By Peter GreenbergPosted by Chaoran Hu
According to the U.S. Travel Insurance Association, about 30 percent of Americans purchase travel insurance, an increase from 10 percent before 9/11. The top three reasons are: peace of mind, protection against the unexpected and concern over losing the financial investment in a trip. Some 70 percent of cruisers buy travel insurance.
Reasons to buy travel insurance
1. Your flight has been cancelled.
2. Your bags are lost and your medication is in it. You need to have an emergency prescription filled.
3. Your passport and wallet are stolen, and you need emergency cash and a replacement passport.
4. You're involved in an accident and adequate medical treatment is not available. You need medical evacuation.
5. You need to cancel your trip due to illness.
6. Your cruise line, airline or tour operator goes bankrupt. You need your non-refundable expenses covered and to get to your destination.
7. You have a medical emergency in a foreign country.
8. A terrorist incident occurs in the city where you’re planning to visit and you want to cancel your trip.
9. A hurricane forces you to evacuate your resort, hotel or cruise.
9. A hurricane forces you to evacuate your resort, hotel or cruise.
Resources: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17519580/
You might wish to see the info on the the U.S. Department of State website which states: The Department of State strongly urges travelers to consult with their medical insurance company prior to traveling abroad to confirm whether their policy applies overseas and if it will cover emergency expenses such as a medical evacuation. If necessary, you should consider secondary medical coverage for the trip.
ReplyDeleteThey go on to list several reasons why you should you should be concerned about medical coverage abroad - see the State Department site at: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1470.html or a summary at http://www.medicaltravelinsuranceinfo.com.