How International Travel Insurance From GeoBlue Can Protect Raleigh, NC Residents Should the Unexpected Occur
Each year, thousands of Raleigh and other North Carolina residents who perceive themselves to be in prime health take trips to distant lands, never expecting to fall ill or suffer an injury requiring medical care abroad; however, such scenarios occur more often than you think. Many individuals with group health coverage from their employer or private insurance purchased in the affordable care act (ACA) marketplace assume they’ll be covered if something happens to them during their international travels. That’s generally not the case, though.
This is why it’s imperative to have international travel health insurance. GeoBlue, as offered by our licensed insurance brokers at Carolina Insurance Professionals, provides you with customizable insurance coverage so that, no matter whether you’re heading out for short or long-term travel, you’ll have the necessary international medical benefits to ensure you can receive top-level care without the threat of a high cost of international health insurance.
Do I Need International Travel Medical Health Insurance?
International travel health insurance is critical if you’re traveling outside the U.S. — no matter your destination. While the health insurance you may already have here in Raleigh likely covers you anywhere in North Carolina or the U.S., it’s unlikely that those benefits extend overseas. Therefore, if you need medical attention while you’re traveling, it could prove challenging to not only find the right care but you could be stuck with sizable, unexpected medical bills unless you took time to purchase travel medical insurance before departing for your trip.
Overseas health insurance gives you peace of mind that if you fall ill or suffer injuries in an accident while traveling throughout Mexico or exploring Europe, or wherever else you may go, you’ll have an excellent medical plan to cover you whatever unexpectedly happens.
What Can You Expect When You Purchase GeoBlue Travel Medical Insurance?
GeoBlue is an international health care coverage from a name you know and trust– Blue Cross Blue Shield. This international travel health insurance was designed to make it easy to access care while traveling the world. The GeoBlue mobile app emphasizes convenience and quality of care by allowing you to:
- Locate doctors and hospitals anywhere in the world
- Access unlimited telemedicine visits
- Receive medicine equivalents
- Be notified of local security concerns or health issues in the area where you’re traveling
What’s more, by subscribing to GeoBlue travel medical insurance, you can access an in-house medical care team in Raleigh that is always just a click or call away 24/7/365. And aside from being simple to use and convenient, this international health travel insurance is much more affordable than you’d probably think. So, what are you waiting for? Take your GeoBlue coverage with you and travel with confidence.
Benefits of Having International Medical Insurance From the U.S.
Travel health insurance plans can vary significantly. There can be notable differences in what a basic and comprehensive travel insurance plan covers, so keep that in mind when reading about the medical benefits and other attributes this coverage may afford you. Some benefits associated with basic and comprehensive travel insurance policies include:
- Coverage even if you have pre-existing conditions
- Emergency medical coverage if you seek treatment, whether an evaluation or are hospitalized abroad
- Trip interruption benefits
- Emergency medical evacuation coverage (repatriation to your home country or a foreign country where they have a medical facility that can help you)
- Rental car coverage
- Trip cancellation benefits
- Accidental death coverage
As you can tell, there are many expenses in addition to the high international trip costs you could potentially incur if you were to forego purchasing a secondary coverage from an international travel medical insurance provider like GeoBlue that your primary, domestic-only health insurance policy you have in Raleigh just doesn’t cover. Geoblue can offer you a safety net in your travels, even when you need pre-existing medical conditions travel insurance.
Don’t let a medical emergency like an unexpected illness or injury hinder you from receiving top-notch health care. Also, don’t let the fact that you didn’t have emergency medical benefits financially devastate you. Let our North Carolina insurance brokers show you how the travel medical insurance cost is quite affordable — even when offered by big-name insurers like the one you may have primary insurance with, Blue Cross Blue Shield.
