When you’re planning a trip, you're probably thinking about all the delicious food you'll eat or fascinating sites you'll see — not what you'll do if you break your leg or get a parasitic infection.
But while thinking about these issues isn't the fun part of travel planning, it’s important to know what to do if a medical emergency strikes while you’re abroad.
In most cases, your regular health insurance won't cover medical care in another country. That means if you need treatment for anything from a bad virus to emergency surgery, you’ll have to pay for that care.
Travel insurance can go a long way toward covering those costs, but you want to understand this coverage before you go — so you’re not reading fine print while you’re in the ER.
Erika Recommends
- VisitorsCoverage
Compare policies and quotes from different providers. - World Nomads
Travel policies with adventure sports coverage. - Allianz Travel Insurance
Comprehensive plans with medical emergency coverage.
Immediate Steps to Take During a Medical Emergency Abroad
First things first: Assess the situation to see if it requires immediate care such as hospitalization or if it's serious but not quite as urgent.
For example, if you slip while hiking and badly scrape your leg, can you return to a nearby city for evaluation at a local clinic, or do you need an emergency airlift?
If you’re traveling with a guide or tour operator, ask for their help in assessing the situation. They may see the severity of the injury better than you can — and encourage you to get immediate help rather than toughing it out.
Also, if there’s a language barrier, your guide can call the local equivalent of 911 on your behalf and explain that you’re traveling far from home.
When to call your travel insurance
If you have travel insurance, you probably have access to a 24/7 emergency hotline that can clarify your benefits and let you know about preapproved hospitals or medical facilities in your area. Call this number as soon as safely possible.
Sometimes that means waiting to call until you've arrived at a medical facility — like if you’ve been in a car accident and taken by ambulance. But if you can, call your travel insurance first — for example, if you have a stomach bug and want to make sure you visit a covered clinic, rather than getting a surprise medical bill.
You might even be required to get preauthorization for non-life-threatening situations, so be sure to notify your travel insurance provider as soon as you can.
READ MORE: Emergency Medical and Travel Health Insurance: How To Stay Protected
How To Prepare for Medical Emergencies Before Traveling
Of course, the nature of medical emergencies is that they're surprising and urgent.
But you can still take steps to prepare before traveling so that you can get proper care and minimize any financial risk. For example, you can:
- Research local medical facilities. Look up hospitals and clinics near where you're staying. If there are two local hospitals, for example, and one is much higher-rated, you probably want to request being taken to the better hospital in an emergency.
- Save emergency contact info. Write down (or save in your phone) the numbers for local emergency services and your travel insurance hotline, so you don't have to remember them in an emergency.
- Carry important documents. Your travel insurance policy, passport, and medical history can help local medical staff treating you in an emergency — for example, if you pass out by yourself in a foreign city. Of course, it’s not practical (or safe) to bring your passport or documents everywhere, so save important information on your phone.
- Know your policy’s coverage. Understanding your limits, exclusions, and the claims process can help you avoid situations where medical care isn’t covered. For example, if you have a pre-existing condition like diabetes or asthma, you might need to buy a pre-existing waiver for your policy.
How Travel Insurance Can Help in a Medical Emergency
Travel insurance isn't just for getting reimbursed for cutting your trip short. It can also help you logistically and financially in a medical emergency.
Coverage for medical expenses
Travel insurance policies often provide a coverage limit specifically for medical care, which is a separate limit from areas like hotel or baggage reimbursements.
This coverage can pay you back or directly cover (depending on the policy) things like hospital stays, doctor visits, and prescriptions.
Check both the overall limit and the coverage areas when you’re shopping for a policy. For example, a policy might have a high limit but not cover adventure sports — and you’re going backcountry skiing.
You can use an online marketplace like VisitorsCoverage to compare different policies and find one that covers exactly your needs.
READ MORE: How To Choose Travel Health Insurance for International Trips
Emergency medical evacuation
Typically, emergency medical evacuation covers transportation costs beyond going to the nearest facility. This coverage amount is separate from the medical expense coverage.
For example, if you're having a heart problem that a small clinic in rural Thailand can’t treat, you might need to be airlifted to a hospital in Bangkok. Or you may need to go back home for more specialized care. Emergency medical evacuation coverage can pay for these significant costs.
Just know that you likely need preauthorization for this coverage to kick in — you can’t just decide that you'd be more comfortable being treated at home.
COMPARE: Best Travel Insurance With High Medical Limits
Assistance with finding local medical providers
Travel insurance providers often have a vetted list of medical providers, such as hospitals and doctors' offices in different countries. You can call your insurer to ask where to go.
Your insurance might also provide translation and scheduling support — such as if you need to make an appointment with a local doctor and are having trouble due to language barriers.
FAQs About Medical Emergencies Abroad
What should I do if I need urgent medical care but don’t speak the language?
Ask for help from local professionals such as hotel staff. Or if you have travel insurance, call the hotline to see if they can provide translation services.
Are pre-existing conditions covered during a medical emergency abroad?
Pre-existing conditions may or may not be covered, depending on the healthcare system and your insurance. Typically with travel insurance, pre-existing conditions aren’t covered unless you purchase a waiver or a higher-tier plan.
Does travel insurance cover costs if I visit an unapproved medical provider?
Travel insurance plans differ in terms of what medical costs they'll reimburse. Some only reimburse from a select list of approved medical providers, while others more broadly reimburse for any accredited medical facility.
What happens if I need to extend my trip due to hospitalization?
With some travel insurance policies, extending your trip due to hospitalization would trigger coverage such as for rebooking your flight to a later date, but it depends on the policy.
TL;DR: What To Do in a Medical Emergency Abroad
Being in a foreign country can make it difficult to navigate medical care, since you’re unfamiliar with how their healthcare system works.
To overcome this, familiarize yourself ahead of time by jotting down local emergency numbers. You can also contact your travel insurer, who can suggest medical facilities and help you with billing and care options.
Since your health insurance probably doesn't cover you abroad, you might have out-of-pocket treatment costs — or even be liable for tens of thousands of dollars if you need serious medical care or an emergency evacuation. That's why it's so important to get travel insurance.
If you’re smart and plan before you go, your safety, health, and wallet will thank you!
Was there an issue with your flight?
We read the fine print so you don't have to! Take our Flight Rights Quiz to learn more about the compensation the airline may owe you if your flight was delayed or canceled!
Learn With Erika
- Free Travel Secrets Workshop
- Learn how to use the fine print to book your next vacation practically for free with Erika's step-by-step system
- Free 5 Day Investing Challenge
- Learn how to get started as a beginner investor and make your first $10,000
- Free 5 Day Savings Challenge
- Discover how you can save $1,000 without penny pinching or making major life sacrifices
- Join Erika Kullberg Insiders
- Ask investing questions, share successes and participate in monthly challenges and expert workshops
. . .
