Travel Medical Insurance

Medical contingencies are never pleasant, no matter where you are. But when you are travelling, any emergency that calls for medical attention or hospitalisation can be even more stressful than at home. This is where medical travel insurance plays an important role in protecting you against any medical emergencies when you are travelling.

Medical travel insurance is a type of travel insurance policy that provides coverage to you in case you are hospitalised due to an illness or accident while on a trip. Without this insurance policy, the medical expenses abroad can be quite high. In such a situation, travel health insurance is a useful plan that provides financial coverage and the ease of availing of medical services during your travels.

You need not necessarily be on a business trip to have medical travel insurance; you should have this cover even if you are on vacation. The policy is meant to make medical services easily available to you without the stress of extensive medical bills in case of an accidental injury or illness during your travels.

Travelling abroad can often be a huge expense in itself, but you may not be able to avoid going on the trip. During your trip, any additional expenses can be a huge financial burden. Hence, here are some crucial scenarios that explain why you need travel health insurance when travelling abroad:

• Coverage for illness and sickness: If and when you are diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection during the course of your trip and need to be hospitalised, the medical expenses incurred by you will be covered under the accident and sickness medical coverage feature. Apart from that, if you fall sick, face a medical emergency or meet with an accident that needs you to be hospitalised, these expenses will also be covered. Moreover, if the policy expires during your stay in the hospital, you will be covered until the next 60 days or till the time you are discharged, whichever is sooner.

• If you lose your passport or baggage: Losing your baggage or misplacing your passport during a trip is not unheard of. However, travel health insurance can help ease out the mental stress and the financial loss in such a situation. In case of a lost passport, the insurance coverage will compensate the cost for a duplicate or new passport, while some important personal items from your lost baggage can be reimbursed monetarily.

• Emergency medical evacuation: Travel insurance can be beneficial if you need to be moved to a hospital when travelling abroad. Not just that, if you need to come back to India for further medical treatment, this too can be covered by your travel health insurance.

• Cancellation or delay of flight: A delay or cancellation of your flight can be due to bad weather, some problems with the airline, or any other unforeseen reason. Your travel health insurance policy will reimburse these losses. Also, if you have to cancel your flight due to a family emergency, the cost of the ticket and accommodation booked in advance will be reimbursed by the coverage.

Travel health insurance plans are very flexible and offer extensive coverage as per your needs. Below are a few salient features that are found in travel health insurance plans in India:

• Access to cashless hospitalisation facility: If you are protected by travel health insurance in India and face a medical emergency due to which you need to be hospitalised, you do not have to worry about paying for the expenses from your own pocket. The insurance plan will provide a cashless hospitalisation facility, wherein the medical expenses will be settled by the insurance cover directly with the hospital.

• Available for occasional or frequent travellers: A lot of travel health insurance plans can be customised to meet the needs of occasional and frequent travellers alike. Tata AIG’s domestic travel insurance policies are flexible and provide coverage for single trips for occasional travellers as well as multiple trips for regular travellers.

• All-day medical assistance: Irrespective of where you are travelling, the insurance policy ensures that you can be covered for 24/7 medical assistance in case such a medical emergency arises.

Travel health insurance can vary according to your needs and your duration of travel. Hence, you can choose from the two types of travel health insurance plans so that you receive adequate coverage on your trip!

• Single Trip Travel Health Insurance: If you are making a single trip to another country and need insurance cover for only that trip, then it is referred to as a single trip travel health insurance. The coverage of this type of insurance starts with the trip and ends once you come home.

• Multi-trip Travel Health Insurance: A multi-trip travel health insurance is a policy that is generally taken for a year and provides insurance for multiple trips. However, there is a limit on the number of days for each of the trips and can go up to 30 or 45 days.

• Family Travel Health Insurance: Our family travel health insurance covers up to 6 family members per policy. Whether you choose a domestic travel insurance policy or an international travel insurance policy, you and your family can be covered under the same plan.

• Student Travel Health Insurance: Students travelling abroad for further education can look at Tata AIG's Student Travel Insurance policy. Apart from medical emergencies and illnesses leading to hospitalisation, this plan also covers tuition fees in case of medical emergencies as well as compassionate visits from family members.

• Senior Citizen Health Insurance: A senior citizen travel health insurance plan is designed to look after the needs of senior citizens who are travelling abroad. Not only do these policies cover emergency medical expenses, but they also cover emergency medical evacuation and repatriation of remains. For more information, Check Tata AIG's Senior Travel Insurance Plan

Tata AIG’s travel health insurance plans are made to offer adequate coverage and convenience when you are on your travels:

• Coverage for COVID-19: If you are travelling abroad and are diagnosed with COVID 19 during your trip, resulting in hospitalisation, the medical expenses will be covered as per the amount in the policy. The policy also reimburses the bookings or tickets unused due to the cancellation or interruption of your trip. Lastly, if an emergency COVID-19 lockdown is imposed in the other country and you are unable to access any transport for your return, your travel health insurance is automatically extended for another 7 days.

