Whether you're planning a relaxing beach getaway, foodie-themed city escape, or a safari adventure, you always run the risk of your international trip being interrupted by injury, illness, or travel mishaps.
Travel medical insurance can provide coverage for overseas medical treatments, hospitalizations, and medical evacuations, as well as trip reimbursements if you have to go home early for a covered reason.
Most policies also offer emergency 24-hour assistance, coverage for terrorism incidents, and reimbursements for lost or stolen luggage. Always read the policy wording to ensure you encounter no surprises when you try to make a claim.
Here's an overview of travel medical insurance coverage available from six major insurers:
Company Rating: WorldTrips is a member of the Tokio Marine HCC group of companies. Tokio Marine HCC's major domestic insurance companies are rated "A++ (Superior)"* from A.M. Best.
Overview of Travel Medical Policies: Atlas Travel® and Atlas Premium® are single-trip travel medical plans that allow you to customize your coverage by choosing your deductible ($0 - $5,000) and overall coverage maximum (up to $2 million). Policies are available for all ages of travelers taking trips up to 364 days. Traveling with a group of 5 or more? Choose Atlas Group® for a 10% reduced rate. If you’re taking multiple international trips in a year, get 364 days of coverage with Atlas MultiTrip®.
Highlighted Policy: Atlas Travel
Sample Policy Price: A 14-day Atlas Travel policy for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France would start at about $33.88** for 1,000,000 in coverage, with no deductible.
Featured Benefits: Atlas Travel includes up to $1M for Emergency Medical Evacuation coverage, up to $100,000 for Political Evacuation coverage, and up to $50,000 for Terrorism coverage.
Limitations: Coverage for medical expenses related to pre-existing conditions and routine medical examinations is excluded, though there is coverage for the Acute Onset of a Pre-existing Condition for Atlas Travel policyholders under age 80 (excludes chronic and congenital conditions). Review your description of coverage for complete definitions, limitations, and exclusions.
Company Rating: A+ (A.M. Best)*
Overview of Travel Medical Policy: Allianz provides one travel medical insurance policy called OneTrip Emergency Medical. This plan provides coverage of up to $50,000 for Emergency Medical and up to $250,000 for Emergency Medical Transportation. Trips may be up to 770 days.
Highlighted Policy: OneTrip Emergency Medical
Sample Policy Price: A 14-day OneTrip Emergency Medical policy for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France would start at about $45** for $50,000 in Emergency Medical expenses, with no deductible.
Note: There is no overall maximum limit for OneTrip Emergency Medical with Allianz. All maximums are per benefit.
Featured Benefits: The policy covers emergency travel-related expenses like Baggage Damage/Loss and Travel Delay in addition to Emergency Medical Expenses and Emergency Medical Transportation benefits.
Limitations: Coverage for pre-existing conditions is excluded from this travel medical policy unless you qualify for an exclusion waiver. See your plan’s description of coverage for a full definition of pre-existing conditions, an explanation of the pre-existing condition exclusion waiver, and other exclusions.
Company Rating: A- (A.M. Best)*
Overview of Travel Medical Policies: Coverage from IMG Global is offered for trips from 5 days to 12 months with a Patriot Travel Medical Insurance® policy. Choose from two core plans: Patriot America (for travel to the U.S.) and Patriot International (for travel outside the U.S.). These plans allow you to select your deductible ($0 - $2,500) and your policy maximum ($50,000 - $1 million). Patriot America is available in two additional plan levels—Patriot America Plus and Patriot America Platinum—while Patriot International also offers Patriot International Platinum.
Highlighted Policy: Patriot International
Sample Policy Price: A 14-day Patriot International policy for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France would start at $25.38** for $1,000,000 in coverage, with no deductible.
Featured Benefits: Get coverage for Emergency Medical Evacuation up to $1 million, Incidental Emergency Coverage in the U.S. for up to 14 consecutive days, and coverage for other travel emergency incidents.
