Travel Health Insurance

nisryus · May 21, 2025

So lately the wife has been experiencing asthma attacks more frequently, feeling fatigue.. etc. Since our trip to Japan is in a week (no she doesn't want to cancel it), that got me thinking what if something happens and we need medical attention while in Japan?

When I called my insurer (BCBS Anthem), the rep said some are covered and i just need to submit some paper work, while the wife's Medicare Advantage just won't cover anything internationally, because its for use within The States.

Anyone has experience with health insurance for international travel? Or anyone has needed medical attentions while aboard, any pointers or experiences you can share? TIA.

sdifox · May 22, 2025

Definitely get one given your wife's condition. You'll have to research which one to get.

Healthcare in Japan for Tourists: What to Do When You Get Sick or Injured in Japan | LIVE JAPAN travel guide

Getting injured or sick in Japan is the last thing you need while traveling. Still, sometimes it does happen and getting the help and health care you need can be quite the ordeal in a country with a different language and culture. Still, there’s no need to panic: from smaller discomforts such...

livejapan.com

dullard · May 22, 2025

I haven't purchased travel insurance. But I have heard that full-year coverage that spans multiple trips tends to be cheaper than piecemeal coverage per trip. If you intend to travel more than once, you should probably consider it. Heck, even for one trip, full-year coverage may still be cheaper.

Here are some options:

4 Best Annual Travel Insurance Options in 2024 - NerdWallet

If you're often in the air or on the road, you may want to consider purchasing an annual travel insurance policy to cover your travel for a whole year.

www.nerdwallet.com

thestrangebrew1 · May 22, 2025

No experience with travel health insurance but this brought up something I've just never thought of before: having to use my health insurance when we travel out of state. I'll have to take a look and see if we'd be considered out of network when we travel. We typically go to Texas once or twice a year to visit my sister.

Brainonska511 · May 22, 2025

dullard said:
I haven't purchased travel insurance. But I have heard that full-year coverage that spans multiple trips tends to be cheaper than piecemeal coverage per trip. If you intend to travel more than once, you should probably consider it. Heck, even for one trip, full-year coverage may still be cheaper.

Here are some options:

4 Best Annual Travel Insurance Options in 2024 - NerdWallet

If you're often in the air or on the road, you may want to consider purchasing an annual travel insurance policy to cover your travel for a whole year.

www.nerdwallet.com

I think the one thing to watch with full year coverage is lower overall limits for certain types of coverage (from my recollection of looking at them), and to know that the limits can sometimes be per policy year. But from a total premium perspective, they could be worth it if you travel enough per year.

For one-off international trip, I tend to just buy a Travelex policy shortly after I put the first money down, in case I want any-reason cancellation and to avoid any pre-existing conditions issues that can deny coverage later (if you buy too late).

But the one off policies, especially for medical-only, can be pretty affordable and include evacuation coverage. Insuremytrip.com was a good source for comparing prices and coverages.

Brainonska511 · May 22, 2025

thestrangebrew1 said:
No experience with travel health insurance but this brought up something I've just never thought of before: having to use my health insurance when we travel out of state. I'll have to take a look and see if we'd be considered out of network when we travel. We typically go to Texas once or twice a year to visit my sister.

My current insurance uses The First Health network for national coverage. Generally easy enough to find a provider or facility, but explaining how I have access to such network even though the payer is called BlahBlahCare always turns into an exacerbating conversation with an in-network provider because they're like "we don't take BlahBlahCare", and I have to then explain the whole network access thing and tell them to just submit the damn claim.

purbeast0 · May 22, 2025

My wife and I have had something happen overseas, which happened to be two different times in Grand Cayman.

One time I got really sick while I was trying to get my SCUBA certification and after my first day of dives I had to call it. I ended up going to a clinic the following morning and was diagnosed with the flu and an ear infection.

The second time my wife woke up in the middle of the night some some sharp pains down below so we had to go to the hospital because it was the middle of the night. It sucked because we had to take our son with us who was 3 or 4 at the time. She ended up having a UTI.

Both of these times I paid out of pocket while on the island, and when I came back I contacted my insurance and they handled everything after the fact. I think I was responsible for some of it, but not the whole thing. I was definitely reimbursed for some of it.

On a different note with insurance - never get the car rental insurance if your credit card has it! Also in Grand Cayman, my wife backed into something that caused damage, and we had to pay $1300 when we returned the car. But dealing with the credit card insurance was a piece of cake and like 2 weeks later they credited that exact amount back to the credit card I had paid with.

manly · May 22, 2025

Typically, you have to buy travel insurance within 14 days of booking.

