Amid U. S. Debate on Fate of Pre-Existing Coverage under Healthcare Reform Travel Insured Offers Emergency Med Expenses for Pre-Existing Conditions
Travelers following the national healthcare debate over whether or not pre-existing conditions of themselves, their travel companions, or their immediate family members will be covered under healthcare reform, can be reassured that Travel Insured offers Pre-Existing Medical Coverage in most travel insurance plans.
East Hartford, CT (PRWEB) February 3, 2010
Travelers following the national debate over the fate of coverage of pre-existing medical conditions under healthcare reform are also concerned about coverage for these conditions when a pre-existing condition-related medical emergency strikes while they are traveling. They want to be sure the travel insurance plan they select allows coverage of pre-existing medical conditions of themselves, the companions traveling with them on the same itinerary, and members of both their immediate families, especially in foreign destinations where U. S. health plans, including Medicare, normally do not provide coverage.
Travel Insured International (http://www. travelinsured. com) recommends that travelers find and select the right insurance plan for their travel needs, and follow the normally simple purchasing rules required to qualify for coverage of pre-existing medical conditions. This can save the insured traveler grief, whether seeking Trip Cancellation reimbursement due to the recurrence of a condition at home, or seeking Emergency Accident or Sickness Medical Expense coverage, Trip Interruption or Medical Evacuation due to the recurrence of the condition during the trip.
Travel Insured’s Worldwide Trip Protector, Trip Protector Lite Expanded, and Airline Ticket Protector plans all allow travelers up to 14 days from their initial deposit to obtain the plan with the pre-existing medical conditions waiver. The waiver permits coverage related to a pre-existing condition to be provided when it would normally be excluded from the plan. The Worldwide Trip Protector Gold plan generously allows up to 30 days from deposit to obtain the waiver.
Two recent cases illustrate the dilemma of traveling without the needed coverage for emergency medical expenses due to a pre-existing condition. In one case, reported by a CBS affiliate in Cincinnati, a woman was denied Trip Cancellation reimbursement after her mother’s death from a pre-existing condition because the travel insurance plan she bought directly from her airline did not cover pre-existing conditions. In another case reported by a local Iowa newspaper, a widow was denied medical expenses after her husband died of a heart condition on a cruise because her health insurance plan neither covered pre-existing conditions nor treatment outside the U. S., where the fatality occurred.
3rd Party Travel Insurance and Pre-X Medical Waiver
A first step is to learn how the insurance company defines a pre-existing condition. At Travel Insured the pre-existing condition is any injury, sickness or condition of the insured, the traveling company or a member of either of their immediate families for which medical treatment, diagnosis, care or treatment was received during the 180-day period ending on the effective date of the policy. Conditions controlled during the period without a change of prescription drugs are not considered pre-existing. Remember that many people may not know the pre-existing conditions that even their immediate loves ones may have!
Travelers should seek a 3rd-party travel insurance plan that offers a waiver allowing coverage of a pre-existing medical condition that might otherwise be excluded from coverage. A travel agent professional is normally best qualified to recommend and book the travel insurance plan that offers the waiver making sure pre-existing medical condition coverage sought by the traveler will not be disallowed by the policy.
Four Simple Qualifying Rules
The four Travel Insured qualifying rules for obtaining the pre-existing conditions waiver are simple:
1. buy the plan within the required number of days from trip deposit;
2. purchase the plan for the full non-refundable cost of the trip;
3. the insured traveler must not be disabled from traveling at the time the plan is paid for and,
4. be sure this is the insured traveler’s first and only travel booking for the same destination and dates of travel.
The bottom line is that solving the pre-existing medical condition dilemma should be no problem for travelers who do a little shopping. Ask the right questions to make sure pre-existing conditions are covered, and consider the guidance of a travel agent professional working with a specialized, 3rd-party insurance provider like Travel Insured International. Remember that insured travelers will feel like they have done the right thing for their family, as well as themselves, by obtaining this coverage.
About Travel Insured International
Travel Insured delivers comprehensive travel protection benefits ranging from trip cancellation and trip interruption to emergency assistance and Medevac insurance, travel accident and sickness medical expense, accidental death and dismemberment, missed connection and baggage delay or loss.
The company's travel insurance plans include its comprehensive Worldwide Trip Protector, the most popular travel protection plan (http://www. travelinsured. com/Travel-Insurance/TravelPlan. aspx? plan=333) and Worldwide Trip Protector Gold (http://www. travelinsured. com/Travel-Insurance/TravelPlan. aspx? plan=334), an enhanced travel insurance plan designed to protect luxury vacations and business trips. Travel Insured also offers two travel insurance plans designed to provide basic yet flexible protection for families and budget conscious travelers, its Worldwide Trip Protector Lite insurance plan and Worldwide Trip Protector Lite Expanded insurance plan. Finally they offer an Airline Ticket Protector plan as well as a complete offering of Group Travel Insurance plans including Student Group insurance plans.
Visit Travel Insured's travel insurance (http://www. travelinsured. com) web site or speak to a friendly, knowledgeable Travel Insured customer care professional at 1-800-243-3174.
Travel Insured International, based in East Hartford, Connecticut, was founded in 1993 by the foresight of insurance industry executive Peter Gehris when he acquired the travel protection division of the Travelers Insurance Company. Coverage is underwritten by Arch Insurance Company (a Missouri corporation, NAIC #11150) with executive offices located in Jersey City, NJ. Not all insurance products or coverage is available in all jurisdictions. Coverage is subject to actual policy language.
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