Travel insurance and medical coverage

You should call your own health insurance coverage to determine what kind of coverage you have in Italy. Many offer out of area coverage and sometimes have a travel program that helps should a problem arise. My travel program includes emergency evacuation which is probably the most important piece.

Based on your prior posts you are a few months from traveling. You should read this thoroughly: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/trip-planning/travel-insurance. If you are covered by your US health insurance you should reach out to them and discuss the “what if’s”. You should not be worried about a doctors visit for a sore throat. What you want to know is what happens if you are catastrophically ill- what will your insurance cover and how. By how I mean is this a “pay and chase”? You pay then submit claims to your insurance company. That can max out your credit cards pretty quickly. Then there is repatriation which most medical insurance does not cover. If you have Medicare you have no coverage overseas and some coverage if you have a Medigap policy. If you decide you should buy I suggest going to insuremytrip.com. Know that for pre-existing condition coverage you must buy insurance within 10-15 days from your initial payment towards the trip. I suspect you are well past that.

If you have medical insurance (not Medicare) check with your insurer. The particular policy I have with Blue Cross covers me overseas but not all do. If you are looking for a reasonably priced medical only policy, check out GeoBlue. A friend with whom I often travel is quite happy with it.

You really should post this question in the proper section -- Q and A -- as you have done with most of your other questions. This is the review section for Italy's hotels, etc.

Hello,

I believe that some people on the forum get the medjetassist in addition to insurance. It can be very costly to transport a patient from Europe to the United States.

Besides this forum, take a look at this link https://forum.elliott.org/forums/insurance.72/
Read through it and it may give you some helpful ideas also.

When traveling, this is what I like to bring along - a couple of index cards with basic medical information such as any allergies, any medications you may be taking or allergic to or any over-the-counter pills you may be taking, your blood type, emergency contact, your doctor's name and phone number, maybe even any surgeries you may have had.

In the event of an emergency, sometimes the best of us can draw a blank with nervousness or panic. It's good to be prepared so in the event that no one can communicate any vital information, the doctors can treat quickly.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/a-reminder-about-having-proper-travel-insurance-especiallly-medical-evacuation
this is a thread I started a while ago about an American guy I met in m y hotel over the New Year of 2018.

But don't forget, unless you get this coverage right away after your first deposit on the trip (varies, but usually within 14 days) you won't get coverage for any pre-existing conditions.

A better question may be do you want the peace of mind of medical and medical evacuation insurance or do you want to go self-insured.

My understanding is that emergency medical care would be rendered. Italy is pretty civilized and will not withhold emergency aid. However, if you are not covered by an EU medical plan, you would be financially responsible. And if you need medical evacuation/transportation back to your home country, you are responsible for that cost.

http://www.italia.it/en/useful-info/rights-for-tourists/healthcare.html

Non-EU citizens coming from countries not covered by the agreement are
provided with health services that must be paid for in accordance with
the relative scale of charges.

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad.html

Before you go abroad, learn what medical services your health
insurance will cover overseas. If your health insurance policy
provides coverage outside the United States, remember to carry both
your insurance policy identity card as proof of insurance and a claim
form.

Although some health insurance companies pay "customary and
reasonable" hospital costs abroad, very few pay for your medical
evacuation back to the United States. Medical evacuation can cost more
than $50,000, depending on your location and medical condition.

kateja, you should start a separate thread with your question as no one will find it here. Its in Italy Reviews anyway, which is for reporting on trips you've taken to Italy, not for general travel questions like yours. Your question deserves separate attention in its own post.