Insurance is sold through different agencies/brokers. NerdWallet will kick you over to SquareMouth, where you can compare all the options. Some are quite affordable, but I can't vouch for any specific carrier.

Brainonska511 · May 22, 2025

purbeast0 said:
My wife and I have had something happen overseas, which happened to be two different times in Grand Cayman.

One time I got really sick while I was trying to get my SCUBA certification and after my first day of dives I had to call it. I ended up going to a clinic the following morning and was diagnosed with the flu and an ear infection.

The second time my wife woke up in the middle of the night some some sharp pains down below so we had to go to the hospital because it was the middle of the night. It sucked because we had to take our son with us who was 3 or 4 at the time. She ended up having a UTI.

Both of these times I paid out of pocket while on the island, and when I came back I contacted my insurance and they handled everything after the fact. I think I was responsible for some of it, but not the whole thing. I was definitely reimbursed for some of it.

On a different note with insurance - never get the car rental insurance if your credit card has it! Also in Grand Cayman, my wife backed into something that caused damage, and we had to pay $1300 when we returned the car. But dealing with the credit card insurance was a piece of cake and like 2 weeks later they credited that exact amount back to the credit card I had paid with.

For health insurance, people should be careful about what their own plans may or may not cover while abroad. I think you got lucky with your plan on getting some reimbursement, and I would bet that most people's health insurance does not include stuff like medical evacuation coverage.

Brainonska511 · May 22, 2025

manly said:
Typically, you have to buy travel insurance within 14 days of booking.

Insurance is sold through different agencies/brokers. NerdWallet will kick you over to SquareMouth, where you can compare all the options. Some are quite affordable, but I can't vouch for any specific carrier.

You can buy after 14 days, but coverage will generally be more restrictive, like not being able to involve certain coverages because of pre-existing conditions or not being able to add any reason cancellation riders.

nisryus · May 23, 2025

Thanks guys for all the info! Looking into it now. Few days to go so will got to get this done asap.

DigDog · May 24, 2025

nisryus said:
So lately the wife has been experiencing asthma attacks more frequently, feeling fatigue.. etc. Since our trip to Japan is in a week (no she doesn't want to cancel it), that got me thinking what if something happens and we need medical attention while in Japan?

When I called my insurer (BCBS Anthem), the rep said some are covered and i just need to submit some paper work, while the wife's Medicare Advantage just won't cover anything internationally, because its for use within The States.

Anyone has experience with health insurance for international travel? Or anyone has needed medical attentions while aboard, any pointers or experiences you can share? TIA.

i work in travel insurance.

1. the asthma attacks have to have been declared on the policy. This means that when you buy the policy, it says "does anyone on this policy have known pre-existing conditions".
2. she cannot be on waiting list for any kind of investigation, exam, medical review etc - generally AT ALL, but often specifically for that one condition.
3. ask your family doctor for your medical history file's ICD-10 codes. those are the conditions that you need to declare.

if you do these things, generally you are on solid ground. I recommend that you read the Policy Wording (this should be downloadable from the policy sales portal after you get a quote, but before you pay), and look for anything stating "congenital" and if you find it, don't buy that policy. Anything that means to say "yeah you did not know you had this condition, BUT it clearly must have been there for some time, so no cover".

Brainonska511 · May 24, 2025

DigDog said:
i work in travel insurance.

1. the asthma attacks have to have been declared on the policy. This means that when you buy the policy, it says "does anyone on this policy have known pre-existing conditions".
2. she cannot be on waiting list for any kind of investigation, exam, medical review etc - generally AT ALL, but often specifically for that one condition.
3. ask your family doctor for your medical history file's ICD-10 codes. those are the conditions that you need to declare.

if you do these things, generally you are on solid ground. I recommend that you read the Policy Wording (this should be downloadable from the policy sales portal after you get a quote, but before you pay), and look for anything stating "congenital" and if you find it, don't buy that policy. Anything that means to say "yeah you did not know you had this condition, BUT it clearly must have been there for some time, so no cover".

I have a question, but maybe its policy specific: I thought for "pre-existing conditions", it's not so much a need to declare it, but it needs to be medically stable and you have to have purchased the policy either within X days of booking (if a one-trip policy) or >X days prior to your trip (if a multi-trip policy); is this an incorrect interpretation?