Limitations: Coverage for medical expenses related to pre-existing conditions is excluded, though policyholders under age 70 are covered for the Acute Onset of Pre-existing Conditions under the Patriot International plan. Review your brochure and description of coverage for complete definitions, limitations, and exclusions.
Company Rating: A (A.M. Best)*
Overview of Travel Medical Policies: Seven Corners’ Liaison® Travel Medical Insurance plans offer coverage for trips from 5 days to 364 days. Liaison Travel Basic, Liaison Travel Choice, and Liaison Travel Elite offer three levels of travel medical insurance coverage, while Liaison Travel Plus provides travel medical insurance with a COVID-19 Treatment benefit. Overall coverage amounts range from $10,000 to $5 million and deductibles range from $0 to $5,000.
Highlighted Policy: Liaison Travel Choice
Sample Policy Price: A 14-day Liaison Travel Choice policy for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France would cost about $37.55** for $1,000,000 in coverage, with no deductible.
Featured Benefits: Terrorism coverage of up to $25,000, Emergency Medical Evacuation and Repatriation of up to $500,000, and Emergency Room Services are included in this plan.
Limitations: Coverage for medical expenses related to pre-existing conditions is excluded, though some policyholders are covered for the Acute Onset of Pre-existing Conditions. Choose your plan documents from the “Resources” sidebar for complete definitions, limitations, and exclusions.
Company Rating: A- (A.M. Best)*
Overview of Travel Medical Policies: GeoBlue offers a number of travel medical insurance plans to fit your needs. Their general plans include Voyager (single trip), Trekker (multiple trips), and Xplorer (long-term/expatriate). There are also specialty plans designed for group and education experiences. These include Voyager (for group of five or more), Navigator (for long-term education, crew, or missionary), and Corporate (for employees traveling long-term or short-term). Some plans include two levels of coverage to customize to your budget and needs. Select your maximum ($50,000 - $1,000,000) and your deductible ($0 - $500) when purchasing your policy.
Highlighted Policy: Voyager Choice
Sample Policy Price: A 14-day Voyager Choice policy for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France would start at about $33.46** for $1,000,000 in coverage, with no deductible.
Featured Benefits: The policy includes coverage for medical emergencies, emergency medical evacuation, and other travel assistance benefits. Coverage for some hazardous activities, like downhill skiing and scuba diving, is included in policies too.
Limitations: Voyager Choice provides coverage for pre-existing conditions for medical services and medical evacuation, but only for individuals with a current U.S. health plan. You must have a primary health plan in order to buy this policy. See the plan description for additional details about pre-existing condition coverage as well as limitations and exclusions.
Company Rating: A+ (A.M. Best)*
Featured Benefits: Choose from one of Trawick International's five travel medical plans: Safe Travels Outbound, Safe Travels Outbound Cost Saver, Safe Travels Schengen Visa Plan, Safe Travels International, and Safe Travels International Cost Saver. Customizable coverage options allow you to set a plan maximum ($50,000 - $500,000) and deductible ($0 - $2,500) to cover emergency medical expenses for trips up to 180 days.
Highlighted Policy: Safe Travels Outbound
Sample Policy Price: A 14-day Safe Travels Outbound policy for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France would start at $31.49** for $500,000 in coverage, with no deductible.
Featured Benefits: The plan features coverage for accident and sickness travel medical expenses including COVID-19 expenses, Emergency Evacuation up to $500,000, and Accidental Death & Dismemberment up to $25,000. Access to 24/7 Emergency Assistance is a complementary feature to help manage emergencies while abroad.
Limitations: Safe Travels Outbound is only available to U.S. citizens traveling outside of the U.S. Other policies are available to non-U.S. citizens traveling abroad, but there is no coverage for those traveling abroad to the U.S. Policies place limitations on coverage for pre-existing conditions. View the brochure for your plan to learn more about what pre-existing conditions are, when they’re covered, and when they’re excluded.
*At the time of publish. For more information on these ratings, please visit www.ambest.com.
**Sample policy price based on the rate in April 2021 for a 30-year-old traveling from the U.S. to France for 14 days with no deductible.