Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance: How To Stay Protected

  • Travel health insurance can help cover emergency-related medical bills while you travel.
  • Since it’s for emergencies only (e.g., accident and illness), it won’t cover scheduled, routine, or elective care.
  • Coverage can range anywhere from $1 to $30 per day, but a solid policy doesn’t have to cost more than $5 per day.

When planning for an international trip, we all tend to go through the same mental checklist: 

  • Do you have your passport? Yep, right here!
  • Have you booked your flights and hotel? Done and done. 
  • Is your trip insured? Yep, my Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card includes trip insurance.

But there’s a pretty critical question we often overlook: Are YOU insured? 

It’s an important question to consider since most domestic healthcare providers don’t provide coverage outside of the U.S. And if you’re traveling, the risk of having a medical emergency might be even higher than it would be back home. 

That’s where emergency medical and travel health insurance comes in. By helping you cover emergency-related medical bills while you travel, a simple, affordable policy can provide peace of mind when you don’t need it — and faster, higher-quality care when you do. 

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What Is Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance? 

In a nutshell, this is a type of travel insurance that helps cover certain emergency-related medical bills you may incur while traveling. 

Specifically, it’s designed to help cover medical expenses that arise from:

  • Accidental injury
  • Sudden illness

And not from: 

  • Routine visits
  • Elective procedures
  • Preventative care
  • Long-term care

For example, if you sprain your ankle while hiking Machu Picchu or you get sick from unsafe tap water in Lima, both of those events would likely be covered under your travel health insurance. 

But if you schedule a routine eye exam or get rhinoplasty in Rio, well, neither is an emergency and your coverage won’t apply. 

Even though it only covers emergencies, travel health insurance can still help you with a huge variety of bills. Things like: 

  • Ambulance rides
  • X-rays
  • Doctor and hospital bills
  • Medical evaluations
  • Emergency dental procedures
  • Repatriation expenses
  • COVID-19-related expenses

And much more. 

Why it’s different from domestic health insurance

But do you really need travel health insurance if you already have health insurance back home? 

Well, it depends. 

  • If you’re traveling domestically (including to U.S. territories), your existing health insurance should still help to cover emergency-related medical bills. Check with your provider to be sure, though. 
  • If you’re traveling internationally, chances are slim that your existing coverage will apply — and you’ll probably need travel health insurance to fill the gap. 

The U.S. Department of State makes it pretty clear: “U.S. Medicare and Medicaid do not cover medical costs overseas. Private U.S. insurance policies also might not cover any or all expenses. Check with your insurance before traveling to see if it provides coverage overseas.”

What Does Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance Cover? 

Another common misconception about travel health coverage is that it’s the same as regular health insurance — only it’s temporary and works overseas. 

Well, not quite. Yes, it is temporary and does work overseas, but it’s not the same as your regular health insurance since it only covers emergencies. 

While it can vary by provider and plan, a typical travel health insurance plan will usually cover the majority of expenses arising from emergency medical care while traveling. 

That can include, but may not be limited to: 

  • Inpatient and outpatient care, as long as it’s provided by a qualified and legitimate medical institution
  • Emergency transportation including ambulance and helicopter rides
  • Daily room and board up to the average semi-private room rate
  • Surgery of all kinds, including reconstructive
  • Medical equipment ranging anywhere from bandages to artificial limbs
  • Diagnostic testing including x-rays, ultrasonography, etc. 
  • Prescription medication, often capped at a 60-day supply
  • Dental care in case you manage to crack a tooth while doing yoga (ask me how I know) 
  • Visitation expenses, including roundtrip airfare for a relative to visit you in the hospital
  • Local burial or repatriation of remains, should the worst happen
  • 24/7 hotline assistance to help you find care, translate/communicate, and file a claim

Basically, if it’s a bill that arises from an unforeseen emergency, your travel health insurance will probably take care of it (up to your coverage limits). 

The coverage itself is usually pretty broad, but it doesn’t cover everything. 

What does emergency medical and travel health insurance NOT cover? 