• Personal accident cover in case of death/permanent disability during the time of travel: If you are injured as a result of an accident during your travels, our travel and medical insurance policy will cover the expenses of personal injuries as well as medical expenses arising out of the injuries. The policy also covers disablement or even death as a result of these accidental injuries.

• Affordable international coverage: Our international travel health insurance plans provide coverage against medical emergencies and more for a premium of as much as ₹40.82 per day.
  Quick and easy policy purchase: You can easily buy a Tata AIG travel medical insurance plan online in a few easy steps. Avoid the hassle of a medical check-up or present loads of paperwork to get insurance coverage during your travels!

An international travel health insurance policy provides coverage to you in the following situations

• Medical Illness Treatment: Our travel insurance covers emergency medical expenses. In case of sickness or a contingency that requires hospitalisation, medical attention, or treatment, you will be protected against the losses.

• Accidental Death and Dismemberment: Our travel medical insurance plans also offer coverage for situations where you may be affected by injuries while abroad. These injuries or even your death could be a result of a personal accident or if you’re travelling by a mode of transport that meets with an accident.

• Emergency Dental Treatment: If you suffer from a dental emergency while on a trip, the treatment is covered under the travel health insurance policy.

• Delay or Loss of Check-in Luggage: Your insurance policy will cover the loss of baggage, caused either due to theft, displacement by the mode of transport, or the non-delivery at the destination.

• Flight Delays: Any expenses that you may have to incur due to the flight’s delay of more than 12 hours will be compensated by the policy.

• Personal Liability: If there is a damage claim legally filed against you by another party for damage to their property or any medical expenses due to accidental bodily injuries, then the travel medical insurance policy can cover these losses.

When you purchase medical travel insurance online, be sure to read the list of exclusions so that you are not stranded in a difficult situation while travelling:

• Travelling against medical counsel: If you travel abroad against the advice of your doctor or before the prescribed waiting period is over, the insurance policy cannot cover the medical emergency arising out of this situation.

• Pre-existing illnesses: Any complications arising out of a pre-existing medical condition cannot be covered by the travel health insurance policy. However, in case of a life threatening situation arising from a pre-existing condition, the travel health insurance coverage is capped at $1500.

• Consumption of intoxicants: If you face a medical emergency due to the consumption of intoxicants or medication that is not prescribed by a physician, then the insurance policy cannot protect you during this emergency.

• War or Civil Unrest: The travel insurance plan cannot protect you from losses arising out of wars, civil unrest, invasion, and other such hostilities.

• Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Our travel health insurance policies do not cover Sexually Transmitted Diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

• Injuries from intentional self-harm: Any attempt at self-harm leading to injuries cannot be under travel medical insurance.

• Alternative treatments: If you choose to get treatment through Ayurveda, Unani or other alternative treatments, then the insurance policy cannot cover these costs.

• Adventure sports: Your travel health insurance may not cover accidents or injuries that have occurred due to an attempt at extreme or dangerous adventure sports.

• Mental illnesses: Any therapy or treatment for a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, etc., during the trip cannot be covered under the policy.

Tata AIG’s international travel plans offer COVID 19 coverage, which can protect you in the following scenarios:

• Medical Expenses due to Accidents & Sickness: You can be easily covered for COVID 19 emergencies under our international travel medical insurance plans. If you are affected by COVID 19 during a trip outside the country and need to be hospitalised for the same, the medical expenses will be covered under the plan. However, there is a limit on the amount for the coverage in the policy.

• Trip Cancellation Coverage: If you are covered by a group travel medical insurance, and in case your trip or that of your travel companion or an immediate family member has to be cancelled before commencement due to a COVID-19 infection, the coverage reimburses the non-refundable and the unused amount of the hotel bookings, tickets, etc. But do note that these expenses will only be reimbursed if the bookings were made prior to being diagnosed with COVID-19.

• Trip Curtailment/Interruption Benefits: If you have a group travel medical insurance and you, your family, or your travel companion are diagnosed with a COVID 19 infection due to which the trip has to be curtailed or cut short, the insurance cover will reimburse the remaining expenses of the unused bookings and tickets. Even the non-refundable expenses, additional travel, and accommodation will be reimbursed due to curtailment of the trip but is subject to the policy’s sum insured limit.

• Automatic Extension Benefit: If you are covered by our international travel medical insurance, then in case of a lockdown in the other country and due to the non-availability of an alternate mode of transport, your policy will be automatically extended by 7 days. However, it is important to understand any terms and conditions under which this feature can come into effect.

Depending on the travel policy you choose, you will need to meet certain eligibility criteria to be able to avail of the policy:

• In the case of a student travel insurance policy, you will have to be a student between the age of 16 - 35 years, travelling abroad for higher education.

• International as well as domestic travel insurance plans are quite flexible and can cover up to 6 family members, including you. The age limit for a family member starts from 6 months of age with no upper age limit.

• If you are travelling with non-family members or friends, each person will have to have individual travel insurance.

• A senior citizen travel insurance policy is applicable for senior citizens starting from 71 years of age with no upper age limit. There are no restrictions such as medical tests or pre-existing conditions.