Foreign travel insurance may not cover every illness

Many families plan foreign trips during summer vacations and buy travel health insurance for safety. However, experts say people should carefully read the policy terms because travel insurance does not cover every type of medical abroad. 

In many cases, treatment related to a pre-existing illness may not be fully covered. For example, if a child has been suffering from a serious illness before the insurance  was taken and then  the problem occurs again during the trip, the insurance company may only pay for emergency treatment needed to reduce the immediate risk to life. Expenses for complete or long-term treatment may not be included in the coverage. 

Travel insurance experts explain that if a child already has a medical condition such as epilepsy or seizure-related problems and the condition worsens during travel, the policy may only cover the treatment required to control the emergency situation. Further treatment after the patient becomes stable may not be covered under the policy terms.

On the other hand, illnesses that happen suddenly during the trip, such as fever, cold, viral infection, or health problems caused by climate change, are generally treated as unexpected illnesses. In those situations, many insurance policies cover basic medical expenses, including doctor consultations, tests, and prescribed medicines under outpatient treatment benefits.

Experts say parents often face stress when a child falls sick during a foreign holiday. Although travel insurance can help with emergency medical expenses abroad, people should clearly understand what is included and excluded before purchasing a policy. Routine health check-ups and preventive treatments are usually not covered because travel insurance is mainly designed for unexpected medical emergencies during travel.