Seeking Healthcare While Abroad

Your health insurance coverage may or may not cover emergency care when you are abroad. Many health insurance plans offer extremely limited coverage. For those that do offer it, you often have to place a call to your primary physician back in the United States before you can seek care while overseas. Medicare does not pay for healthcare outside of the United States, which leaves their patients facing hefty bills if a medical emergency happens out of the country.

Additionally, few health insurance plans will cover medical transport back to the United States. This can leave you stranded in an unfamiliar country for months while you recuperate, unless your family can afford the expense of paying for an ambulatory flight and on-flight medical staff that are necessary to bring you back home.

Before leaving on your trip, you should contact your health insurance company or locate your paperwork and be certain you understand exactly what is covered if a medical emergency occurs. If you do not have insurance coverage, look into purchasing an additional travel insurance policy. Keep a list of U.S. consulates in the area where you will be traveling. They can be quite helpful in case of an emergency.

Travel Medical Insurance is available through many companies. Typical coverage includes:

Ÿ Trip Cancellation Protection

Ÿ Emergency Medical Coverage with a set limit of $25,000

Ÿ Emergency Dental Coverage

Ÿ Medical Transportation to bring you back to the United States

Ÿ Lost luggage coverage

Ÿ Missed connection protection

In many cases, travel insurance policies can be purchased for less than $100. It's excellent coverage to have, as it protects you against the hefty expense of a medical emergency and other troublesome events that can ruin your vacation.

When traveling, have your health insurance cards tucked into your passport and keep them safe. If a medical emergency happens when you are abroad, you should immediately call or visit the area's United States embassy. Make sure you have the emergency contact information on your passport filled in with current information.

The U.S. Embassy will help you locate an appropriate doctor and will also contact your family. Remember that you will most likely be paying for all health care out of your own pocket if you do not have appropriate coverage. If you need to be transported back to the United States, the cost of a medical evacuation often starts at $10,000. If you have not purchased additional coverage, you cannot be transported until the medi-flight has been paid. Often, your family will have to wire you the money.

If you have medical conditions, do not leave the country without a letter from your doctor stating your medical condition, current and past treatment information, and any other pertinent information that can help a foreign doctor with treatment. A list of prescribed medications should also be included. Your prescription may be an illegal drug in another country, so you need to know this information in advance and have a note from your doctor explaining why you need that specific information.

The United States Department of State hosts a helpful page (http://travel.state.gov) that gives you information on hospitals in many countries. They suggest you visit their website before leaving on your trip and preparing yourself with a list of hospitals within the area where you are visiting. Many hospitals may speak limited English, which can hamper your health care. Knowing the English speaking hospitals in advance can save your life.