Travel health insurance coverage typically won’t cover routine care, elective care, or certain types of emergencies. 

Here are some of the most common exclusions: 

  • Pre-existing conditions, unless your plan specifically states that bills arising from pre-existing conditions are covered
  • Elective care including LASIK, rhinoplasty, and anything else not “medically necessary”
  • Annual or routine visits including things like checkups and mammograms
  • Long-term treatment, with rare exceptions if your overseas provider deems it medically necessary to stay in-country
  • Allergy treatments, unless they’re considered life-threatening (which, yeah, many are)
  • Physical therapy, rehabilitation, or palliative care unless deemed medically necessary to stabilize you
  • Childbirth or pregnancy complications, which many providers deem a “pre-existing condition”

Travel health insurance also doesn’t cover emergencies arising from certain situations, including but not limited to: 

  • Alcohol- or drug-related incidents
  • Self-harm incidents
  • Lack of CDC-recommended vaccines for the areas of the world you’re visiting (e.g., hepatitis A and B for India) 
  • Extreme sports injuries unless you purchase a special policy or add-on to cover them (more on that next) 
  • Unauthorized travel to areas where the U.S. government or local municipalities strictly advise against, such as Syria and high-risk parts of Mexico

Does emergency medical and travel health insurance cover sports and activities? 

When it comes to sports and activities — whether it’s a soccer tournament or a ski trip — travel insurance providers can be a bit picky about where they draw the line for coverage. 

Travel insurance provider WorldTrips, for example, does cover: 

  • Amateur/non-professional sports
  • Skiing and snowboarding, as long as you stay in-bounds and wear a helmet
  • “Sub aqua pursuits” as long as you’re certified or with a certified instructor and staying at depths above 10 meters

But the provider doesn’t cover: 

  • Organized athletics involving regular, scheduled practice
  • Paid professional sports 
  • Exploration of remote or inaccessible areas (sorry, Lara Croft)
  • All-terrain vehicle accidents
  • Big game hunting
  • Outdoor endurance events (e.g., ultramarathons)
  • Martial arts
  • Rugby
  • Parasailing
  • Motorized racing
  • Running with the bulls (yep, this is a listed exclusion) 

So if you’re traveling for a specific sport or activity, read the policy documents carefully (or simply call the provider and ask) before you purchase a plan, to make sure your situation is covered. 

Types of Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance 

When it comes to buying travel health insurance there are two routes you can take:

  1. Buy a separate policy for emergency medical and travel health insurance, or
  2. Purchase it as part of a travel insurance bundle 

There are also specialty policies and add-ons you might want to consider for your trip, like COVID-19 coverage or a dedicated adventure sports policy. 

Travel health insurance (aka standalone) 

There are numerous providers who will sell you an emergency medical and travel health insurance plan without other forms of travel insurance (e.g., baggage delay, trip cancellation) attached. 

This might be a good option if you already have some general travel insurance from another source, like work or your travel rewards card, but you need more travel health insurance before you go. 

On that note, not all providers use the term “emergency medical and travel health insurance.” You might also see it listed as just: 

  • Travel health insurance
  • Travel medical insurance 
  • Medical travel insurance

And so on. 

Comprehensive travel insurance (aka bundle)

As the name implies, a comprehensive travel insurance policy might include multiple types of trip coverage, including but not limited to: 

To make things mildly confusing, you’ll sometimes see standalone travel health insurance plans that include a tiny bit of general travel insurance — maybe $500 in delayed baggage compensation or $2,500 in trip delay protection. 

But the key difference between a “premium” travel health plan and a comprehensive travel insurance policy is that the latter adds trip cancellation/interruption protection, which does far more to protect your overall trip costs. 

In other words, travel health insurance protects you, while comprehensive travel insurance protects you and your trip. 

So if you’d like to protect everything under one policy and have ultimate peace of mind while you travel, a comprehensive policy might be the way to go. 