Disadvantages of Not Having Travel Medical Coverage
As we referenced above, there are many downsides to not having medical coverage when traveling abroad. Some additional downsides to not having a travel medical insurance policy include:
- Having to receive care from medical personnel in medical emergencies that don’t have access to your medical history, the medications you’re currently taking, and allergies
- The quality of care received, even if medical evacuations ultimately occurred, could cause a deterioration of patients’ conditions — especially if the health care providers they see are inadequately trained or they use inferior medications or equipment
All international travel insurance companies like Blue Cross and their GeoBlue plan provide coverage for eligible expenses you may incur if you experience a global health crisis. However, you’re often out of luck once you exceed those eligible limits and must come out-of-pocket for the rest. Getting additional coverage limits that will assuredly cover any emergency medical expenses you may unexpectedly incur may make the most sense after performing a risk assessment and weighing your unique financial circumstances.
It can become challenging sorting through the many different insurance providers claiming to offer coverage for unexpected medical emergency situations. So, if you feel you need travel medical insurance, let a Carolina Insurance Professionals independent broker help. We’re familiar with travel insurance provider options, including ones that offer the most expansive and limited coverage, and can apprise you of the benefits and disadvantages of each.
Where Does Your International Health Insurance Coverage Provide You With Benefits?
Raleigh residents, or North Carolina ones in general, have a few different go-to locales they like to visit internationally, some of which include:
- Canada
- Europe, and specifically Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France
- Mexico
Yes, you even need health insurance for travel to Canada from the USA. Then others travel to far more distant lands to see the sights and sounds or to do business in Eastern Europe, hotspots in Asia in China, the Middle East, India, Japan, and parts of Central or South America, the Caribbean, and Africa.
Geo Blue Medical Travel Insurance Covers You Globally
Overseas health insurance can be used in many countries, including the following, should you have the misfortune of getting hurt or falling ill, necessitating medical attention while abroad:
- Africa: This may include Egypt, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya, or multiple other countries on this vast continent
- Oceania: Exotic locales like Tahiti or Fiji or popular tourist destinations like Australia or New Zealand
- Europe: Including Germany, France, Italy, and other countries throughout the continent
- Asia: This may include any country anywhere on this vast continent, including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, India, somewhere in Indonesia like the popular tourist location of Bali, or the honeymoon hotspot of the Maldives
- The Middle East: This may include Israel, the United Arab Emirates, or elsewhere in the region
- South America: Such as Brazil, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, or Ecuador
- North America: Including Canada and Mexico
- Central America & the Caribbean: Like Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Turks & Caicos, the Cayman Islands, and other popular destinations North Carolina residents travel or move to
If your international destination isn’t on the list above, don’t fret. Geo Blue international travel insurance provides travel insurance for multiple countries. Just give our independent health insurance broker in Raleigh at Carolina Insurance Professionals a call or email us to verify your desired destination is on the list of covered countries.
What Is the Cost of International Health Insurance Through GeoBlue?
Understandably, pricing your international travel health insurance is a concern. That’s why you may be delighted to learn that GeoBlue comes in three different tiers of general plans that Raleigh residents can choose from so you don’t have to pay for more coverage than you need, including
- A single trip plan: The Voyager international health insurance plan affords you the peace of mind of knowing that if something happens to you, requiring you to seek medical attention while traveling, you can easily do so.
- Multiple trips plans: This Trekker travel medical & international health insurance coverage is ideal for individuals who take regular trips abroad. Individuals who regularly travel for leisure and business travelers purchase this insurance, specifically comprehensive coverage plans.
- Long-term plans: The Xplorer trip insurance is ideal for North Dakota residents planning to become expatriates, in other words, individuals who plan to relocate and establish their lives abroad and need international health coverage for an extended amount of time
Different Types of GeoBlue Travel Medical Insurance Plans
In addition to the individual international travel health insurance coverage described above, GeoBlue also offers specialty plans, such as group travel, corporate international health insurance, and more that North Carolinians can choose from, such as:
- Voyager single-trip group plans
- Navigator long-term education plans
- Navigator long-term crews coverage
- Navigator long-term missionary plans
- Corporate long and short-term coverage
A Carolina Insurance Professionals broker will want to learn more about your travels from Raleigh abroad before recommending the best international health plan for your visit. Whether you’re just beginning to plan your international trip or you’re soon preparing to travel, there’s no better time than now to call or email us for a quote for a GeoBlue international travel health insurance plan. So, reach out to our independent insurance brokers in Raleigh, NC, now.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Geo Blue International Travel Health Insurance
Below, you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions we receive about health coverage when traveling abroad:
Domestic health insurance policies, like group benefit plans offered by Raleigh employers or ones available through the healthcare marketplace by Blue Cross Blue Shield, are generally not accepted abroad. This means that if you plan to travel internationally, outside of the 50 states and U.S. territories like the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, etc., it’s imperative that you first secure travel medical coverage, like GeoBlue, also from Blue Cross Blue Shield, before embarking on your trip to ensure you’re covered if you fall ill or get hurt.
