|
GaramChai.com
>>
Travel
Insurance >>
Travel
Insurance FAQ
|
Note: This site has extensive
travel Insurance for Indians. However, it is not just
for Indians alone but for anyone who needs more information
on travel insurance. Hundreds of thousands of students
and businessmen and individuals from all corners of
the globe -- USA, UK, Europe, America, Canada, Asia,
India, Australia, travel abroad to foreign countries
for short visits: to attend business meetings, seminars,
conventions. Many also travel for tourism or to visit
relatives or friends. The average cost of even a simple
hospital stay in the US can run into thousands of dollars.
Short-term visitors, those on businesses or visiting
friends or family, are especially vulnerable since they
can be lulled into a false sense of security by presuming
that their regular medical policies provided by employers
in India (or other native lands), will cover them. That
is not true since most insurers of regular policies
explicitly exclude foreign travel. Even students coming
to the US to study may find it intriguing that although
universities may provide plans that cover them after
they register as full-time students, they may not be
covered when school is not in session. In this
page, you will find a number of insurance providers,
many of who also service clients online. Please feel
free to contact them directly.
(Please
read the disclaimer at the bottom)
|
|
If
you are ready to buy travel Insurance now, check out our online
quote engine. Click Here
You
may also be interested in the following articles
Most plans
will cover up to any age, with lower limits for ages over
80
We have
selected the top most carriers, negotiated the best discounts
available and applied them to our site already.
Your coverage
would stay the same on most plans however please call our
expert office staff who are always willing to help you on
the phone or send us a mail.
No, most
of our plans are
Issued online and you just
have to answer a few questions and if approved, coverage can
start immediately. Certain Plans for Long Term Coverage may
require Medical History and Questions, and are subject to
approval.
Yes most
of our Programs include Baggage loss, Trip Cancellation, and
Emergency Repatriation.
(Cancellation is applicable only when a trip cancellation
plan is bought. This is not a feature of medical plans).
Once your
trip is confirmed, select the coverage start date to coincide
with the date of departure from your home country.
Please keep in mind the time difference, since all the plans
offered are according to east-coast (EST) times.
Yes. Inbound
Travelers will renew if the option was selected at time of
purchase and the initial purchase was for at least a minimum
period of 3 months. Laision plan holders can renew monthly
on initial purchase. All other plans for Periods shorter than
6 months are non-renewable.
Yes. Anyone
can purchase the plans online as proxy on behalf of their
family members.
Plans
for periods over Six Months or more are refundable with restrictions,
with no refund for the first six months’ premium. Due to the
nature of the traveler's insurance, the short term plans are
non-refundable.
SRI does have a refund policy with $25 as the cancellation
charge.
Most Physicians
and Hospitals will bill the Insurance Company directly, which
will pay the covered approved costs, regardless of who files
the claim.
If the bill is not mailed to the insured, the carrier will
mail some claim forms with the ID cards, so the insured can
mail the claims with the medical bills to the carrier and
still does not have to pay up-front.
Yes. Most
of our policy plans can be purchased
online, and either you will receive a quick confirmation
email and/or you can print the ID card locally upon completion
of purchase.
Yes, the
option is available.
Yes you can visit any Licensed Doctor or Facility.
(There is a provider directory for almost all of the medical
plans with exception of the Inbound Plan, which is a scheduled
fee based plan).
Coverage
starts midnight after the date of payment received or the
date requested which ever comes later.
Select
the Renewable Option (Available if you buy 3 months or
more with Inbound USA Plan or Monthly with Laision International
Plan).
Only on certain plans after 12 Months of continuous coverage.
(There is another plan which covers maternity but is limited.
Inbound Immigrant covers pregnancy up to $2500; if conception
occurs 90 days after the effective date).
Yes, you
can buy the insurance, however pre-existing conditions or
any conditions related would not be covered. Then what is
covered? That which is not related to the pre-existing condition
/ conditions. (Read specific Exclusions and Pre-Existing limitations
in each Policy, prior to buying any product).
For H1
Workers, International Travelers or Long Term Coverage for
periods over Six Months select Atlas Extra or International
Citizen (12 Months or Longer). If you purchase Atlas
Extra, you are covered
up to $2,500 for a sudden and unexpected outbreak
or recurrence of a Pre-existing Condition, which occurs spontaneously
and without advance warning either in the form of a Physician
recommendation or symptoms, and which occurs while this coverage
is in effect. International Citizen Series will cover Pre-existing
Conditions If you are insured under the Platinum
plan, and your pre-existing conditions have been
fully disclosed on your application and not excluded or restricted
by a rider or any other provision of your certificate, your
pre-existing conditions are covered
the same as any other illness or injury as of your
effective date. If you are insured under the Premier
plan, your pre-existing conditions are covered
up to a lifetime limit of $25,000
after you have been
insured continuously for 24 months. If you are insured under
the Risk-Share plan, your pre-existing conditions are not
covered. Pre-existing conditions include any injury or illness
or mental/nervous condition that existed at or prior to your
initial effective date, including chronic, recurring and congenital
conditions. (Read specific Exclusions and pre-existing limitations
in each Policy, prior to buying any product).
Yes travel
will include all over the world other than the insured home
country, he can purchase the Home Country option.
Home
Country Coverage
This option covers you for incidental trips to your home country
(maximum of 60 days per 12 months of purchased coverage or
pro-rata thereof). Maximum benefit is reduced to $50,000.