Waiver for pre-existing conditions

Once you’ve chosen whether to purchase a separate travel health insurance policy or bundle it all together, your provider might offer you an optional policy upgrade to cover pre-existing conditions. 

If they don’t, that doesn’t necessarily mean pre-existing conditions aren’t covered. Some travel insurance providers, like Allianz Travel Insurance, actually cover pre-existing conditions by default as long as you:

  • Purchase your policy within 14 days of booking your trip, and
  • Are fit and able to travel at the time of policy purchase

But if you don’t see the add-on, it’s best not to make any assumptions. Review your sample policy documents carefully and, if you find that pre-existing conditions aren’t covered under any circumstances, you may need to keep shopping around. 

Add-on for COVID-19 coverage

There was a time when COVID-19 wasn’t covered at all by travel health insurance. Then it was an optional add-on for a while, and by 2025, most providers began covering it by default. 

Still, some providers may continue to sell COVID-19 coverage as an optional add-on. If your provider does sell it as an optional extra, it’s probably worth checking that box given how new strains can arise quickly and they tend to spread fast in an airport setting. 

Adventure sports coverage

Finally, some providers may sell add-ons (or entirely separate policies) to help cover extreme sports or activities that regular policies won’t cover. 

World Nomads is a great example — they offer three tiers of plans (Standard, Explorer, and Epic) with each tier covering an increasingly “extreme” set of activities. 

For example, the Standard plan covers zip lining, jet skiing, and other relatively tame stuff. The Explorer tier adds more Insta-worthy adventures like cave diving, hang gliding, and freestyle snowboarding. For the truly hardcore adventurer, the Epic tier adds free soloing, scuba up to 50 meters, and even jetpack usage. 

How Much Does Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance Cost?

Travel health insurance can range anywhere from $8 for basic coverage to $300+ for more robust coverage. It heavily depends on the:

  • Length of the trip 
  • Coverage limit
  • Deductible

To illustrate, we headed to VisitorsCoverage to grab a quote for a 30-year-old female traveling to Argentina. For a robust policy with no deductible and a cozy $250,000 coverage limit, we were quoted just $15.36 for the entire eight days. 

Even when we modified our plans to visit a far more expensive country (Switzerland) the quote remained $15.36. 

But when we bumped the duration of the trip from 8 days to 22, our quote leapt to $42.24. 

Still, $2 per day isn’t bad for up to $250,000 in coverage if things go awry. 

Source: VisitorsCoverage

It’s worth noting that this ~$15 “basic” policy still includes pretty much everything we need — it covers urgent care (with a $15 copay), hospitalization, doctor’s visits, ER visits, and even $300 worth of dental coverage. 

Even still, we headed to Allianz Travel Insurance to get quoted for a slightly more “premium” option that waived the copay, included pre-existing conditions, and tossed in a bit of trip delay/baggage delay insurance for good measure.

For our eight-day trip to Argentina, we were quoted $46. 

Source: Allianz Travel

Finally, we gathered some quotes for a comprehensive travel insurance bundle that added trip cancellation/interruption protection for all eight days of the trip. 

Our quotes came out to $156, $207, and $270 for a basic/mid/premium-tier option, respectively, with the key difference being higher coverage limits. 

Source: Allianz Travel

So, the cost can range anywhere from $8 to $300 or more, depending on the length of the trip, your coverage limits, and whether you go standalone or bundle it with other forms of travel insurance. 

But for a solid policy with decent coverage, you shouldn’t have to pay more than the cost of an airport sandwich. 

Even still, finding and purchasing a travel health insurance policy costs time and money — both of which may be in short supply before your trip. So when is it truly worth it? 

Do You Need Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance?

Given how affordable it can be relative to the protection and peace of mind it provides, travel health insurance is a smart buy for the majority of international travelers. 

Still, there are cases when it’s not entirely necessary. 

Benefits of emergency medical and travel health insurance

Like a fire extinguisher, travel health insurance is one of those things that you’re glad to have around — even if you never have to use it. 

