A family health insurance protects the policyholder and other immediate family members (e.g., spouse and children) in cases of injury or illness. Different insurance companies provide various health coverage for families. Despite the slight differences in features, specific health insurance plans financially protect families from individual overhead medical costs. The following are five reasons you should consider getting a family health insurance plan during your travels:
- Covers Foreign Medical Care
Even when you have a detailed itinerary planned for your trip with the family, you can’t predict what will happen during the vacation. Accidents can take place anytime and anywhere. With that in mind, it’s essential to check for customary and reasonable medical costs when you need health care while you’re in a foreign country.
Always pay attention to the fine print in your family health insurance policy. Take note of what is and what’s not covered. Many health insurance companies will pay for unpredictable and straightforward incidents while you and your family are on a trip. These events may include emergencies regarding:
- Falls leading to injuries
- Preventative dental care
- Optical well-being
- Incidents in need of physiotherapy
If you have a family health coverage from a domestic insurer, the organization may not pay to have you evacuated out of a foreign location if you or any of your direct family members require immediate medical assistance.
- Provides Financial Help for Chronic Illnesses
Insurance companies may help cover the health and medical expenses for family members with chronic or recurring ailments. Examples of these conditions include:
- Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Diabetes
- Muscle Spasms
- Headaches
- Migraines
Individuals might not know when their health condition will flare up. For example, your sister might have a debilitating headache while you’re trying to enjoy family events in Perth. A family health coverage from a reliable insurance firm can take care of immediate medical expenses while you’re staying in Perth.
Ask your insurance agent for a list of chronic conditions the organization can cover while you and your family are on a trip. Also, don’t forget to ask for the minimum and maximum possible claims when these events occur.
- Covers Transportation Expenses for Medical Emergencies
Travel health insurance policies for families may cover the costs of transporting family members during medical emergencies. There are two benefits in this category:
- Emergency Medical Reunion Coverage
This coverage is also known as the Bedside Visit Benefit. The insurance organization may provide financial help for a round-trip ticket to visit a hospitalized person in another location. The extent of the stay may be as long as seven days, but it depends on the insurance policy provider.
- Medical Evacuation Benefit
An insurance firm may provide financial protection for the transportation costs for the traveller to head to the nearest medical facility during medical emergencies at a period in the trip.
Among these two options, the Medical Evacuation Benefit may be a higher draw for people seeking family health insurance policies for travel. For example, you or a family member falls and becomes injured while hiking at a mountain in South America. Then, the locals will lead you or the relative to the nearest hospital.
However, the medical facility might lack sufficient equipment or specialists to treat the injury properly. With that in mind, this coverage will secure the costs of transportation to take the injured person out of that emergency facility to a hospital with better medical equipment and professionals.
If you or your family member may require more than the predetermined number of days to stay in a foreign country for health and medical reasons, the policy may provide financial help for the safe return of your children to the principal address.
- Comply with Educational Requirements
When a family member decides to attend a school in a different country, the educational institution may require proof of health insurance upon enrollment. The travel visa may also require proof of travel health insurance upon application. For example, the US State Department needs J-visa travelers to have at least USD 100,000 medical insurance.
Remember, health and medical insurance plans will have a maximum per accident or illness claim. This amount may be anywhere from USD 50,000 to USD 1 million. In some instances, the insurance firm may provide a higher claim than USD 1 million.
- Coverage in Case of Death
In accidents resulting in death while staying in a foreign country, a family health insurance policy may have a Repatriation of Remains benefit. This feature provides coverage for the transportation of the body of deceased family members back to the area of principal residence. The insurance policy may provide coverage for death resulting from illness or injury.
Benefits for the Repatriation of Remains Coverage may include:
- The removal and transportation of the deceased body to associated facilities (e.g., medical institutions, coroners, and airports).
- Financial help for expenses needed to coordinate with local authorities for the autopsy.
- Financial help for expenses needed to coordinate with government facilities regarding the arrangement of authorizations, approvals, and services required for transport.
- A coffin or an appropriate container to transport the remains of the individual.
- Additional air and ground shipping expenses for the remains of the deceased individual.
The costs to take advantage of this feature for family health insurance policies differ among organizations and countries. Still, the potential amount to claim for this benefit may be somewhere between USD 10,000 to USD 20,000. However, understand that expenses may be higher than the coverage. Ask your insurance agent to check the maximum allowable claim for this benefit.
Check the requirements needed when applying for a family health insurance plan. Consider your options in the event of a denied health insurance application. Take time to review your application documents to check why it was denied. Lastly, it’s essential to apply for the coverage weeks before your family’s travel plans. The extra days allow you to try and reapply for the insurance policy in case of a denial.
- About the Author
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After spending 11 years in London working in the television industry for the BBC, Jennie McNichol made the move to Perth in 2010. As the Co-Founder and Editor of Buggybuddys, she has been able to use her experience and passion for helping families to create a trusted online resource for parents across Perth.
Jennie is the proud mother of two daughters, aged 14 & 12 and is a big advocate of the family-friendly lifestyle that Perth has to offer.
