I need to get home after an accident or serious illness, the costs can be astronomical. That's the reason for medical evacuation insurance. (And read the policies carefully. Some will only evacuate you to the nearest medical care facility. I wanted one that would get me home.)

Agree that your first action should be to check your current medical insurance to see what it covers while traveling. Then check insuremytrip.com or squaremouth.com to compare prices if your current insurance is lacking in coverage outside the US and you want specific travel and/or medical ins. Also check medjetassist.com or allianzworldwidecare.com if you just want to purchase evacuation/repatriation insurance.

Yes, for those not entitled to the US government run single payer medical plan, the first step is to check your existing medical insurance coverage for out-of-area foreign coverage. During my younger years my employer group plan covered foreign locations as out-of-network meaning higher deductibles and co-pays. But depending in country, medical procedures can be cheaper than similar procedures in the States.

You may also want to consider medical evacuation insurance. A medically staffed charter flight can be very expensive.

And in all insurance policy cases, read the fine print. Look especially for exclusions.

You may also want to check the US State Department website about the quality of medical care. For example if traveling to Russia:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/russia.html

Medical care in most areas of Russia is below Western standards. The
Russian authorities have cut hospital bed numbers resulting in
increased deaths. The healthcare system budget will be cut 33 % in
2017. Moscow and St. Petersburg facilities may have higher standards but do not accept all cases and require cash or credit card payment at
Western rates.

vs Germany:
https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/country/germany.html

Germany has good medical care and facilities. If you are not a
resident of Germany, doctors and hospitals may expect immediate
payment in cash. Most doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies do not accept
credit cards.

Generic State Department advice:

The U.S. Government does not pay medical bills.

Be aware that U.S. Medicare does not provide coverage overseas. NA to
under 65.

Make sure your health insurance plan provides coverage overseas or
purchase travel insurance for this purpose.

Most care providers overseas only accept cash payments. See our
webpage for more information on insurance providers for overseas
coverage.

We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical
evacuation.

A friend suffered a medical emergency in Germany requiring five stents. Cost came to something like $6K of $7K. Between his Medicare Supplemental (w/ foreign coverage) and trip insurance, he paid nothing and the insurance took care of the payment guarantees to the German medics. Ironically an American friend had one stent put in during the same timeframe and his insurance coverage deductible/co-pay ran about $5K. And that was employer insurance that pre-dated Obamacare.

was able to buy insurance in Vseobecna Zdravotni Pojistovna for US$40 (in local currency) valid for one month.

... but valid only in Czechia and not EU-wide.

I have used American Express for foreign medical coverage and evacuation while on travel. It is very reasonable.

Some good info from a professional review site, thewirecutter.com.

Though there is no single travel policy that is perfect for everybody, the one we liked best was Travelex’s Travel Select policy. In addition to offering wide coverage at an affordable price, it gets top marks from major third-party travel-insurance rating sites like InsureMyTrip and Travel Insurance Ratings & Reviews.

Try looking at insuremytrip.com.
You can enter your specific requirements and it will let you know which companies have coverage that matches what you are looking for. You can customize it so you're not paying too much or for anything you don't want. Medical evacuation is very important...don't forget to include it!

Buying a policy in Europe will NOT pay to get you home if you need transport or you have to cut your trip short.

We had an older woman fall and break her shoulder in two places. Yes, the British system was "cheap", but of course it also said "she's 60 so we are not going to do anything". When a nurse with us questioned them on "loss of mobility" the response was "she's 60, she will just have to accept that". (To the Americans that was not really acceptable. 60 is hardly one step from dead LOL!)

The travel insurance paid for a nurse to care for her until we could get release to fly her home, paid for a travel companion home and a business class seat. (Once home she had surgery and with PT now has a full range of motion)

The big risk is you need to get home early due to illness or injury.

(And note if your primary coverage is US Medicare it pays NOTHING for treatment out of the country so buy a policy!)

Most travel policies (for cancellations, delays, and such) have medical treatment coverage and medical evacuation coverage. But they USUALLY will only evacuate you to the nearest hospital than can treat you. There is a company named "Med Jet Assist" that has a number of different membership plans. It in NOT medical insurance -- just med evacuation coverage. As long as you are more than 150 miles from home, they will, if medically necessary, fly you back to your home hospital in a medical jet with medical personnel. Google them and see what you think.

But they USUALLY will only evacuate you to the nearest hospital than can treat you.