The benefits of traveling with a travel health insurance policy include, but aren’t limited to:

  • Could save your life. Having a travel insurance policy (and a 24/7 concierge) can improve the quality and expediency of the care you receive overseas. 
  • Could save your bank account. Even in Bali, hospital beds can cost $350+ per night before the cost of surgery. 
  • Lower stress = better trip. It’s no fun knowing an accident overseas could wipe out your savings, and a travel health policy could mitigate that fear. 
  • Not as expensive as you’d think. We found quotes for as little as $1 per day. 
  • It often comes bundled with other essential travel coverage. You might also get some trip delay protection, baggage delay insurance, and more. 

With all that in mind, what types of travelers would benefit the most from having travel health coverage? 

You might need emergency medical and travel health insurance if: 

  • It’s your first time overseas. You may encounter new foods and experiences that your body isn’t used to. 
  • Your trip is rather adventurous. If you like extreme sports or risky activities, you’ll definitely want a policy that covers those. 
  • You have chronic health conditions. Look for a policy that covers pre-existing conditions. 
  • You’re traveling somewhere remote. The cost of medical evacuation can be significantly higher. 
  • You’ll be trying lots of new foods. While dining overseas is one of life’s great pleasures, it does increase the risk of discovering new allergens and foodborne illnesses. 
  • You just want added peace of mind. Whether it’s for business or pleasure, traveling is inherently stressful — so $8 for a pinch less stress might be well worth it. 

You might be okay without coverage if: 

  • You’re traveling to Brazil. Brazil is the only country that provides free healthcare to all residents as well as visitors, so having travel health insurance there is slightly less essential. Still, having a policy may improve the quality and speed of care. 
  • Your trip is “boring.” If you’re only spending a couple of days in a hotel room, travel health insurance may not be a must-buy since you’re far less likely to have a health emergency on a sedentary trip. 
  • You already have adequate coverage from another source. Your travel rewards card or full-time job benefits might already provide you with adequate emergency medical and travel health insurance. 

How To Choose the Right Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance

Here’s the best way to find the right plan for the right price. 

1. Evaluate your travel risks

Step one is to come up with a “shopping list” for coverage. To do that, you’ll want to consider your travel risks:

  • How long is your trip?
  • What is the cost of healthcare in the countries that you’re visiting? 
  • Will you be engaging in any high-risk activities? 
  • Do you have pre-existing conditions? 
  • Will you be eating lots of unfamiliar foods? 

Questions like these will help you gauge just how much coverage you’ll need. 

2. Determine how much coverage you already have

The first place to look is your existing healthcare coverage benefits. It’s rare for private and public health insurance plans to offer overseas coverage, but you might be in for a pleasant surprise. 

To illustrate, one of our readers travels frequently for work and was pleased to discover that her employer’s healthcare plan actually included $1 million in emergency medical and travel health insurance. 

The next place to check is your credit card benefits. One card that offers travel health coverage is the Chase Sapphire Reserve®, which includes up to $2,500 in emergency medical/dental, $100,000 in medical evac, and $1 million in accidental death and dismemberment. 

But even if you don’t have the pricey Reserve card, numerous “normal” cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer a decent amount of regular travel insurance, which at least tells you that you may not need a comprehensive travel insurance policy to fill the gaps. 

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Rewards Rate
  • 10x points on hotel stays and car rentals through Chase Travel℠
  • 5x points on dining purchases through Chase Ultimate Rewards and on Lyft purchases (through March 2025)
  • 5x points on flights booked through Chase Travel℠ (after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually)
  • 3x points on restaurants and travel
  • 1x points on everything else
Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Annual Fee

$550

. . .

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Rewards Rate
  • 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
  • 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries
  • 2x on all other travel purchases
  • 1x on all other purchases
Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after $4,000 in purchases in your first 3 months from account opening.

Annual Fee

$95

. . .

3. Compare providers and plans

Once you have a loose idea of how much coverage you need, it’s time to go shopping and compare quotes. 

