Travel Medical Insurance while pregnant

kirstendiaz · January 2013

Hi all!

My hubby and I are going on our babymoon to Europe next month and I had pretty much thought I'd be out of luck on getting a travel medical insurance policy since I'm already preggo. I just did some brief online google searches and it seems like I might be able to get coverage. Just wondering if any of you have had any experience with this. We've traveled abroad quite a bit and I've literally never worried about travel insurance perhaps we should have, blind luck, I suppose. I'll be 20 weeks when we go. Thanks for any insIght! :

ellewoodsSC · January 2013

I did some cursory research a few years ago with my first pregnancy about international travel coverage that included pregnancy related complications and it seemed like there were a lot of exclusions and almost no coverage offered in the third tri. Just make sure you read the fine print and understand the limitations. GL!

Abeille · January 2013

Have you checked what your own insurance covers? Ours would reimburse our costs minus copays when we got home.

kirstendiaz · January 2013

I'll still be 2nd tri...time to ramp up the search!

adelle18 · January 2013

I'm an independent health insurance broker and if you were a client of mine I'd tell you that if you are currently covered by a health insurance plan it's very likely they would reimburse you for medical expenses incurred outside of the United States, especially if it were for an emergency. You generally cannot purchase a short term plan (which is what a travel medical plan would be) that will cover a pre-existing condition (which of course your pregnancy is). There are certainly products out there that will appear to cover a pre-existing condition in a limited way (and they really might) but I would be cautious when considering anything like because it's very easy to spend your money on something that may not be able to pay benefits they way you think it will (especially if you purchase it online). Call your current insurance plan and ask about benefits while traveling abroad.

opheliainwaders · January 2013

adelle18:
I'm an independent health insurance broker and if you were a client of mine I'd tell you that if you are currently covered by a health insurance plan it's very likely they would reimburse you for medical expenses incurred outside of the United States, especially if it were for an emergency. You generally cannot purchase a short term plan (which is what a travel medical plan would be) that will cover a pre-existing condition (which of course your pregnancy is). There are certainly products out there that will appear to cover a pre-existing condition in a limited way (and they really might) but I would be cautious when considering anything like because it's very easy to spend your money on something that may not be able to pay benefits they way you think it will (especially if you purchase it online). Call your current insurance plan and ask about benefits while traveling abroad.

Agreed. I work in a field that does a lot of travel to, shall we say, difficult places, and we typically use US medical insurance, and then have coverage for medical evacuation. That said, if you're going to Europe, you probably wouldn't need to be flown home, you'd just be treated there with an equivalent standard of care, so it's more just a question of what your existing insurance company would cover.

kirstendiaz · January 2013

Thanks everyone! Definitely not concerned about quality of care, more so what our out of pocket would be. My OB is gIving me all of my med records to bring with me, which I think is very wise.

We've traveled all over the world and never had health issues, most recently Africa because we knew that was off the table once I was preggo with having to take the malarone and the zillion shots beforehand. Feel good about the level of care that would be afforded to us in Europe if god forbid, something were to happen!

opheliainwaders · January 2013

Also, have fun!! I'm going to Brussels in April for a wedding, and you've now reminded me to check with my insurance, too, so thanks!

mikeANDjen448 · January 2013

I'm so glad you started this thread! I am traveling abroad in February. We booked our trip pre-pregnancy so I was able to get insurance through the airline carrier, but PP's are right-there are a TON of exclusions. I am absolutely going to call my insurance and see with the coverage abroad is

kirstendiaz · January 2013

I'm calling my HR now. I have blue cross blue shield. Will let you all know what I find out. My company is based in Madrid so it will be interesting to stop by our corporate hq's! I keep pushing for daily siesta breaks. You know good and well they get them in our offices in Spain! And prob far better maternity benes too!

mikeANDjen448 · January 2013

Okay- got a hold of my insurance today and we are cored! wahoo!! It is for emergency and urgent are only and the fees are reimbursed minus a copay. Thank you thank you thank you for bringing this up! I feel so much better now

kirstendiaz · January 2013

Awesome Jen! I need to call tomorrow. Got distracted with other stuff and never did call our benefits dept. I have really fantastic BCBS 90/10 coverage so I'm hoping for the same with my insurance. I'm just thankful that my MS is gone for the most part. Food is such an integral part of travel for me and not wanting to eat while on vaca would've been tragic!!

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