by Ellen Cheng
Whether it’s for business, study, or pleasure, international travel involves risk. You may arrive at your destination only to find that your luggage with all your personal items has disappeared. A personal emergency may necessitate an early return to your home country. A medical emergency may require hospitalization or even evacuation. In most cases, your existing insurance might provide death benefits but not adequate protection for these and other risks. Without appropriate travel insurance, you may be exposed to significant financial liability. Let’s look at the case of Helena Liu in order to understand why appropriate travel insurance is important. Helena Liu was the only survivor among the three news reporters injured in a train accident in England in 2000. Her condition was very critical but her family decided not to euthanize her and requested to have her transferred. But the new hospital requested 100,000 pounds cash as a security deposit prior to admittance. If she were covered by appropriate travel insurance, then no security deposit would be required. Here are some things you should look for when buying insurance: Worldwide Recognized Insurer – From Liu’s case, we can see that it is important that your insurer is recognized worldwide. Hospitals in England didn’t accept Liu’s insurance because they did not recognize her insurer. A worldwide insurer like Lloyd’s of London would be acceptable by medical centers and hospitals everywhere. Medical Benefits – Travel insurance should also cover medical benefits such as charges made by hospitals or physicians. Other charges like medical supplies, examination, treatment, and hospital transfer charges should also be included in the coverage. Emergency Evacuation and Reunion – The 100,000 pounds that Liu’s family had to pay was a huge liability. It is necessary for a travel insurance to cover emergency evacuation for medically necessary treatment in order to safeguard the patient’s life. In the event of a covered emergency evacuation, appropriate travel insurance should also provide the following benefits: the cost of round trip air and/or ground transportation to the area where the patient is hospitalized following emergency evacuation, and reasonable expenses for lodging and meals for the patient’s family for a reasonable period of time. Common Carrier Accident – Travel insurance usually covers accidental death and dismemberment; however, an accident on a commercial common carrier is sometimes excluded or the amount of benefit provided is reduced. Therefore, it is necessary for the travel insurance to cover different kinds of accidents and to provide a reasonable benefit. Worldwide Assistance Service – Most important of all, your travel insurer should provide customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Whatever the time or location, the service can respond to your needs immediately. International travel involves all kinds of risk. In order to have an enjoyable and productive trip, choosing appropriate travel insurance is necessary. When buying travel insurance, you should examine the insurance coverage, benefits, and the services provided. If you need more information of what appropriate travel insurance should include, you may visit http://www.smsworldcare.com/ to find out more. And if you are wondering about Liu’s condition, don’t worry, she is recovering well. a
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May 2024
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