Depends on the T&C of your policy. Probably need a lawyer to interpret what it really means. Here's an excerpt from my last AIG Travel Guard "Silver" (cheapest) policy:

EMERGENCY EVACUATION & REPATRIATION OF REMAINS

Covered Emergency Evacuation Expenses are the Reasonable and Customary
Charges for necessary Transportation, related medical services and
medical supplies incurred in connection with the Emergency Evacuation
of the Insured. All Transportation arrangements made for evacuating
the Insured must be by the most direct and economical route possible
and required by the standard regulations of the conveyance
transporting the Insured....

and

Emergency Evacuation means:

(a) Transportation from the place where the Insured is Injured or sick
to the nearest adequate licensed medical facility where appropriate
medical treatment can be obtained; and/or

(b) Transportation from a local medical facility to the nearest
adequate licensed medical facility to obtain appropriate medical
treatment if the onsite attending Physician certifies that additional
Medically Necessary treatment is needed but not locally available; and
the Insured is medically able to travel; and/or

(c) Transportation to the adequate licensed medical facility nearest
the Insured’s home to obtain further medical treatment or to recover,
after being treated at a local licensed medical facility, and the
onsite attending Physician determines that the Insured is medically
able to be transported.

I have purchased over a hundred different medical/evacuation policies over the years from many different companies, and have never come across any policy that didn't cover the costs of transport home for recuperation/further treatment. Some of the inferior policies limit payment to the cost of an economy class seat back home (which would be inadequate if one has a broken leg/hip), to covering up to $100,000+ of the cost (which is what I always go for). Always read the fine print.

We have to buy medical insurance when we travel out of the country because our HMO doesn't cover it. Here is a website that allows you to select what coverage you want and then offer you a list of companies, their policy names and their policy prices. It gives you the ability to compare plans side-by-side. You can specify deductibles and things like that to create the plan that is best suited for you both in terms of coverage and price.

Check out InsureMyTrip medical plan options

Click the green button that reads "Quote Medical Plans". It will ask for that country you'll spend the most time. It will then ask you how much you're spending on the trip which I leave blank. On the next screen, go to the left column and select medical insurance. You'll see a columns of options. Click on the tab that says Medical insurance. Then take a look. You can compare plans side by side.

This is our go-to sight and we select the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Voyager Choice plan.

Edgar,

Your are right in saying "Depends on the T&C of your policy. Probably need a lawyer to interpret what it really means." But that is usually the case with all insurance policies isn't it?

We've found the Med Jet policy to be the most straightforward and easiest to understand with regard to what is and is not covered. Very easy to read even without a lawyer. And they have a variety of plans available.

Basically, if one is hospitalized more than 150 miles from home and requires continued hospitalization, they'll fly you back to your home for the continuation of your hospital stay. It does not have to be a case "medical necessity" to be flown back.

The one thing one has to remember is that it is medical evacuation insurance only. It is not medical insurance itself.

Of course, it is rare that one size fits all in anything. Just thought I'd suggest another option for consideration and hope this offers some clarification.

I use I.M. Global (www.imglobal.com.); they can cover you anywhere.

Also read the "exclusions" of your policy T&Cs. For example (Travel Guard Policy):

The following exclusions also apply to the Emergency Evacuation Benefit:

(a) coverage for Trips less than 100 miles from the Insured’s Primary Residence;

(b) traveling for the purpose of securing medical treatment.

BTW General Exclusions include activities such as:

(d) mountaineering where ropes or guides are normally used. The
ascent or descent of a mountain requiring the use of specialized
equipment, including but not limited to pickaxes, anchors, bolts,
crampons, carabineers and lead or top-rope anchoring equipment;

(g) air travel on any air-supported device, other than a regularly
scheduled airline or air charter company;

Would exclusion (d) include Dolomite Via Ferrata hiking and would exclusion (g) include hot air ballooning in Turkey or paragliding in Switzerland? Don't get hurt when engaged in excluded activities.

I've never considered trip insurance. As thewirecutter article says:

... , you may not need a travel insurance policy at all. Indeed, Robert Hunter of the Consumer Federation of America argues that “95% of people shouldn’t even consider it.”
Your homeowners or renters policy most likely covers your luggage and belongings, even far from home.
If you have health insurance, you may already be covered for any medical problems that arise on a trip.
If you have life insurance, a travel policy’s accidental death coverage will also be redundant.
Your credit card may also offer some protection if you use it to pay for your travel. For example, if you book your trip using the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, which The Wirecutter recently ranked as the best travel rewards credit card, you’ll get up to $10,000 in trip cancellation or interruption coverage, up to $3,000 in lost-luggage reimbursement, and as much as $100,000 in emergency medical evacuation coverage, among other benefits.

I like the use of the terms "most likely" and "may".
Ah, that Chase Sapphire Card.

@ Edgar, you can get a rider from Travel Guard for "high risk" activities like mountaineering. Adventure Sports Coverage is a 52% increase over the base rate for the MedEvac policy.