It’s pretty easy to get quotes for travel health insurance online and compare them side-by-side. Here are some great places to start: 

  • VisitorsCoverage is a KAYAK.com-like broker that will show you quotes from multiple travel insurance companies in one place. 
  • Allianz Travel Insurance offers both standalone plans and comprehensive travel insurance bundles. 
  • World Nomads offers plans catering to adventurers who need added protection for extreme sports and high-risk activities. 

4. Check for exclusions and limitations

At some point in the quoting process, the provider should offer you sample policy documents that fully elaborate on what the policy does (and doesn’t) cover. 

This won’t be the most exciting part of your day, but we strongly encourage you to read it thoroughly and make sure there aren’t any “gotchas” in the fine print. 

For example, you may find that one provider covers skiing accidents, COVID-19, and pre-existing conditions, while another covers none of those three. 

To give an example of a “gotcha” to look out for, we found a policy that said “Collision Sports” are excluded from coverage — that’s kinda vague, so it might be worth following up to get a specific list. 

How To Handle a Medical Emergency While Traveling

Now that you have coverage for your trip, here’s a quick preview of how best to handle a medical emergency while you’re abroad:

  1. Contact your travel insurance provider ASAP. Unless you’re in a life-threatening emergency, contact your provider before seeking care since they can help you find qualified local facilities, provide translation services, and make the process easier in general.
  2. Seek necessary care. Once you’re in a safe place receiving care, contact your family back home and let them know. They may want to make plans to visit (which might be covered under your plan). You might also want to contact the local U.S. embassy, as they may provide financial and legal assistance.
  3. Document everything. To help you file a claim later, collect everything you can while you’re still receiving care. That could include photos, doctor’s notes, medical and emergency service bills, and police reports. 

FAQs About Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance

Is travel health insurance necessary for domestic travel?

Broadly speaking, no. If you currently have private or public health insurance, there’s a good chance it covers medical emergencies in all 50 states plus U.S. territories. 

That said, it’s always best to confirm with your provider before you make assumptions. 

How do I find a doctor or hospital abroad with my insurance?

The best way to find qualified care in your area is to contact your insurance provider’s 24/7 assistance line. If you’re unable to reach them for any reason, the local U.S. embassy or consulate can provide similar services. 

What’s the difference between a comprehensive plan and standalone medical insurance?

Standalone travel health policies typically only include emergency medical and travel health coverage. 

Comprehensive travel insurance policies add trip cancellation/interruption protection, trip/baggage delay protection, and other forms of coverage. 

TL;DR: Why You Need Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance

Traveling without coverage can turn unexpected medical situations into costly and stressful experiences.

An international vacation is the last place you want to be caught uninsured since the risk of an accident or illness may be higher and you may not speak the language. 

Luckily, travel health insurance can help plug that gap for as little as $1 per day. So for less than the cost of a mid-flight cocktail, you can have your whole trip insured and rest easier knowing you're well-protected. 

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Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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I'm an award-winning lawyer and personal finance expert featured in Inc. Magazine, CNBC, the Today Show, Business Insider and more. My mission is to make personal finance accessible for everyone. As the largest financial influencer in the world, I'm connected to a community of over 20 million followers across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. I'm also the host of the podcast Erika Taught Me. You might recognize me from my viral tagline, "I read the fine print so you don't have to!"

I'm a graduate of Georgetown Law, where I founded the Georgetown Law Entrepreneurship Club, and the University of Notre Dame. I discovered my passion for personal finance after realizing I was drowning in over $200,000 of student debt and needed to take action-ultimately paying off my student loans in under 2 years. I then spent years as a corporate lawyer representing Fortune 500 companies, but I quit because I realized I wanted to have an impact; I wanted to help real people and teach them that you can create a financial future for yourself.

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Our aim is to help you make financial decisions with confidence through our objective article content and reviews. Erika.com is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our aim is to help you make financial decisions with confidence through our objective article content and reviews. Erika.com is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.

Advertiser Disclosure

Our aim is to help you make financial decisions with confidence through our objective article content and reviews. Erika.com is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as MileValue.com. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more.