Pre-existing conditions are health conditions which you already
received or are receiving treatment for. Pregnancy, AIDS,
high-blood pressure and stroke are all forms of pre-existing
conditions. Each insurance carrier
has its own policies and procedures for pre-existing conditions. Some
offer coverage after a waiting period while others totally
exclude certain conditions. Having a pre-existing condition
obviously puts you at a higher risk for compensation than
people without pre-existing conditions, but that doesn't necessarily
mean you can't get insurance.
HMO
stands for Health Maintenance Organization. HMO is a company
that offers health plans, which provides medical care from
an approved network of doctors, hospitals, and pharmacies.
The patient needs to pay some set minimum fee per visit. These
fees are usually much lower than PPO (Preferred Provider Organizations)
The advantages of HMO:
-
No
or very low deductibles.
-
Comprehensive
benefits.
-
Preventive
care is often good.
The disadvantages of HMO:
-
HMO
plan includes only a particular chain of hospitals and
doctors.
-
The
patient must see doctors within the network.
-
The
patient must get permission from the primary physician
to see a specialist, or the HMO may not pay for the services.
-
HMO's
often refuse to pay for the emergency visits, if they
don't consider it as a true emergency.
Once
you've signed and received your HMO plan, be sure to read
your policy thoroughly and carefully. You should know answers
to questions like:
-
Which
doctors, hospitals you may see?
-
What
procedures are covered and what aren't?
-
How
are emergency visits handled? And what procedure you must
follow to get the full coverage?
-
What
kind of cases come under emergencies? (As they may deny
coverage, if they don't consider your problem as an emergency.)
-
What
is the co-payment cost? (i.e. How much you will have to
pay per visit?)
-
Find out the procedure for claims, if any.
PPO
stands for Preferred Provider Organization. PPO allows patients
to see a specialist without a referral from a Primary Care
Physician. They have a wider range of doctors to choose from.
The direct access to specialists is good for people who have
chronic illness, or in case of urgent care and emergencies.
Patients can get appointments with their preferred specialists
as and when required.
Usually, a PPO will pay a greater percentage of the cost for
a preferred provider, and less for a non-preferred provider.
Advantages
of PPO:
-
Patient
can visit any doctor and hospital. They are categorized
as preferred and non-preferred providers.
-
PPO
covers all preferred providers according to their policy.
Disadvantages
of PPO:
-
For
all non preferred providers PPO covers only 80% of all
the expenses, depending on your insurance company rules.
And rest has to be paid by you.
-
Always
find out which doctors and services are considered preferred
and which are non preferred.
-
It
is always better to go to the preferred providers, as
the PPO plan would give full coverage for them. You will
only have to give the co-payment. But for any non preferred
provider, your co-payment is quite higher as compared
to the preferred provider.
-
Always
read your policy very carefully.
-
Find
out the procedure for claims, if any.
POS
stands for a Point of Service plan, which combines the cost
savings of a HMO with the flexibility of a PPO. Find out the
details and rules from your medical insurance company.
A
primary care physician manages your entire health care program.
One has to first visit his/her primary care physician for
any kind of medical problem. In case you require a specialist,
then your physician should refer you to a concerned specialist.
Yes,
one can change his/her primary care physician maximum once
a month. But it is always better to stick to one physician.
Find out the rules form your insurance company. Normally to
change, you will just have to call up the new physician you
want to be your primary care doctor, and then inform your
insurance company about the change.
This
is a number given to each patient, it refers to a file which
has all the records of your prior tests, ailments, etc. This
number makes it easy for the person at the reception to make
your future appointments and is also a reference for your
doctor. One has to always provide his/her chart number whenever
you call or visit a doctor.
Taking
appointment for any ailment is a time taking process, hence
every hospital provides urgent care and emergency care services.
These are the quick medical care services provided by almost
all medical centers.
Emergency services are those services required as a result
of unforeseen injuries or acute illness, for which a delay
in treatment would result in a permanent physical impairment,
or loss of life. Such as heart attacks, strokes, poisonings,
sudden inability to breathe etc.
On
the other hand, urgent care includes less serious medical
conditions which require immediate attention. Such as fever,
fractured bone, any cuts which require immediate attention,
etc.
** Note:
Always make sure from your insurance
company as to what situations are treated as urgent and emergency.
If possible, it is better to contact your primary care physician
in an urgent situation and arrange for your urgent care.
PPO
is a network of physicians that have agreed, by contract,
to discount their rates for the respective PPO members. These
physicians, specialists are known as preferred providers,
and PPO members are free to see any of them, without any reference
from their primary physicians.
PPO
members may also see non-contracted providers, these are known
as non preferred providers. The co-payment fee for seeing
a non preferred provider is generally higher than the preferred
providers.
Read
your insurance company's manual to find out which all pharmacies
are included in your plan. Select the nearest pharmacy to
your place. For all prescribed medicines, you will have to
pay the minimum fee, and rest will be covered by your insurance.
But your insurance won't cover other medicines, which can
be picked directly off the shelf from the stores.
Note:
Information provided here is collected from individual experiences
and other sources. It may not be accurate. Please verify it
before using.
All information provided in these FAQ’s is deemed to be accurate
by G1G.com. Due care has been exercised to ensure the veracity
of this information and guidelines. However, there may be
error (s) and omission (s) and all information is subject
to change. GaramChai.com, G1G.com and its affiliates do not
assume any liability for the information provided herein.
The reader is strongly recommended to confirm this information
from official sources and GaramChai.com asserts that the reader
is totally responsible for the use and application of the
material provided here. This FAQ service is provided as a
courtesy to GaramChai.com's customers and website visitors.
|
