Travel health insurance that counts as "credible coverage"

1/13/2012 1:48:22 PM

Look for an international major medical policy and find out if they will issue a certificate/document of credible coverage. You should do this before you apply. I took a 14 month trip 3 years ago and had the same issue. I ended up with an international citizens policy also known as citizen secure. I ended up getting back on with my former employer thankfully, however I had the certificate they issued just in case I needed to get health insurance on my own through blue-cross.
Good luck in your travels!

12/13/2011 11:22:17 PM

Caveat up front: I have not yet actually done this, but I am planning a long trip of this sort myself and have been researching this question in depth.

The key thing to know is that there is a significant difference between “travel” health insurance and international health insurance.

The former is designed as a supplement to the full coverage you have at home, to cover emergencies such as sudden illness or accidental injury, evacuation to a hospital, travel back to your home country, etc. It is not a “full” health plan. You can’t walk into a clinic in Paris for an annual maintenance check-up with a low co-pay. That’s not what these plans are for, and based on what I have learned so far, it looks like if this were your only health insurance during your travels, it would not be considered as credible coverage by a new insurer when you return.

Another “gotcha” with these “travel” plans is that often the coverage automatically terminates when you set foot back in your home country. So even if you have paid for 11 months, if after month 6 you decide to come home for a week to attend a friend’s wedding and kiss your mom on the cheek, your policy ends and you need a new one.

What you are likely to need is genuine health insurance with an international network. There are many providers, including HTH, ihi Bupa, Cigna and many others. Most of these also have travel insurance options so it is important to be careful about what you are purchasing. e.g. ihi Bupa has a Travel Insurance page and a Health Insurance page. With HTH, there is a Travel Medical page and an Expat Medical page. Very different products. Caveat Emptor – be very sure that you are signing up for a plan that will cover you fully, not just a “travel” plan.

This page has a pretty complete list of insurers who can offer expat/long-term traveler health insurance to US citizens. That’s a good place to start.

Bon voyage, and have a great trip!!

Credit:stackoverflow.com‘

About me

Hello,My name is Aparna Patel,I’m a Travel Blogger and Photographer who travel the world full-time with my hubby.I like to share my travel experience.

Search Posts

Latest posts

Popular posts