Best Travel Insurance With High Medical Limits

Having a serious medical emergency is always scary, but if you’re away from home, it can be even more stressful. 

While your domestic health insurance covers you in your home country, if you’re traveling internationally, you need travel insurance — ideally, with high medical coverage limits, since the cost of emergency medical evacuation, hospital stays, and specialist care can quickly add up.

Here’s how to find the best high-limit travel health insurance for your upcoming trip.

Why High Medical Limits Matter

Having a travel insurance policy with medical coverage is important, but policies with low coverage limits can cost you. Here’s why:

• Rising healthcare costs abroad: Healthcare has gotten outrageously expensive, including for travelers abroad. For example, a hospital stay in Switzerland can be up to $2,500 per day!
• Protection during major medical emergencies: Medical emergencies can be very expensive. For example, if you have a heart attack or major injury, you want enough coverage to pay for emergency transportation, ICU stays, or emergency surgery.

If your travel insurance policy has a high limit, you can enjoy your vacation without worrying about those “what ifs.” 

Key Features of Policies With High Medical Limits

When researching a travel insurance policy, here are a few things you need to look for:

• Extensive medical coverage: Make sure the policy covers a wide range of medical emergencies, including hospital stays, surgeries, medications, and follow-up care. Review any exclusions or coverage limitations.
• Emergency evacuation and repatriation: Medical evacuation includes transportation to the nearest suitable medical facility, or even flights back home if you need more advanced care.
• Flexibility for pre-existing conditions: Many high-limit policies offer waivers for chronic illnesses, so you’re covered even if your condition flares up while you’re traveling.
• High claim payout limits: High-limit policies can offer up to $1 million in medical coverage and evacuation. This can pay for high-cost hospital stays, emergency room visits, ambulance or helicopter evacuation, or other medical expenses.

READ MORE: Common Medical Emergencies Covered by Travel Insurance

How To Choose the Right High-Limit Policy

Getting the right policy can potentially save you tens of thousands of dollars. Here’s how to choose the best one for you.

Assess your destination’s healthcare costs

Your travel destination can have a major impact on the cost of healthcare. Some countries have very high costs for a medical emergency, while others offer relatively affordable care.

Research the costs of care in the location you’re traveling to. This can usually be done with a quick Google search and reviewing the country’s healthcare authority website for cost details. 

This will help you decide the right amount of coverage for your policy.

READ MORE: How To Choose Travel Health Insurance for International Trips

Consider your travel activities

Some travel is more risky than others. If you’re planning a simple beach vacation at a populated resort area in a country with low healthcare costs, you might not need high limits. 

But if you’re doing high-risk activities or traveling to a remote location with limited access to medical care, the cost of an emergency can skyrocket.

Your policy should cover the type of travel you’re planning, including adventurous or high-risk activities or traveling to multiple destinations. This may require getting a policy add-on so you have enough coverage. 

Evaluate claims processes and support services

If you can’t easily file a claim, your coverage might be worthless. Review the claims process and customer support for any travel insurance company you’re considering.

You want a company that offers a simple online claims process, and the ability to contact customer support or emergency assistance at any time (24/7) so you’re never left hanging. 

Check third-party customer review websites to make sure customers have had a good experience.

RELATED: How To Access Emergency Assistance Abroad Through Your Travel Insurance

Best Providers Offering High Medical Limits

Here are some of the top providers that offer premium plans with high limits for medical coverage and emergency medical evacuation:

	Seven Corners Travel Insurance	Generali Global Assistance	World Nomads	Travel Insured International
Medical coverage	$1 million	$250,000	$250,000	$500,000
Emergency medical evacuation	$500,000	$1 million	$700,000	$1 million
Trip interruption	$5,000	175% reimbursement	$15,000	150% reimbursement
Pre-existing conditions coverage?	Yes, with limitations	Included with premium plan only	Waiver with premium plans only	Yes, with waiver
Adventure activity coverage?	Yes, as an add-on	No	Included in premium plans only	Yes, as an add-on

You can use an online platform like SquareMouth or VisitorsCoverage to compare policies side by side before buying.

Mistakes to Avoid When Choosing a High Medical Limit Policy

Not every travel insurance policy is the same, and if you don’t pay attention to the details, you might end up responsible for huge medical bills. 

Here are a few common mistakes to watch out for.

Underestimating coverage needs

Before you decide on a policy, calculate your potential medical costs. This means researching the cost of medical care in the area you’re traveling to, including the cost of medical evacuation (ambulance, airlift, etc.).

One mistake travelers can make is getting a policy that doesn’t have enough coverage — for example, medical coverage or emergency evacuation limits below $100,000. If you’re in a major accident, you could quickly eclipse that figure and end up on the hook for high medical bills.

Ignoring policy exclusions

Most travel insurance policies have exclusions, which means the insurer will reject a claim if you have an accident or medical need that falls into this category. For example, injuries resulting from alcohol are often not covered. 

Some other exclusions to travel insurance medical policies include:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Sports-related injuries
• High-risk activities like scuba diving or skiing

You can get coverage for these activities and conditions, but you’ll usually need to purchase a policy add-on.

Choosing based solely on price

A low price feels good, but it can end up costing you if you forget to review what you’re buying. 

Getting the lowest-cost policy can come back to bite you if the policy has low limits or a long list of exclusions.

Instead, find policies that offer the coverage limits you need and don’t exclude things you want. Then compare multiple policies on price to find the best deal with the right level of coverage.

FAQs About Travel Insurance 

Are high medical limits necessary for short trips?

It depends on how comfortable you are with risk. More important than trip length is how risky or remote your travels will be. 

For domestic trips, your health insurance may cover out-of-state injuries or medical emergencies.

Can I upgrade my policy if I realize my coverage limit is too low?

In many cases, yes, you can upgrade your travel insurance policy for higher coverage limits. But there may be some restrictions, such as buying it well in advance of your travel dates (usually 15 days or more).

Pre-existing condition waivers require purchasing within two or three weeks of booking the trip. 

Call your provider to ask what coverage upgrades are available.

Are there additional costs for pre-existing condition coverage in high-limit plans?

Several premium high-limit plans include coverage for pre-existing conditions, but you may be required to purchase a waiver. Every policy is different, so check what the terms are for pre-existing conditions before buying.

TL;DR: How Much Travel Medical Coverage Do I Need?

Never cheap out on travel medical coverage — especially if you’re going somewhere remote or with high healthcare costs. A bargain policy might seem great until you're stuck with a $100,000 hospital bill because you hit the coverage cap.

The best policies offer up to $1 million in coverage and include things like emergency evacuation, which can be a literal lifesaver if you need to be airlifted to a hospital.

When choosing a policy, the key is to research healthcare costs at your destination and consider your activities — a beach vacation needs different coverage than an adventure sports trip. Look for policies that cover a wide range of medical emergencies and have 24/7 support for claims and emergencies.

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