Europe is well known for some of its world-famous tourist destinations. Traveling to Europe is exciting but can be a costly affair without pre planning for unforeseen situations. These could be related to medical expenses in case of any emergency or need of medical help. Travel Insurance for Europe from the USA for US citizens traveling outside their home country can be a great life saver during such situations.
Travel Insurance provides protection for unexpected sickness and injury, emergency evacuation, repatriation, and other medical incidents. It also covers the expenses for baggage delay, flight delay, trip interruption, loss of baggage... Domestic US insurance cannot be much help in Europe as the coverage is very limited or none when outside of the country. Travel Insurance plans can also be of another kind which is also known as Trip Insurance plans which focuses more on trip expenses where it provides benefits like trip cancellation which covers 100% trip costs, baggage delay, loss of baggage, missing flights and so on.
For the trip cancellation benefit, the covered reasons include:
- Death of an immediate family member
- Serious injury or illness to you, close relative or travel companion
- Sudden family emergency
- Loss of job
There are "Cancel for any reason" plans available with partial reimbursement for flights and hotel booking in case of delay in the flight. Lodging and other prepaid non refundable expenses can be claimed in such cases..
For stays longer than 90 days, US citizens will need to apply for a visa and will need proof of travel health insurance for Europe from the USA that meets requirements. Other nationalities need international insurance coverage even if they intend to stay fewer days.
The requirements for the visa while not particularly strict (we have many international policies which can meet and/or exceed their requirements) can be cumbersome to find.The requirements by European Schengen country state consulates that can be difficult to meet are the following:
- Insurance company must have an office in the EU
- You need coverage for repatriation (return of mortal remains)
- Coverage for emergency medical evacuation, and finally
- You need a letter from your insurance company spelling out your coverage. (The requirement for maximum (€30,000) is generally not a problem with US policies).
Most often, US insurance companies refuse to provide the letter needed (#4) even though they may actually meet other requirements. Many policies, however, do NOT cover for repatriation and emergency medical evacuation nor have a foreign office in Europe. Also, our US customers may be surprised to find out that Medicare will not pay for services rendered outside the US (except under extremely limited circumstances).
The requirements of US citizens for the long term European visa are exactly like those for the Schengen visa for non-US citizens, so any plans we sell for a Schengen visa will work for you. Furthermore, they are very economically priced and are guaranteed (no medical tests or questions). Best medical insurance while traveling in Europe can be purchased with a credit card and you will immediately (or within the hour) have access to the required Schengen visa letter (unless you are purchasing from the lovely state of Maryland, in which case we will need at least 2 business days to get your letter).
After purchasing the insurance, make sure you have access to the receipt and the soft copy of the insurance along with the ID Card which will be very useful while filing a claim. Traveling to Europe has never been easier and more exciting! Enjoy the Europe trip with sufficient coverage from the travel insurance for Europe from the US.
