Does Travel Protection Cover Medical Expenses? What You Need to Know

Key Takeaways

Our travel protection plans include coverage for emergency medical expenses, including physician services, hospital charges, ambulance transportation, prescription medications, emergency dental treatment, and Emergency Assistance & Transportation benefits, when plan conditions are met.
Premium Plans include up to $1 million in Emergency Assistance & Transportation benefits, when plan conditions are met.
Many international providers require upfront payment for medical care, and travel protection may help coordinate or arrange payment directly with approved facilities in covered emergency situations.
Pre‑existing medical conditions may be covered when the Premium Plan is purchased within 24 hours of your final trip payment, the traveler is medically able to travel at the time of purchase, all prepaid and non-refundable trip costs are insured, and all eligibility requirements are met.

See our Plan Documents for terms, conditions, limits, and exclusions.

One of the main reasons many travelers buy a travel protection plan is for its emergency medical coverage. In fact, our Medical & Dental coverage was rated the most important part of our travel protection plans, according to our annual traveler survey.

For many travelers, travel health insurance is part of planning for unexpected illness or injury away from home.

Our travel medical insurance, included in our travel protection plans are designed to help cover a range of emergency medical expenses while you travel, either alongside your health plan or as a standalone source of travel-specific support. And the emergency assistance services that come with our travel protection plans work with your health insurance and the medical system where you’re traveling to help get you to safety and medical care when disaster strikes.

If you want to compare medical, dental, and evacuation benefits before you buy, get a travel protection quote and compare plans.

What Travel Protection Covers for Medical Expenses

Our travel protection plans help cover many different types of expenses related to emergency medical treatments for illness or injury that can occur during your trip and are physician-ordered, including:

Physician/nurse services
Hospital confinement and related charges
Local ambulance services and emergency medical evacuation
Medical care en route to a treatment facility
Prescription drugs and medicines
Therapeutic services
Emergency dental treatment
Repatriation to a hospital or to your place of residence in the U.S., when medically necessary and approved

With our travel protection plans, we may be able to help pay up-front for costs that aren’t covered by your standard health insurance, when plan conditions are met, up to your plan’s maximum benefit. Even if your health insurance may cover most of your costs, you may still be responsible for deductibles or copays that your travel protection plan may help cover.

Top 6 Travel Emergencies and How To Deal With Them

Our daughter had a severe allergic reaction to an insect bite while we were traveling in South Africa in November, which required a trip to the emergency clinic. She was also stuck for an extra day in NYC on our return trip home because of a storm. She needed a hotel room overnight and a few necessities as she wasn't able to retrieve her luggage. By the time we got around to filing her claims, the pandemic was ramping up and we weren't sure if or when her case might be addressed. We were thrilled when we found out everything was being covered and it was done in a very timely manner. This trip was the third time we have had to file a claim of some sort with Generali Travel Insurance. We will only use them for future travel.

Lindsey C. from Connecticut

Read more about Medical & Dental and Travel Delay coverages

Read more about Medical & Dental and Travel Delay coverages

Primary vs. Excess Coverage for Medical Claims

Coverage for medical expenses may be provided on a primary or excess basis, depending on your plan. Primary coverage may pay first for eligible expenses. Excess coverage may apply after benefits available through other insurance have been exhausted. If you have health insurance, you may be required to file with that insurer before requesting reimbursement under your travel protection plan. Review your Plan Documents for details about claim order, coordination, and eligibility.

Medical Expenses Not Covered by Our Plans

Understanding what medical expenses are not covered by travel protection is just as important.

Our plans do not cover:

Routine physical exams
Replacement of hearing aids, eyeglasses, contact lenses, sunglasses, prosthetic devices and dental/orthodontic devices
Alcohol or substance-abuse treatment
Experimental treatments
Medically unnecessary procedures
Vaccines or testing required for travel
Expenses resulting from civil disorder or service in the armed forces of any country
Travel for the purpose of receiving medical care

What to do if You Need Medical Attention Abroad

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions and Coverage Requirements

For many people, coverage for pre-existing medical conditions is vital, and they wouldn’t be able to travel safely without it. Coverage for pre-existing medical conditions may be available if eligibility requirements are met.

To qualify for coverage for pre-existing medical conditions under our Premium Plan, the plan must be purchased before or within 24 hours of your final trip payment. You must also be medically able to travel when you purchase the plan, and all prepaid trip costs that are subject to cancellation penalties or restrictions must be insured. Additional eligibility requirements, terms, conditions, limitations, and exclusions apply. Please refer to your Plan Documents for complete details. Review your Plan Documents and understand each plan’s policies on pre-existing conditions before you buy it. It’s one of the best way to help protect yourself from unwelcome surprises.

