BootsnAll Travel Community

I've just got finished reading the detailed policies from World Nomads and IMG Patriot International. Neither was exactly what I was hoping travel insurance would be--perhaps I was expecting too much out of travel insurance.

I have an HMO with BlueCross/BlueShield through work which is supposed to be an excellent plan. I'm 26 and healthy--I've never had to use it for anything serious. I've never had to worry about coverage limits and exclusions, etc.

I'm leaving my job this September to travel for 6 months to a year depending on how finances hold out. One of the things I've yet to do is square away my travel insurance.

Can anyone translate how well either of these two policies fills in for BlueCross/BlueShield coverage while abroad? Are they comparable to the coverage I'd get through my BlueCross/BlueShiled here in the states? I guess what I'm asking is do I need to keep my BlueCross/BlueShield for treatment back in the states should I need to be transported back--or would the travelers insurance be adequate to cover any serious occurrences?

Is both BlueCross/BlueShield for domestic and one of the travel insurances for abroad excessive and overkill?

What I can't afford is to be paying out of pocket for anything not covered by this travel insurance. Having just finished reading all the fine print on both travel insurance policies--there's seems to be plenty of room for them to decline benefits. (Also the wording the travel insurance policies use makes it sound like the insured pays up front for any emergency medical procedures and is reimbursed--is that how it works? That sounds crazy)

Your thoughts would be appreciated. I've read all the threads on this forum and none seem to address what I'm asking. I hope I'm not beating a dead horse hear. I hope to get my travel insurance squared away by the end of the weekend so I can book my plane ticket. I look forward to hearing from some of you. Thanks.--Eddie

It seems both the World Nomad and IMG Patriot International policies would have me covered for emergency situations abroad and even bringing me back to the states. I'm not overly familiar with my BlueCross/BlueShield coverage--but

My Blue Cross/Blue Shield HMO has reimbursed my out-of-country medical bills without a problem both times I submitted the invoices. (Japan and Hong Kong) Subject of course to the same deductibles, rules etc. I would talk to your BC/BS insurance people before buying a separate travelers policy.

I'm going to have to talk with them and see what they'll do--for some reason I thought they didn't cover you for long term excursions (4-6 months abroad). Thanks for the tip.--Eddie

I'm not sure about the long term part. They never asked how long I was gone, although the longest I've been out of the US is 7 weeks. The other thing is my claims were small, <$200.

Status update:

I spoke with an agent from WorldNomads regarding their insurance and my questions. The agent told me the insurance was terminated upon my arrival on home soil. To clarify, I asked what if I were to be transported back to the US for medical treatment--would WorldNomad's insurance cover me then? To which she replied, "No. The insurance ends once you've returned home." I then asked if it was advised that I keep my current domestic BlueCross/Blue Shield policy--to which she replied, "Of course." I told her that I didn't understand that was how the policy was designed to work.

From what I can gather from the WorldNomad's agent and a fellow boots traveler as well as my own gut feeling--keeping domestic insurance at home with the travel insurance is the best way to go (for myself at least, a cautious traveler).

By the way--she informed me that for minor doctor/hospital visits I would be out of pocket the hospital fees (upwards of $600) and would be reimbursed by World Nomads after submitting the claim. For major injuries/accidents--I was not expected to front thousands of dollars for treatment--she said the hospitals wouldn't expect that and implied that hospitals got involved with World Nomad for that sort of thing (which sounds like the pre-authorization details discussed in the policy I read online).

My intentions are to keep my local policy and get the World Nomads (primarily because it doesn't exclude adventure sports/activities) insurance for coverage abroad.

(In regards to COBRA--the amount isn't necessarily more than your employers have been paying for you all along--your employer has the option to levy a surcharge against you (presumably for handling the transaction) of up to 15%--it's not mandatory--it's at your employers discretion whether they charge you or not. I'll stay on my BlueCross/BlueShield through COBRA for the 4-7 months while I'm gone)

I hope this saves someone some trouble in some regard.--Eddie

quote:

I'll stay on my BlueCross/BlueShield through COBRA for the 4-7 months while I'm gone

You may be able to get a better or cheaper policy on your own without Cobra. I'd look here

Wow, thanks for the research and the details. I had the exact same questions and you've now answered them. Now I just need to look in to how much it'll cost me to COBRA and judge whether I want to drop the cash on my good insurance or risk getting some crappy temporary american insurance.

thanks!