The difficulty with insurance is that people really don’t understand their own coverage.
So many travellers feel that their health insurance policy at home will cover them while they are abroad. Alternatively, people sometimes believe that if they purchase their plane ticket with a credit card that they are covered. With further probing, they discover that the insurance coverage from that credit card purchase or from home is actually only one small part of what they actually need.
It is also important to read the policy carefully before you buy. If you are likely to scuba dive or even surf, you will likely not be covered under a normal travel health insurance policy. That means: if you sustain an injury while surfing, you will covered when you go to the hospital for treatment. Make sure that you understand the benefits (things you will be covered for).
The cost of the insurance will depend on a number of factors: your age and health, your country of origin, your destination, your premium and your deductable, etc.
Choosing the premium (the total amount of your coverage), many people want to go with a low amount ($50,000-75,000) but this means that once you have tallied up a bill of $50,000 at the hospital, you will have to pay. Consider that hospital beds for critically ill patients can cost up to $10,000/day (yes it can be true) so that premium really won’t get you very far. Usually $500,000 is a good average.
You must also choose a deductable – the amount of money you must pay in order to receive treatment (and the rest is covered by your insurance). Many people choose a high deductable (of $1000-$2500) because it lowers the cost of the overall insurance. The trouble is that choosing a high deductable only alters the overall price by perhaps $20 and if you are in an accident, you will have to pay $1000-$2500 to receive treatment.
Take the time to understand all the ins and outs of travel insurance before you buy. If you are looking for a quote, try this link:
www.imglobal.com/travelinsurance/index.cfm?imgac=215520