Back in the United States

After a trip around the world I find myself back in the United States starting from square one. I purchased travel health insurance to cover me in case anything happened to me while I was on my trip (nothing happened and I was totally healthy the whole time, but better to have insurance than not), but now I'm back home and have to search for health insurance.

If I could I would just renew the travel health insurance I had while on my trip, but it doesn't cover me while in the United States. Its ironic that I visited Afghanistan and was covered with health insurance, but now that I'm here in the US the same insurance company has decided that its too expensive to provide coverage.

I'll let you know what I find when it comes to my plans. I may just hit the road again so that would mean I'll look for a new travel health insurance plan.

TravelGap Voyager Plan

I thought I would update everyone on the travel health insurance plan I ended up choosing.

I went with the TravelGap Voyager Plan from HTH Worldwide with a $1000000 limit and a $100 deductible.

I'm currently in Kathmandu, Nepal and am getting ready to fly out to Dubai. I can't say how good there service is because so far on my trip I've stayed healthy (and hopefully I stay healthy for the whole trip.)

Much Higher Cost if US Coverage is Included in the Plan

I've been taking a look at the HTH Global Citizen Health Insurance plan.  Its basically a full medical coverage plan targeted to expats.  It covers health cost across the globe same as if I were back in the US.  I've just gotten a couple of quotes (I'm a 25yr old male.)

The monthly quote for a 6 month coverage plan that includes coverage both in the US and globally is $174 per month with a $1000 deductible outside the US, a $2000 deductible in the US in their network, and a $4000 deductible in the US outside of their network.

The monthly quote for a 6 month coverage plan that covers everywhere in the world except for the US is $85 per month with a $1000 deductible.

The price swing between including US coverage and not is really telling.  Health care costs are so high in the US that just by cutting out that one country from the global plan it cuts the monthly premium in half.

The US really needs to reform their healthcare system.

Travel Health Insurance Plan Deductible

I'm still going over travel insurance plans, but one decision I have definitely made is to go with a cheaper plan with a high deductible.  I'm not planning on visiting the doctor in India or Egypt if it isn't a major injury.  Any minor ailments, stomache bugs, sprained ankles, etc. I plan on self-treating.  I'm planning on buying travel health insurance with the idea of never actually needing to use it by going to the doctor.  I'm buying travel health insurance to help in case of an emergency situation (like if I had fallen off the pyramid and broken my leg when I took this picture.)  I've gotten a few tips from different people about plans to look at, but if anyone has any advice about a good value plan that will cover unexpected serious injuries without costing too much it would be greatly appreciated.  Right now I'm taking a look at the plans by Columbus Direct which was recommended on the Lonely Planet forum and World Nomads which they claim is "endorsed" by Lonely Planet.

Two Main Kinds of Travel Insurance

I'm coming now to realize that there are two main kinds of travel insurance.  One kind focuses on short term trips and is mainly targeted for flight delays, lost baggage, etc.  The other kind is for term coverage and is targeted for health coverage while in a foreign country.

Travel Insurance Plan #1

Okay so I've entered my age (25) and state of residency, Florida, into Travel Guard's website to get a quote.  I opted for only the travel health insurance; it doesn't include any coverage for missed flights etc.

The "Medevac Annual" plan will cost me $188.35 and says that it includes the following:

Insured Coverage:
$50,000 Medical Expenses:
Covers medically necessary medical and dental expenses for up to one year provided the injury or sickness occurred while on your trip and you sought initial medical treatment while on your trip.

Emergency Evacuation:
Provides coverage for necessary emergency medical evacuations for an injury or illness incurred while traveling. Transports you to the hospital of your choice where appropriate medical treatment can be obtained and then home if warranted.
Repatriation of Remains:
Covers return of remains in the event of an unfortunate death while traveling.
$25,000 Accidental Death & Dismemberment:
Covers death and loss of limb or eyesight within 365 days of an accident.

I'm still reading the fine print and there is a whole lot of it.  It doesn't cover a whole lot; its main focus is on covering the high costs of being medevac-ed out of a remote country.  The plan is cheap though and at the very least it would make sure that if anything ever happened to me then atleast my parents wouldn't have to pay a fortune to try and repatriate my remains - just kidding.

Starting out on a trip around the world

As I get ready to start a trip around the world, I am trying to find a good travel health insurance plan that will suit my needs.  I'm mostly likely going to be traveling for several months so I am looking for some sort of term coverage rather than just a single trip or single country.

My search for a good travel health insurance program started as I was researching railroads and trains on the great site Man in Seat 61.  Its a great website worth checking out that has information on trains categorized by country in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Europe.  It has a great section on taking the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The first insurance provider that I've looked at is the one that was recommended at Seat 61 for residents of the North America, Travel Guard USA.  I'm going to be looking over their policies and will get back to you with what I think.