Senior travelers tend to have more medical issues than younger travelers, so superior medical and evacuation coverage is a must. For Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best senior travel insurance, we included only plans that provide the following.
At Least $150,000 in Medical Coverage per Person
Travel medical insurance can pay for everything from an ambulance bill to hospitalization, X-rays, diagnostic tests and prescription medicine. Because expenses like these can add up quickly, seniors should look for a high level of coverage.
At Least $250,000 in Medical Evacuation Coverage
If you need a medevac to take you to a better hospital, medical evacuation coverage can pay. You can use medical evacuation insurance when you need to get to a better medical facility that can treat your condition. For example, a local rural clinic in Italy may not be equipped to handle a cardiac problem. In addition, your travel insurance company’s emergency assistance team can arrange for medevac transportation, so you don’t have to navigate that in a foreign country.
Coverage for Pre-existing Medical Conditions
Make sure your plan offers a pre-existing medical condition exclusion waiver, which removes exclusions for conditions you already have. You generally must buy a travel insurance plan soon after your first trip deposit in order to get the waiver, such as within two or three weeks. Without the waiver, the travel insurance company will likely exclude coverage for medical issues you had 60 to 180 days before departure. (This look-back window varies by provider.) We included only plans that provide this waiver.
Ability to Add ‘Cancel for Any Reason’ Travel Insurance
Typical travel insurance policies have lists of reasons allowed for trip cancellation claims that include common problems such as illness, injury and severe weather. For an extra level of flexibility, some plans offer a “cancel for any reason” upgrade.
Buying this upgrade will allow you to receive partial reimbursement (often 75% of trip costs) if you cancel for a reason not listed in the base policy. For example, if you find out that your granddaughter’s birthday is going to be during your trip, you could make a “cancel for any reason” insurance claim.
This upgrade adds an average of 50% to travel insurance costs. We included only plans that have an option to add this benefit.
Consider an Annual Plan
Retired and planning to take multiple trips in a year? Consider an annual travel insurance plan. All your trips can be covered under one policy. This will save you time from buying a policy for every trip, and it’s also more affordable than buying multiple separate policies during one year.
Related: Travel Insurance For Parents Visiting The U.S.
Source: forbes.com
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