Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN

I was intentionally trying to minimize what I said, the topic of health insurance has become a highly partisan issue between political parties so I was trying to avoid giving anyone an excuse to start some flame wars here. But it clearly is a important concern in planning a trip. Two years ago I did a two week bike trip in Florida with a former co-worker. He had an emergency room visit while in Florida. Fortunately, his insurance covered it but there were back and forth arguments with the insurance company for several months after he got home about the charges and what was covered and what he had to pay.

I am retired but i can still buy health insurance through my former employer which is expensive, but at this time I have a very good plan that has coverage in all of USA. When i did my five week Canadian Maritimes trip last summer, I bought an extra travel insurance policy but it only covered emergency medical. I had a medical issue pop up during that trip but it was not an emergency, but I was at a doctor office within 24 hours of getting home.