From the New York Times:

''As a general rule, health plans do not cover injuries or illnesses in the course of traveling abroad, even for emergency care,'' said Larry Akey, a spokesman for the Health Insurance Association of America, an industry trade group. ''What we recommend is that before someone departs on an overseas trip they check their insurance policy, either with their H.R. department or by calling the customer service number that's on their insurance card.''

You can also check the printed summary of benefits for your plan, but one reason to pick up the phone is to get a number to call in case you need approval for emergency care abroad. My insurance card, from Oxford Health Plans, only includes a toll-free phone number, so when I called to inquire about international coverage, I asked for a number that would work abroad. I was also informed I would need to call within 48 hours of seeking emergency care in a foreign country in order to qualify for reimbursement. Plans that do cover policyholders abroad typically require patients to pay out of pocket and submit receipts for reimbursement, and some medical providers only accept cash from foreigners.

For those who are not covered by their own health insurance, or who want more benefits than their policies provide, buying travel insurance is an option. There are several types of policies that include medical benefits: package policies for a single trip that also cover things like trip cancellation and lost baggage; medical-only policies, which can be bought for a single trip or multiple trips within a year; and medical transport policies for emergency evacuation to a medical facility.

Prices vary depending on the type of insurance, the traveler's age and the cost and length of the trip. According to Jim Grace, president of InsureMyTrip.com, a Web site that lets consumers compare and buy travel insurance from multiple providers, prices for travel medical policies can be less than $100 for minimal coverage for a young traveler to more than $1,000 for an older person wanting more compreshensive coverage.

For package travel insurance policies, which typically include $10,000 to $50,000 of medical coverage, premiums are 4 to 7 percent of the trip's cost. For instance, a comprehensive policy for a 45-year-old taking a 10-day $5,000 trip is $169 to $404, according to InsureMyTrip.com. However, when buying insurance, it is important to find out exactly what is, or is not, covered.

''Some of them will exclude skiing and things like that, so you want to make sure if you're doing any sports that you'll have coverage for that,'' Mr. Grace said. Other variables include the policy's limit ($10,000 may not go far in a serious medical situation), the deductible, how narrowly a medical emergency is defined, whether dental care is included, whether the policy covers evacuation and repatriation (transporting you back to the United States) and whether pre-existing conditions are excluded.

''It's really important to read the fine print, because even with some of the excellent companies, people are surprised,'' said Phyllis Kozarsky, medical director of the TravelWell Clinic at Emory University and a professor of medicine at Emory. ''They will have assumed they purchased, say, a repatriation policy, only to find out that yes, the company will fly them out, but they will fly them somewhere they deem the medical care to be equivalent to the United States.''


And another:

Travelers planning to buy trip insurance have another resource when researching prices online. TotalTravelInsurance.com lets consumers compare prices from multiple insurance companies after typing in the dates of the trip, its cost, the travelers' ages and state of residence, and other required information.

Besides offering a price comparison tool, TotalTravelInsurance.com sells policies from various providers, including Travelex Insurance Services, TravelGuard and CSA Travel Protection (it shows prices only from companies whose policies it sells; among those left out are Access America and HTH Worldwide). Travelers can choose from comprehensive plans -- which typically cover trip cancellation or interruption, among other benefits -- as well as flight accident, medical-evacuation plans and medical coverage for United States residents traveling abroad.


The site was created by a company that has been in the business of developing software for insurance companies, System Fusion LLC, which began selling policies to consumers through TotalTravelInsurance.com in January. For the most part, its prices are the same as those available through a competitor, InsureMyTrip.com, which has been selling travel insurance on behalf of multiple providers since 2000.

Among the differences between the two sites: InsureMyTrip.com presents details about each policy in a format that's easier to read and understand -- which is important when buying insurance, where lots of exceptions lurk in the fine print. InsureMyTrip.com also displays its phone number more prominently, useful for customers seeking help choosing a policy.

TotalTravelInsurance.com has a nice feature that shows the percentage of a trip's cost that goes for insurance, and does offer a phone number, somewhat less conspicuously, though Alex Velinov, the company's president, said more than 90 percent of its customers bought online.


Insure My Trip

Total Travel Insurance

Regards,

Terry

Thanks Terry for more good info.
I best make a buy and the bride and I are off again in Aug. / Sept.
Sory we did not get to visit in Dallas. It was wild in my booth most times.
We could have had a loooooooong visit in Houston this past weekend.

Mims,

At least I got to see you. We were only at the show for a few hours. Next year, hopefully, I will have the time to look at all the guns and taxidermy.

Regards,

Terry

Is it just me, or is it easier to find just Medical Travel Insurance (and not a package insurance deal that includes Trip Cancellation) on the Insure My Trip website?

If I did it correctly, it looks like I can get my wife and myself covered for just Medical Travel Insurance for less than $150. I will have to spend some more time on this.

Regards,

Terry

P.S.
Is hunting a "sport or athletic activity"?

Exclusion on one policy:

"and any other sport or athletic activity which is undertaken for thrill seeking and exposes you to abnormal or extreme risk of injury."

If you are hunting anywhere in Africa make sure your insurance covers air evacuation!

Most do not or are not accepted by local companies. Medical Air Rescue Service (MARS) which covers most of Southern Africa accepts only specific MARS insurance, BUPA or Scottish Medical. If not, the Company has to put up a US$9000 deposit Before the plane takes off.

A mate of mine is one of the mars pilots and they are offten put on standby and then sit arround four hours while negotiations take place like - "look the client has a visa platinum card won't that do - yes where is it - Zambezi valley, he has it - No that will not do. - sign over your Landcruiser as deposit and we'll take off- ok- bring the registration book and layer certified letter first though...

It was a South African Hunter who was hunting on a Zambezi Valley Auction Hunt, and it took his friend in Harare 2 hours to persuade the Plane to take off to evacuate him. That was quick.

If you want to check on local hospital insurance (ie one that covers the top private hospitals in South Africa and the region) and air evacuation try contacting Barry Knight, on servair@mweb.co.zw

NB most foreign medical insurances also only cover government or some church Hospitals. When I got shot 12 years back I was taken to a government hospital- punctured lung, but nobody did anything for two days other than occasionally change the drip. And they aint got better since then! We have some fisrt class facilities, but you have got to have the right card! Zim's top private hospital does not accept credit cards and you either have the right medical aid card or a 10K cash deposit. Add that to the 9k air evacuation deposit.

Alot cheeper to buy the right insurance at $5 a day!!!!