Planning a trip abroad involves purchasing tickets, booking hotels, and creating an itinerary, but many travelers overlook their medical safety. Getting sick or injured in a foreign country can lead to exorbitant medical bills that your domestic insurance plan may not cover. Learning how to get travel health insurance is a fundamental step in protecting your physical well-being and your financial stability while away from home.
For many, navigating these options is overwhelming. Expert brokers like Margolis & Associates specialize in helping travelers identify these risks, providing personalized guidance to ensure your policy functions as a true safety net for doctor visits, hospital stays, and emergency procedures.
Understanding Travel Insurance vs. Travel Health Insurance
Many travelers use these terms interchangeably, but they refer to two distinct types of coverage:
- Standard Travel Insurance: Primarily protects your financial investment (lost luggage, flight cancellations, trip interruptions).
- Travel Health Insurance: Focuses specifically on medical expenses incurred abroad. These plans offer higher limits for hospitalization, surgery, and emergency care.
- Emergency Medical Evacuation: Often included in travel health plans, this covers the cost of transporting you to a capable medical facility—a service that can easily exceed $100,000.
If you are unsure which plan fits your itinerary, a consultation with Margolis & Associates can help you distinguish between basic trip protection and robust medical coverage tailored to your destination.
Can I Get Denied for Travel Health Insurance?
The short answer is: You generally cannot be “denied” the ability to buy a policy, but you can be denied “coverage” for specific claims.
Unlike domestic health insurance under the ACA, travel insurance companies can exclude certain conditions or incidents. Common reasons for claim denials include:
- Pre-Existing Conditions: Most policies exclude issues you’ve sought treatment for within a “look-back period” (60–180 days) unless you have a specific waiver.
- Alcohol and Substance Use: Injuries sustained while intoxicated are almost universally excluded.
- High-Risk Activities: Standard plans often exclude “hazardous sports” like scuba diving or skiing unless you add a specific rider.
- Lack of Pre-Authorization: If you don’t call the insurer’s emergency line before a major procedure, they may deny the claim.
How to Get Travel Health Insurance
The process is straightforward when you have a roadmap. Margolis & Associates recommends following these four steps:
1. Determine Your Requirements
Calculate your trip length and identify high-risk activities. Check if your destination (like certain European or Caribbean countries) requires a specific minimum coverage amount for entry visas.
2. Compare Quotes and Seek Expert Advice
While aggregator sites like Squaremouth offer quick comparisons, they don’t offer the nuanced advice of a broker. Margolis & Associates can review your existing domestic plan to see where gaps exist, ensuring you don’t pay for redundant coverage.
3. Review the “Pre-Existing Condition Waiver”
If you have a chronic condition, you must typically purchase your insurance within 14 to 21 days of your initial trip deposit to qualify for a waiver. This is the most critical deadline in travel insurance near NYC and other areas.
4. Finalize and Document
Once purchased, print a physical copy of your policy and save the 24/7 emergency contact hotline in your phone. This number is your first line of defense in a crisis.
Handling Pre-Existing Conditions
One of the most misunderstood aspects of travel health insurance is how history affects coverage. Even a stable condition can be flagged if you had a medication dosage change recently.
Margolis & Associates can help you navigate the “look-back period” and ensure you meet the strict eligibility requirements for a waiver, such as being medically fit to travel on the day you buy the policy and insuring the full non-refundable cost of your trip.
Final Thoughts
Travel health insurance is a small investment that prevents a broken bone from turning into a lifelong debt. By working with a trusted agency like Margolis & Associates, you gain an advocate who understands the fine print of exclusions and waivers, allowing you to focus on the experience of travel rather than the “what ifs.”
