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Want the Best Emergency Medical Travel Insurance? Here’s What You Should Look For
By January 7, 2022 No Comments

Want the Best Emergency Medical Travel Insurance? Here’s What You Should Look For

Emergency Medical Insurance should provide coverage for medical emergency expenses incurred while travelling outside of your home province. Keep in mind that coverage differs from provider to provider, so make sure you review your credit card’s travel insurance coverage or employee benefits plan to see if and how you will need to top-up your coverage. Let’s dig into why and how travel medical insurance will benefit you while travelling abroad – and what you should expect when looking for the best emergency medical travel insurance provider!

12 Ways The Best Emergency Medical Travel Insurance Will Cover Canadians

Discover the top 10 benefits that will take care of you and your loved ones during a travel emergency, courtesy of insurance provider TuGo, who have gone through their extensive Traveller Policy. This is incredibly important information to have beforehand, as the last thing you should have to deal with at the time of an emergency is contacting your insurance provider to see how you will be taken care of.

Please keep in mind this article is mainly for our Canadian audience, as we will cover what to look for in emergency medical travel insurance in Canada!

1. COVID-19 Coverage Is Top-Of-Mind for Every Traveller – Does Your Provider Offer It?

While an increasing number of travellers are planning their next vacations, new developments like the Omicron variant, unfortunately, continue to make COVID-19 a travel concern. Your Emergency Medical Insurance should offer a coverage benefit if you are fully vaccinated! If you are looking for a Canadian travel insurance that covers COVID-19, TuGo will keep you covered.

2. Emergency Hospitalization and Care Is a Must, Under Any Emergency Medical Travel Insurance Plan and Should Be Available to You, No Matter Your Age

There is nothing more important than making sure you have the best care and treatment possible while you are away from home! And while COVID-19 might be all we’re thinking about as we prepare for travel; we shouldn’t forget that other medical emergencies can also arise. Take 3-year-old Annebelle’s situation for example…

The Truman family was away for a winter family vacation in Maui. Although she had a history of gastroesophageal issues, Annebelle had been stable for many months before leaving. But soon after arriving in Maui, Annabelle became lethargic and eventually started vomiting. She was admitted to the local hospital, where she was diagnosed with dehydration and low blood sugar. Doctors gave her IV rehydration and kept her under observation for 2 days. Thankfully, Anabelle recovered well, and the family resumed their vacation. Without their family travel insurance, the Trumans would have been out-of-pocket nearly $25,000—due to hospital and doctors’ fees, and the fact that their provincial health care plan covered less than $830!

3. Dental Travel Emergencies Might Not Be Something You’ve Contemplated Coverage For, But You Will Be Glad to Have This Benefit If You Do Need It

We all know how quickly dental costs can add up at home—imagine having to face them abroad! And with so many fascinating places to see, who knows where your next trip will take you? From a painful toothache to the unfortunate experience of an accident that involves a blow to the face, you will want to know what your provider covers and what your limits are for these benefits.

4. Make Sure You Understand How Your Coverage Applies for Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

From getting an understanding to answering a medical questionnaire, researching travel insurance for seniors can be overwhelming. Unstable pre-existing medical conditions are a major reason for claim denials, so make sure to read and understand your travel insurance policy before travelling. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to reach out to your insurance professional and/or travel insurance provider as soon as possible, to make sure you’ve got the right coverage for your travel needs.

5. Emotional and Mental Health Conditions Should Be Covered by Travel Insurance

A good emergency medical policy should take into consideration that sometimes, medical emergencies aren’t just physical ones—but emotional ones too. While some travel insurance providers may shy away from this type of coverage, TuGo will cover you if you’re hospitalized for an emotional or mental disorder while you are away. They will cover the hospitalization of “an emotional condition, state of anxiety, situational crisis, anxiety or panic attack, or any other illness or disorder impacting mood, thinking, and/or behaviour”—unless the condition is an unstable pre-existing medical condition or induced by drugs, alcohol, or medication.

