Seniors have more health concerns than the average young, healthy traveler. Therefore, general insurance coverage isn’t enough. They need one that caters to many situations, such as medical emergencies.
Shopping for such travel policies is daunting unless you have a clear checklist of the minimum coverage you need. Consequently, we listed these priorities to guide you as you shop for travel insurance for seniors.
9 Things To Do as You Look for Travel Insurance for Senior
1. Use a Comparison Website
You can’t possibly go through all the offers from insurers. But you can compare their offers fast on a website with such a feature. Among the features to compare are inclusions, exclusions, and customer service.
Such comparison websites also collect customer reviews. Hence, you’ll know if the insurer is reliable by reading about the experiences of other seniors.
2. Confirm its Coverage for Seniors
Aging makes the body so unpredictable. Therefore, health insurance accommodates regular checkups to monitor such symptoms. But you can never be so sure you won’t experience sudden aches and pains when traveling. Hence, a travel policy specifically designed for senior citizens is more practical. As such, it has solid coverage, including medical evacuation and expenses.
3. Scrutinize Exclusions & Exceptions
The exclusions shouldn’t affect your travel plans and the activities you have lined up. For example, you may find a policy that excludes extreme sports, yet you’re going bungee jumping.
Most policies cover trip cancellations and stolen luggage. Some offer trip cancellation as a separate cover. Trip cancellation can be non-negotiable for seniors because an injury or an illness can make you cancel your trip. When that happens, the insurance reimburses trip deposits and outlays like airline tickets and accommodation.
You might not find a policy that covers all your travel expenses, but it should cater to your priorities and tell you the ones you have to meet from your pocket. When that’s out of the way, you can secure a personal loan for additional expenses you may incur, such as checkups, medication refills, and vision care.
Such loans have a fast application process even if you have a low credit score. For example, CreditNinja installment Loans can cover emergency medical bills without asking for collateral, and you have up to 18 months to repay.
4. Consider Preexisting Conditions
Your travel coverage may not give you holistic coverage for preexisting conditions. In that case, you’d need a waiver for the policy to cater to medical issues that may arise when you travel.
Many insurers define these conditions as illnesses or injuries sustained 60 to 90 days before insurance coverage. A formal diagnosis isn’t mandatory, but you should have examination reports or prescriptions.
The condition should be stable for you to travel. Since the insurer defines the parameters of the waiver, you may have to buy the cover within days of making the first deposit for your trip.
5. Does it Allow Upgrades?
Minimum coverage might be the best choice if you’re on a tight budget. It should cover medical expenses, medical evacuation, travel delays, baggage delays, and trip cancellations.
However, ask if it permits additional coverage that you can request if the need arises.
6. Customer Support Matters
Round-the-clock support is necessary when traveling to another time zone. Some offer non-insurance assistance like lost baggage retrieval, prescription drug replacement, and visa information. These are the features you should look for when comparing insurers.
7. Find a Cover Suited to Your Destination
You may require more coverage features depending on your destination. For example, if you’re heading to a place with unpredictable weather, find an insurer offering hurricane and weather coverage.
Another feature is sudden travel out of a country due to political or civil unrest. It is a necessity when heading to war-torn destinations.
Remember, your Medicare insurance won’t cover health care when traveling outside the United States. The exceptions include emergency services when traveling through Canada or on a ship within U.S waters.
8. Check Coverage Limits & Rates
The medical expenses and evacuation limits per person also differ across covers for seniors. Some split it into accident and sickness cover.
To stay on budget, if you don’t travel regularly, you may start with a single trip plan. Such flexibility also lets you choose the specific travel need to cover, for instance, trip cancellation or medical emergencies.
9. Check the Commitment Period
Check when the insurer expects you to buy the policy. Some insurers say it has to be about ten days before your travel date.
Another feature that could save you money and disappointments is the free look period. That little detail lets you review the policy and cancel without penalties. It might give you between 10 and 15 days to do that. Without it, you’ll probably not get a refund when you change your mind about traveling.
Final Thoughts
Travel insurance cushions you from anything that may happen during your trip. For seniors, this includes medical emergencies and evacuations. There’s also the risk of canceling your trip because you got ill at the last minute; therefore, you also need trip cancellation coverage.
Given these situations, buying travel coverage for seniors requires thorough scrutiny of the exclusions and exceptions. You risk paying hefty fees out of pocket when you miss fine details like a preexisting condition waiver.