Traveler’s Health Insurance
12-31-23, 09:10 PM
#1
No Pain, No Pizza
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Above Jamestown, CO
Posts: 297
Bikes: 2015 Tarmac Pro Disc, '99 Burley Duet, '10 Velo Vie Vitesse 300R, '94 Trek 2120, '90 Cannondale SR 600, '79 Ross Super Gran Tour, '76 Raleigh Record
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 31 Post(s)
Liked 40 Times
in
23 Posts
Traveler’s Health Insurance
What’s the skinny on health insurance needs when traveling the globe by bicycle?
12-31-23, 09:18 PM
#2
Senior Member
A good travel credit card is nice. If you charge your flights on the card, you are covered for accidents and medical issues, and better cards will cover medivac costs if you need to be flown home for treatment. The annual fee on these cards is a little high, but is less than what you would pay for travel and medivac insurance.
Otherwise, you can buy travel insurance, but make sure to use a mainstream insurer. I live in Japan, and as Amex in Japan doesn’t offer good travel insurance, I buy travel insurance insurance from Sony or Mitsui (big companies in Japan). If you do buy insurance, and need to file a claim, make sure to keep all receipts and records so you’ll have them on hand. I had my rental car broken into on a trip to Hawaii, the rental car company took care of the damage to the car, my credit card issuer covered the loss of money, passports, and the other things were were stolen. However, it took nearly a year to get reimbursed.
Otherwise, you can buy travel insurance, but make sure to use a mainstream insurer. I live in Japan, and as Amex in Japan doesn’t offer good travel insurance, I buy travel insurance insurance from Sony or Mitsui (big companies in Japan). If you do buy insurance, and need to file a claim, make sure to keep all receipts and records so you’ll have them on hand. I had my rental car broken into on a trip to Hawaii, the rental car company took care of the damage to the car, my credit card issuer covered the loss of money, passports, and the other things were were stolen. However, it took nearly a year to get reimbursed.
12-31-23, 10:01 PM
#3
bicycle tourist
How long are you traveling?
What country is your health insurance normally and what countries are you traveling?
What is your profile for risk?
Depending on answers to these questions might guide your choices...
Note: The following thread was from earlier this year
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...onth-tour.html
A few general comments:
- For many short (e.g. less than a month) some means of getting back to your county (and health insurance coverage) is useful. Some policies cover evacuation back.
- Medical costs in the US (and coverage) can be significantly higher than many other countries. As a result basic care might be easier out of pocket (examples: I had treatment for infected saddle sores in Ecuador and bought medicine in Thailand - both cases out of pocket was very reasonable and much less than the US).
- For me the primary occasion to explore this was for an 18-month trip where I was outside the US for ~one year and I explored not having US-based coverage but instead other coverage while traveling. In the end I kept my US-based (cobra) coverage. For short trips I haven't bothered.
- Even inside the US one might need to watch "out of network" or "without pre-authorization" issues depending on your carrier.
What country is your health insurance normally and what countries are you traveling?
What is your profile for risk?
Depending on answers to these questions might guide your choices...
Note: The following thread was from earlier this year
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...onth-tour.html
A few general comments:
- For many short (e.g. less than a month) some means of getting back to your county (and health insurance coverage) is useful. Some policies cover evacuation back.
- Medical costs in the US (and coverage) can be significantly higher than many other countries. As a result basic care might be easier out of pocket (examples: I had treatment for infected saddle sores in Ecuador and bought medicine in Thailand - both cases out of pocket was very reasonable and much less than the US).
- For me the primary occasion to explore this was for an 18-month trip where I was outside the US for ~one year and I explored not having US-based coverage but instead other coverage while traveling. In the end I kept my US-based (cobra) coverage. For short trips I haven't bothered.
- Even inside the US one might need to watch "out of network" or "without pre-authorization" issues depending on your carrier.
01-01-24, 10:42 AM
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,214
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
Mentioned: 48 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3462 Post(s)
Liked 1,468 Times
in
1,145 Posts
When out of USA I bought travel insurance when I bought my plane ticket. Only covers emergency and evacuation, etc.
I have heard that some policies exclude injury due to adventure travel, but I found nothing in the policies that I bought that concerned me. My longest trip outside USA was a bit under six weeks.
I have heard that some policies exclude injury due to adventure travel, but I found nothing in the policies that I bought that concerned me. My longest trip outside USA was a bit under six weeks.