6. If You’re Pregnant, Your Travel Insurance Should Cover You in Case of An Illness, Injury, Or the Premature Birth of a Child

Now that travel is picking up again, some expectant couples may be considering babymoons. If you’re one of them, make sure to review how your coverage plan will take care of you in the event of premature birth, or if any unforeseen illness or injury were to occur while you are on vacation.  

7. Ensure You’ve Got the Right Coverage for Adventurous And/Or Extreme Sports or Activities

If you’re the type of traveller who craves the excitement of skiing, parasailing, or snorkelling, your travel insurance needs to cover you for what you enjoy doing on vacation! And if you’re more daring than that? You should be able to add on supplemental coverage, allowing you to travel more to the extreme, as an Optional Sports & Activities Coverage Plan sounds like it could be the right option for you.

Not sure if this type of coverage is really necessary? Check out Trevor’s real-life experience to better understand its value:

While climbing down the side of a canyon with his brother, 19-year-old Trevor slipped and fell 50 feet, fracturing his back and foot. His brother called an ambulance and the two were taken to the nearest hospital. Doctors deemed that immediate surgery was required for Trevor’s spinal injury. After 7 days, Trevor was discharged but was instructed to allow enough time to recover a little, before returning to Canada. To accommodate this, he booked 6 more days at a motel. Trevor would’ve been in serious debt if it weren’t for the Sports & Activities Coverage being added on to his Emergency Medical plan. TuGo covered over $202,000, while Trevor’s provincial healthcare covered less than 1% of the total bill.

8. Ambulance, Emergency Air Transportation, and Remote Evacuation Are Benefits That Every Emergency Medical Insurance Policy Should Cover

The cost of an ambulance ride may seem trivial, but what if you have a medical emergency that requires you to be air evacuated back to Canada? Not only are air, sea, or ground ambulance services necessities, but what if you’re hiking abroad, get stranded in a remote area, and need to be rescued? You never know what situation you may end up in, so make sure your coverage plan has what you need to stay protected!

9. Ensure the Return of Travel Companions, Children, Pets, And Vehicles Are Standard Benefits in Your Travel Medical Policy

Experiencing a medical emergency is traumatic for the one experiencing it, but also for the people surrounding them. That’s why a good emergency medical plan will ensure your travel companion and/or dependent children will be provided with the means to return home if you’ve been hospitalized and air evacuated back to Canada. Plus, if applicable, the return of your pet and vehicle should also be travel insurance benefits that are available to you—if you’re air evacuated back to Canada.

10. “Return of Deceased” Should Be Covered by Travel Insurance Simply Because You Just Never Know When It Will Be Needed

No one wants to think about their own death, or that of a loved one. But we never know when our time is up… so, having travel insurance coverage can mean one less thing your family needs to agonize over in this type of very difficult and unfortunate situation.

11. Vision Care and Hearing Aid Benefits Will Come in Handy in The Event of Breakage, Loss, Or Theft

While the breakage, loss, or theft of prescription glasses, contact lenses, and/or hearing aids isn’t necessarily a medical emergency, it can put a damper on your trip if you can’t experience the sights and sounds of your destination! That is why it’s helpful to check if your emergency medical insurance has some coverage to replace these personal items if the event were to arise.

12. Added Benefits for Air Travel Delays Might Not Be Essential but Are Good to Have When You Need Them!

Can you think of anything more annoying than a flight delay when all you want is to get to your destination? Check to see if and how your travel insurance will take care of you during these frustrating times. For example, TuGo has benefits for a delay of 2+ hours with their MyFlytTM service; and if you’re delayed for 4+ hours, they will reimburse the necessary and reasonable hotel, motel, restaurant, or transportation expenses. They will also reimburse essential clothing and personal care item purchases, in the case that your baggage is lost or delayed by the airline for 6+ hours.

Another important factor in choosing travel insurance coverage is that it needs to be comprehensive –but also customizable! There should be options to meet your needs from a Single Trip to Multi-Trip Annual Plan, to a Family & Friends Plan, to non-medical options including Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, and Baggage. You should have what you need available, to make your travels the safest they can be.

Get Your Quote

Does your credit card insurance, employee group plan, or travel insurance provider cover everything listed above? If not, TuGo has you covered, and you can get a quote for your needs here for the best emergency medical travel insurance!

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