Also read: 5 Things Most People Get Wrong About Pre-Existing Medical Conditions and Travel Insurance

COVID-19 Medical Expenses and Related Travel Benefits

COVID-19 illness may be treated like any other covered illness under emergency medical benefits, when plan conditions are met. If you’re diagnosed before departure or advised not to travel for a covered medical reason, Trip Cancellation benefits may apply. If illness begins during your trip and forces you to return home early, Trip Interruption benefits may apply. Quarantine-related delays may connect to Travel Delay benefits, depending on the reason for the delay and the terms of your plan. Canceling a trip solely because you’re concerned about COVID-19, without a covered medical reason, may not be covered.

Emergency Medical Evacuation Expenses

Emergency medical coverage is great, but many times the actual cost of treating a medical emergency overseas is less than the cost of medical evacuation and repatriation.

It’s important that your travel protection plan provides coverage for emergency medical evacuation as well as emergency medical treatment.

For instance, our Premium Plan has $250,000 in Medical & Dental coverage and up to $1 million in Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage. That’s a lot of coverage—but if you’re the person who hits the plan maximum, you’ll be grateful for the high level of coverage. You can also compare travel protection plans.

How Travel Protection Helps Fill Gaps in Your Health Plan

Do you need travel insurance if you have health insurance? It depends on where you’re going, what your health plan covers abroad, and whether you want travel-specific benefits such as emergency medical evacuation and assistance.

A misconception surrounding many health insurance plans is that they cover you anywhere you may go, even if you may have to pay some out-of-network charges.

Domestically that might be true, but if you’re traveling internationally, coverage is much less likely. At best, some conventional health plans may have only a handful of network providers abroad and may only consider a few more to be out-of-network for coverage purposes. For many travelers, international travel medical insurance is a way to prepare for those gaps. Learn more about your health insurance and travel insurance.

How does travel medical insurance differ from your health insurance? The difference often comes down to overseas access, claim coordination, and travel-specific services.

Medicare and Medicaid, for instance, generally do not provide coverage outside the U.S. Medicare.gov The same gap may matter for cruise ship medical care or a transfer from a ship to a hospital on shore.

In many countries, providers may ask for payment up front—either from the patient or through insurance—before proceeding with treatment. With our assistance team, we may be able to pay up front on your behalf—up to the maximum plan benefits—so you may not need to cover those costs out of pocket in the moment. And some countries require proof of travel medical insurance, which is one reason many travelers compare international travel insurance options before departure.

Topic	Domestic Health Insurance	Our Travel Protection Plans
Overseas treatment	May be limited or unavailable abroad.	Designed to help cover eligible emergency medical expenses during travel, when plan conditions are met.
Out-of-network care	May involve limited provider access or higher out-of-pocket costs.	May help with eligible emergency care even when your regular provider network does not apply.
Upfront payment	You may need to pay first and seek reimbursement later.	We may be able to coordinate or arrange payment directly with approved facilities in covered emergencies.
Emergency medical evacuation	Often not included.	May include Emergency Assistance and Transportation benefits, when plan conditions are met.
24/7 assistance	May vary by plan and location.	Includes access to assistance services for covered travel emergencies.

The bottom line is that you should carefully consider getting travel medical insurance, especially when traveling internationally, because you can’t be sure what your health plan will cover around the world, and you don’t want to be in a situation where you need medical care overseas and you have to scramble to find out if you’re covered.

It’s important to find a travel protection plan that may help cover the emergency medical expenses you might encounter on vacation. Understanding how it works is essential for your safety and to help avoid huge medical expenses on your trip.

If you already have health insurance and want to see how travel protection may fill the gaps, get a travel protection quote and compare plans.

What to Do If You Need Medical Care Abroad

Contact our assistance team as soon as you can.
Get the care you need and follow local medical instructions.
Save receipts, discharge papers, prescriptions, and any other medical records.
File your claim promptly and include supporting documents.

FAQ

Does travel protection cover pre-existing medical conditions?

Our Premium Plan may provide coverage for pre-existing medical conditions when it is purchased within 24 hours of your final trip payment, you are medically able to travel when you buy it, all prepaid and non-refundable trip costs are insured, and all eligibility requirements are met.

Does travel insurance cover medical expenses if I already have health insurance?

It may. Our travel protection plans are designed to help cover eligible emergency medical expenses during travel, and they may also help with deductibles, copays, or other gaps your health plan does not address, when plan conditions are met.

Does Medicare or Medicaid cover medical expenses while traveling internationally?

Medicare and Medicaid generally do not provide coverage outside the U.S. Medicare.gov

What is the difference between travel medical insurance and emergency medical evacuation coverage?

Travel medical insurance focuses on eligible treatment costs for a covered illness or injury, while emergency medical evacuation coverage focuses on transporting you to appropriate care or back home when medically necessary and approved.