DigDog · May 24, 2025

Brainonska511 said:
I have a question, but maybe its policy specific: I thought for "pre-existing conditions", it's not so much a need to declare it, but it needs to be medically stable and you have to have purchased the policy either within X days of booking (if a one-trip policy) or >X days prior to your trip (if a multi-trip policy); is this an incorrect interpretation?

right;
every underwriter has a different approach to policy writing. I cannot cover EVERY policy as i .. well just don't know all of them.
1. you need to buy the policy prior to travel. You do not need to purchase the policy within a certain timeframe, i have seen people buy them 8 months ahead of time, but it's generally not a good idea to buy the policy almost near your travel date. Let's say, a month earlier is ideal.

2. "medically stable" is the basis for you to even travel. if you have an ACTIVE condition, i.e. you are not fully 100% stable, you will not have any cover from any insurer.

3. "pre-existing" means that you have had it ... it was treated .. you were CURED .. and now it's in your medical history.
The reasoning here is that if you've ever had anything at all, you're more likely to get it again.

4. Policies normally have Terms Of Declaration during purchase, e.g. "have you had any psychological diagnosis such as anxiety, depression, or food addiction"; or they can be timeframe-specific, "have you had any Cardiac or Circulatory condition withing the last 2 years" (dated backwards from the day you buy the policy).
^this will be checked, so it's absolutely critical that you declare EVERYTHING, because most policies say "you must declare all your conditions". If you say, "i know i have incurable cancer, i am not asking for cover for that, i just want cover for my broken foot" you will have your claim declined on the grounds that you did not complete the policy purchase correctly.

Never ever say "oh i felt a bit fuzzy the day before the flight, but only after i had arrived did i get symptoms that made me understand i was sick". The illness must start within the Period Of Cover.

In case it's not obvious, i also write Decline Letters for the insurance. "Mr Smith your claim is declined because of XYZ".

quikah · Sunday at 2:12 PM

Visit japan web has a link to a travel insurance you can buy after you land. No idea if it is any good or how much it costs. https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/do_travel_insurance04.html

BTW: Fill out the entry forms online, makes customs/immigration checkpoint much easier. you just show a QR code. https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/

If this is not "normal" for her I would suggest to try to get an evaluation from her doctor before leaving. You will be doing a LOT of walking (I did minimum 20k+ steps a day when I went last year), so fatigue is going to be a big problem.

Brainonska511 · Sunday at 2:23 PM

quikah said:
BTW: Fill out the entry forms online, makes customs/immigration checkpoint much easier. you just show a QR code. https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/

When I was in Japan a few weeks ago, they handed out the forms on my JAL flight so you could fill it in prior to landing. I think the key is to not have to fill it out once you get into the immigration area, because that place was nuts.

nisryus · Sunday at 4:47 PM

quikah said:
Visit japan web has a link to a travel insurance you can buy after you land. No idea if it is any good or how much it costs. https://www.jnto.go.jp/emergency/eng/do_travel_insurance04.html

BTW: Fill out the entry forms online, makes customs/immigration checkpoint much easier. you just show a QR code. https://www.vjw.digital.go.jp/

If this is not "normal" for her I would suggest to try to get an evaluation from her doctor before leaving. You will be doing a LOT of walking (I did minimum 20k+ steps a day when I went last year), so fatigue is going to be a big problem.

Thanks for the link and info. Going to fill that up an check out the insurance.

Two days to go, the kid just got home, I am so ready for the trip

Brainonska511 · Sunday at 9:57 PM

nisryus said:
Thanks for the link and info. Going to fill that up an check out the insurance.

Two days to go, the kid just got home, I am so ready for the trip

Enjoy! I went at the end of last month and it was great!

nisryus · Monday at 7:57 AM

Brainonska511 said:
Enjoy! I went at the end of last month and it was great!

Thx.. But oh well, the wife was jogging and somehow sprained her ankle.. great timing. Its gonna be tough trip.

brianmanahan · Monday at 8:29 AM

i used to buy travel insurance from world nomads when i was traveling internationally, but never had to use it

now i haven't left my state since COVID hit so i don't know if it's still decent or if there are better options

Travel Health Insurance

Senior member

No Lifer

Elite Member

Diamond Member

Lifer

Lifer

No Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Senior member

Lifer

Lifer

Lifer

Diamond Member

Lifer

Senior member

Lifer

Senior member

Lifer