This is important: Primary (First Payer) isn’t better than Secondary (Excess), although it’s sold that way. The only difference is the order in which the medical claims are paid. Our Secondary plans don’t require you to have any other medical coverage. And, if you are under age 65 when traveling, here’s why Secondary medical is better even if you don’t have an HSA: Primary (First Payer) Medical Coverage means your medical bills are paid from the first dollar. No “coordination of benefit” claim forms need to be filed. You need to know that many travel insurance plans with primary (First Payer) medical benefits will still ask on the claim forms if you have other medical insurance. If you answer “yes”, they will likely submit your claim to your other insurance first and process your claim as Secondary coverage. All our companies say the answer should be “no” if they want it processed as primary. Primary (First Payer) Medical Coverage works best if your medical claim is less than the coverage amount.
That’s because your travel insurance will pay the claim up to its limit. But, when the Primary travel insurance benefits are exhausted, your other insurance won’t count your deductibles and co-pays as paid. For example, here’s what happens if you have a $70,000 medical claim with a travel insurance plan that has $50,000 Primary (First Payer) coverage: Secondary Medical Coverage means your medical bills are paid after any other coverage you have pays its share. This means that Secondary coverage will pay all deductibles, out-of-pocket expenses and co-pays up to its coverage limit. The only real drawback to a Secondary Medical plan is that it can be a lot of extra time-consuming paperwork, made worse by complicated prescription benefits. For example, here’s what happens if you have a $6,000 medical claim ($5,500 medical & $500 prescriptions) with a travel insurance plan that has $25,000 Secondary coverage: Here’s a little detail that’s good to know: You probably will have to pay your medical bills yourself while on your trip.
That’s because travel insurance plans are “indemnification” plans (you will be reimbursed – indemnified) after your trip by the insurance company. Travel insurance is not a “pay on behalf of” plan. You don’t just give the medical facility a card. In some cases, a few companies can advance payment to the medical facility, but it’s on a case-by-case basis. Here’s another little detail that’s good to know: Secondary coverage assumes you have other coverage that’s Primary. If you have no other coverage Secondary, in effect, becomes Primary. But wait, there’s more: some Secondary medical plans will not only pay what your other insurance doesn’t pay while on your trip, but they will do that after you get home. Our clients, City Lights Ministries were in Haiti on a mission trip when the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake struck. This team had the Global Alert Preferred plan. The leader broke her wrist and Global Alert paid her bills for 5 months after returning home.
Global Alert has since dropped that feature, so our plans that continue to pay after you get home are the CSA Freestyle & Freestyle Luxe plans. There are a few things you need to find out before you settle on an amount of Emergency Medical / Dental and Emergency Medical Transportation coverage. A common myth is that Primary plans cost more than Secondary plans. The actual cost of Travel Insurance is based on your age, trip cost and trip length. Some Primary plans are less expensive than Secondary plans at certain ages and vice versa for other ages. One more thing to be aware of is that the emergency medical transportation portion of a policy doesn’t pay for the medical treatment. That’s covered under the emergency medical portion of the travel insurance policy. Medigap Policies C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M & N Your Medigap (Medicare Supplement) plan may provide worldwide coverage benefits for health care needs when you travel outside the United States. Medigap policies C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M & N provide Foreign Travel Emergency health care coverage when you travel outside the United States.
Under these plans, Medigap policies pay for 80% of the cost of emergency care during the first 60 days of each trip after you pay the $250 deductible. Foreign Travel Emergency coverage with Medigap policies have a lifetime limit of $50,000. You should check with your Medicare Supplement plan prior to traveling outside of the United States regarding your worldwide coverage benefits. Your Medicare Supplement plan will either tell you: “We pay whatever Medicare won’t pay, subject to deductibles & copays.” or “If Medicare’s not obligated to pay, we won’t pay either.” Here’s why you’ll want to how your Medigap plan pays: If your Medigap plan has a lifetime limit of $50,000 of medical benefits paid, I (Steve) suggest you get a trip cancellation travel insurance plan that has Primary Medical coverage. That way if you have a medical claim you are not using part of your lifetime limit. But, if your Medigap plan supplements (gives you more than the $50,000 lifetime limit), I (Steve) suggest you get a trip cancellation travel insurance plan that has Secondary Medical coverage.
It's easy and safe to purchase online or over the phone - just call Deanna, Becky, Kim or Steve at (888) 407-3854 or (816) 282-6858. PS - Read Steve's Blog or you can Subscribe to Steve's blog here Get side-by-side plan & price comparisons Can't find what you need? is the world's most informative travel insurance website, you are still responsible to know the coverage terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions of your plan. No comments or explanations confirm or deny coverage. You need to refer to each plan's policy wording. Click here to get each plan's complete details of coverage. , 401 NW Whitlock Dr., Lees Summit, MO 64081Over the past 40 years, I’ve travelled to all seven continents and most of the US states. I didn’t feel much like travelling most of the time I was on cancer treatment, but now that I’m feeling fairly normal on Xalkori, I’ve begun to venture out again. When I buy expensive tickets on common carriers (airlines, cruise ships, train), I buy travel insurance.
