International Health Insurance - 25 Days Until Departure

One thing I never skimp on is health insurance.  You never know what might happen when you are in a new place with new illnesses you've never experienced before.  If nothing else, I'd like to be sure I can get some care if I trip and fall into one of Ghana's infamous roadside gutter systems - it happens!

My regular health insurance company didn't offer any coverage for overseas travel, so Googled it!  I found a few companies with great ratings, but quickly found out that West Africa has been black listed from a lot of insurance by underwriters because of fraudulent claims.  Luckily for me after a day of calling around, I found a company.  When shopping for travel health insurance, make sure their policies meet your needs, and be careful prices can vary extremely!  One company quoted me a policy for $998 and another $42.  I went with a policy that worked for me for $141 for my whole 6 month stay.

Things to remember:

1. Make sure your policy includes emergency airlift to an appropriate treatment facility (and ask what the cap is on this for some it is up to $300,000 cost and others $500,000)
2. Think about what kind of coverage you need (most of the plans have medical maximums from $30,000 to $1,000,000)- they'll ask if you are participating in high risk activities like bungee jumping, sky diving, and riding motorbike and mopeds (yes, you read that right mopeds and motorbikes - I laughed too, but makes sense when you think about it and see the roadways in developing countries).
3. Ask about deductibles and choose one that meets your resources and needs (they can often vary from $0 to $1,000).
4. Also, consider coverage that will include incidentals that might be important to you - covering lost or stolen baggage, coverage for things destroyed in natural disaster, or coverage for a change in flight for the death of a family member
5. Ask if it is a primary or secondary plan.  Mine happens to be a secondary plan which means I cover the cost first, and after treatment I'll submit my receipts for reimbursement.

Travel medical insurance is very affordable!  It's worth looking into for peace of mind especially for extended trips.  Be patient, ask lots of questions, and be persistent!  Also, having proof in developing countries that you can pay or cover the cost of treatment is often very important to doctors.  Remember, with enough looking, you'll find just the policy for you!