While no two domestic health plans are the same, Cigna group benefits or marketplace-purchased coverage seldom covers its insureds when they’re traveling overseas. As they put it in their Getting Urgent and Emergency Care Outside the U.S. brochure, Cigna cannot pay medical providers abroad. The insurer does, however, allow its insureds to file claims retrospectively, but they must first pay the hospital or health care provider abroad, which can be costly. That’s why it’s necessary for anyone visiting an international travel destination to obtain an international health plan before flying out, setting sail, or otherwise taking off for their destination.
Travel medical insurance, like GeoBlue, generally runs between 4-15% of your trip cost. Factors such as the travel destination, traveler age, the tier policy you purchase, and whether you include trip cancellation insurance coverage are just some of the many factors that affect how much your plan may cost. For example, the latter is an optional coverage that can add to the cost of your international health insurance policy. However, international health insurance is generally quite affordable (at $25-$100 monthly).
Travel insurance can be more costly for older adults, as insurance providers rely on the use of a risk-assessment model when offering quotes to prospective customers. From an insurance provider’s point of view, age is a factor that increases a person’s risk of injury or illness, and the treatment of these conditions is more expensive, so they pass these potential costs on to the customer by providing higher premiums for travel medical insurance for seniors.
Many of us Americans view Canada as being familiar. You’ve also probably heard some great things about the Canadian healthcare system. Don’t let that sense of familiarity detract you from securing a comprehensive travel insurance plan, though. You can easily get hurt or fall ill when in Canada, and your health insurance doesn’t cover you there, which means you should still purchase travel medical insurance to ensure you’re covered, whatever unexpected events may happen.
Travel insurance is necessary, no matter where you’re traveling to in Europe — even if it seems the U.S. has a favorable relationship with the country, like Italy, or you believe it to have a robust health care system like the United Kingdom. In fact, because medical costs can be expensive if someone unexpectedly gets sick or injured abroad, many European countries actually require visitors to secure medical insurance traveling to Europe in addition to a visa for entry.
Another location North Carolina residents like to visit is the beaches of Mexico. Don’t let the thought of being in vacation mode distract you from what can occur, such as food poisoning, bacterial infections from the water, and health setbacks. Before purchasing the first insurance you find when searching “travel medical insurance Mexico” at home, take time to purchase trustworthy international health coverage before setting off on your trip. It could make the difference in you getting treated by the best doctors and being easily transported back home, if necessary, to survive a serious illness or injury.
While Thailand does not require visitors to secure international travel health insurance to visit, it’s in your best interest to secure it before heading out on your trip. The Asian country has attracted well-trained doctors in recent years that are willing to perform medical procedures at more affordable rates than they are in the West, which has helped convert Thailand into a hub for “medical tourism.” Don’t let the lower cost of care fool you, though. Without travel medical insurance, you could certainly have significant health care bills that you need to pay.
The Philippines is like many other countries in that there are some talented medical professionals that can assuredly provide you with top-level care if you get hurt or fall ill while in the Asian country, but you expect or need more. So, whether you’re traveling to see the sights and sounds of Manila or you’re heading out into more desolate areas of the country on a mission trip with your fellow Raleigh churchgoers, having travel health insurance for the Philippines is imperative to ensure you get the best quality of care if the need arises.
GeoBlue covers Israel and can provide you with top-of-the-line coverage, especially if you purchase a comprehensive plan. That way, you can receive the best travel health insurance for Israel and be medically evacuated to Europe or back to the U.S. for additional care if needed.
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