Before I was diagnosed with lung cancer, I bought it primarily to cover non-refundable payments in case I had to cancel due to illness or family emergency, or to cover lost luggage and medical expenses abroad. Now that I’ve got metastatic cancer, and I’ve learned how much quality of cancer care varies, I’m more concerned with covering expenses if I have cancer-related problems while on a trip. The CDC has a good page that summarizes the three types of insurance for travelers: travel insurance, travel health insurance, and medical evacuation insurance. Here’s what I’ve learned from the travels of myself and others. Travel Insurance and Travel Health Insurance These policies are usually purchased for a specific trip, and cover the following travel medical problems, along with baggage insurance and other things. Trip cancellation provides reimbursement for non-refundable trip payments and deposits if I must cancel the trip before it starts. If the trip is expensive — say, a two-week cruise — and purchased many months in advance, I want my deposit and payments to be reimbursed if changes in my treatment plan (say, radiation for a new met) force me to cancel my trip.
Trip interruption provides reimbursement for non-refundable trip payments and out of pocket expenses if the trip is interrupted after it starts. If I have a health problem on the cruise, and the ship departs without me while I’m waiting on a doctor or hospital, I will get reimbursed for the extra airfare to catch up with the ship after treatment, and meal expenses I had to pay out of pocket while I’m off the ship. Emergency medical and dental pays medical or dental expenses incurred on the trip. Cruise ship doctors are pricey, and expect payment at time of service. Medicare and Medicare supplements usually do not cover medical expenses incurred outside the USA. Emergency medical transportation arranges and pays to medically transport me to an appropriate medical facility when I need care, and get me home after I’ve received care. More on this under Medical Evacuation Insurance. Frommer’s has compiled a list of companies that offer travel insurance and travel health insurance.
The US State Department has another list of companies that provide coverage for overseas travelers. AAA-hosted trip usually book me through Allianz, and I’ve booked through Allianz myself online. If I become severely injured or ill while away from home, I might need an air ambulance to transfer me to a major medical center, or even my home hospital. Such transfers are EXPENSIVE. A friend with cancer paid $20,000 to be flown by air ambulance from Seattle to Kentucky. If you’re overseas, the cost could be $100,000 or more if you’re in a remote area with little medical care available. Travel insurance policies often don’t provide sufficient coverage for this. Medevac policies can be purchased separately or in combination with travel insurance. Some Medevac insurance providers have their own network of specially-equipped airplanes whose flights are not restricted to airline timetables and routes; other providers are simply brokers that make arrangements for evacuation with contractors.
Most medical evacuation insurance companies offer policies that cover the insured on all trips during a set period, be it short- or long-term. Annual policies are typically around $200. Terms and availability vary from carrier to carrier. Some carriers that offer Medevac insurance are listed below. I don’t have personal experience with any of them; this list is just offered as a starting point for readers. Travel Guard MedEvac Plan Here are a few lessons learned from my own experience: 1. Read the insurance policy to be sure my specific travel situation is covered. Some policies will allow me to cancel within a short period after purchase if I discover my situation isn’t covered. For my first trip to Denver for a clinical trial, I bought Alaska Airlines travel insurance through what was then AccessAmerica (now Allianz). The full policy was emailed to me after I bought it. Good thing I read it immediately: it didn’t cover travel for medical treatment! Fortunately I was able to cancel and get a full refund within 10 days, if I hadn’t already left on the trip.
Without travel insurance, however, I would have to forfeit my cheap non-refundable ticket if the clinic changed my appointment day. I was able to reschedule a non-refundable flight for free once by playing the cancer card, but I wouldn’t want to rely on that approach. 2. Disclose pre-existing conditions (lung cancer!) and check for pre-existing conditions waivers that might disqualify me for coverage. Because I have lung cancer, AAA travel agency told me I had to buy non-refundable travel insurance at the time I made my initial deposit on a cruise, months in advance of the trip. If I had waited to buy the insurance, any claims related to my lung cancer would not be covered. My healthy son was able to wait to buy his insurance until he made his final payment for the cruise. 3. Check for dollar limits, deductibles, and terms regarding medical evacuation. Be sure the coverage limit is high enough to pay for evacuation from wherever I plan to travel. Ask what air carrier the insurance company would use for evacuation from the travel location—they may not have contractors in all countries.