One of the worst things that can happen to a person on vacation is to suffer an injury or illness for which they are not insured. While there are some companies that offer travel insurance that covers airline flights and unavoidable accidents, a few of them also offer travel health insurance to pay for medical emergencies while away from home.

Often a person's regular health insurance will pay only minimum charges if the person visits a physician that is not a member of the insurance company's network of doctors or an out of network hospital. With travel health insurance, the traveler can be covered for medical or accident emergencies regardless of where the medical help need is incurred. Many will even cover expenses while in a foreign country, whereas many domestic carriers will not.

For the person who travels extensively for business or pleasure having travel health insurance can provide a little more comfort in knowing that no matter what happens, and even more importantly where it happens, the majority of their costs will be covered. Even with many foreign governments having a national health care program, expenses of non-citizens are not normally covered.

Countries Offer Different Health Care Options

In some foreign countries, a national health plan is in use, meaning the citizens receive their health care, paid for by the government. Of course, taxes raise money for these programs and while it may take a burden from the citizens, there are tradeoffs to this type of plan. With international health insurance there is no need to wait for care if the country's budget has run out for year.

In many countries with government sponsored health care, once the budgeted amount has been used, anyone waiting for all but emergency treatment, must wait until the program is funded for the following year. In some cases, care is determined by need and a person may have to wait years before a service can be provided. With international health insurance, the costs are taken care of without government funding and no wait for care.

Generally, majority companies provide emergency transportation back to the States as part of their policies coverage. But again, this is something you should ask you individual provider about to see if transportation is, indeed, covered. An international travel health insurance policy is a wonderful and necessary investment for anyone traveling outside the country. Talk to your insurance provider about getting one for you and your family today!