Travel Products - Travel Insurance to get you home

I visit my family in the UK a couple of times a year. Between my US medical, my UK citizenship and my gold card I have never bothered with travel insurance. I understand that I will have to eat costs if I cancel for any reason.

Last year my partner broke her leg while we were there. Medical was great - the UK fixed her up and billed us a grand total of 280pounds which our insurance here covered most of (after spending a month trying to find anybody else to pay it).

However our return trip almost didn't happen because she was required to elevate her leg. Our BA Coach Plus tickets did not enable us to cross seats (arm rests don't raise) so our choice was upgrade to business ($5k each) or downgrade to coach and buy a 3rd seat ($1500) with less than 7 days. After a little pressure they did eventually give us the upgrade in exchange for a more reasonable fee and some air miles. However they repeatedly told me this would have been covered if I had travel insurance.

So I'm shopping around for our next trip but none of them seem to cover the scenario I describe above. Medical plans cover medical costs, evacuation plans cover getting you to a hospital, interruption plans refund costs if your trip is interrupted but nothing seems to cover increased costs of getting you home.

Am I missing something? Can anyone tell me what I should be shopping for?

Thanks, Andy

id love to know how to shop for this - i havent found any discussion (ive started threads)

i certainly wont be paying for travel insurance that has all sorts of limitations...

(my focus has been on least exclusions, but this is the same question from opposite angle - most inclusions)

I fully agree--this is the sort of insurance one actually needs.

I visit my family in the UK a couple of times a year. Between my US medical, my UK citizenship and my gold card I have never bothered with travel insurance. I understand that I will have to eat costs if I cancel for any reason.

Last year my partner broke her leg while we were there. Medical was great - the UK fixed her up and billed us a grand total of 280pounds which our insurance here covered most of (after spending a month trying to find anybody else to pay it).

However our return trip almost didn't happen because she was required to elevate her leg. Our BA Coach Plus tickets did not enable us to cross seats (arm rests don't raise) so our choice was upgrade to business ($5k each) or downgrade to coach and buy a 3rd seat ($1500) with less than 7 days. After a little pressure they did eventually give us the upgrade in exchange for a more reasonable fee and some air miles. However they repeatedly told me this would have been covered if I had travel insurance.

So I'm shopping around for our next trip but none of them seem to cover the scenario I describe above. Medical plans cover medical costs, evacuation plans cover getting you to a hospital, interruption plans refund costs if your trip is interrupted but nothing seems to cover increased costs of getting you home.

Am I missing something? Can anyone tell me what I should be shopping for?

Thanks, Andy

I think you want to search for "repatriation" insurance, but check the terms very carefully. I'd be surprised if you find a policy that will pay for an upgraded ticket for you to return home (and certainly not for both of you).

For one example I quickly looked at, this might come under the exclusion of "doctor advises against travel [in your chosen class]", but the important thing is not to take te airline's word for it - always (did I say *always*?) check with the insurance company before you pay anything.

But do report back if you find a suitable policy, this is FlyerTalk, after all.

I'd be surprised if you find a policy that will pay for an upgraded ticket

OP said it was medically necessary, and premium cabin is cheaper than private
but yeah, is there a gap for not emergency/evac ?

maybe there is not luxury/concierge travel insurance "for sale" yet ?
i know it exists for UHNW for primarily home then extending to other assets

(im sure lloyds etc are happy to do bespoke, but thats not what us avg people are looking for, price wise)

First thing to remember is that travel insurance pretty much works only when you buy it in your home country. You will find there is wording to effectively make that compulsory on most mainstream policies.

You are not based in the UK so I cannot advise you particularly. In the UK I would look at the defaqto website which rates insurance policies. Travel insurance is something never to skimp on IMHO. Check ALL the small print and ensure you are covered in all your circumstances e.g. business trip is not covered by many policies.

In case they are also sold where you are based I have found if your bank offers annual travel insurance as part of your account privileges it can be worthwhile as the cover can be very good if you are going to pay a high level of fees for your banking anyway. Otherwise travelguard often gets good recommendations (but I am not sure about recently) and American Express is always worth a look.

If anyone finds a policy sold in the UK with high levels of cover that will ensure an award trip paid for with miles can continue in case of a covered misfortune, if necessary by purchasing revenue tickets, please PM me.... I'm having a real hard time finding a good policy that will cover both business trips and the cost of replacing or continuing a trip that was paid by miles.

A member of the local on-air media [New England, US] went to Mexico to play at extreme sports, and got seriously injured in a car accident. He first said he was looking at attaching onto an insurance package via the Diver's Alert Network (DAN), or had looked into that but got something similar. (He was going down to fly, not dive, and wasn't a first timer.)

He reports whoever he was covered under, covered everything including a private LearJet w/inflight MD. They would have also flown someone to him to fly back with him on the Lear. He was fairly banged up, probably had a good chance of dying, and was out of work for a number of months, including surgeries in MX and back in the US. A broken leg might only get you commercial.

As was posted upthread, repatriation insurance is half of what you're looking for, but based on the experience of the local celeb. there seems to be a version which combines repatriation insurance with medical coverage. These seem to exist, but read the fine print as to what's covered. There are low end plans and there are covers-it-all plans. There also seems to be a market for this to foreign students.

I think American Express offers some coverage when you've paid via AMEX.

FYI: DAN url: http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/dive/

A member of the local on-air media [New England, US] went to Mexico to play at extreme sports, and got seriously injured in a car accident. He first said he was looking at attaching onto an insurance package via the Diver's Alert Network (DAN), or had looked into that but got something similar. (He was going down to fly, not dive, and wasn't a first timer.)

He reports whoever he was covered under, covered everything including a private LearJet w/inflight MD. They would have also flown someone to him to fly back with him on the Lear. He was fairly banged up, probably had a good chance of dying, and was out of work for a number of months, including surgeries in MX and back in the US. A broken leg might only get you commercial.

As was posted upthread, repatriation insurance is half of what you're looking for, but based on the experience of the local celeb. there seems to be a version which combines repatriation insurance with medical coverage. These seem to exist, but read the fine print as to what's covered. There are low end plans and there are covers-it-all plans. There also seems to be a market for this to foreign students.

I think American Express offers some coverage when you've paid via AMEX.

FYI: DAN url: http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/insurance/dive/

I think this is all pretty standard for travel insurance - they will pay for you to be fixed where you are, and they will also pay for a medical flight back home, if necessary (private jet ambulance, doctors and nurses in attendance if necessary). They will also pay for the extension of your stay if you were in hospital in a country/situation which they deem medically acceptable.

Where the difficulty lies in this case is the original poster wants cover which would allow a voluntary repatriation which requires a more expensive ticket. The insurance company may take the view that you're either ok to travel, or you're not, and if not then you should stay put until well enough to travel.

So make sure you check all the terms very, very carefully!

Where the difficulty lies in this case is the original poster wants cover which would allow a voluntary repatriation which requires a more expensive ticket. The insurance company may take the view that you're either ok to travel, or you're not, and if not then you should stay put until well enough to travel.Wouldn't it be reasonable to expect every insurance company out there to use the interpretation that costs them the least?

Wouldn't it be reasonable to expect every insurance company out there to use the interpretation that costs them the least?

Indeed, but I just make the point that it is up to the insurance company to authorise the cost, and I wouldn't pay for anything in the expectation of being reimbursed without their prior approval. Certainly not an upgraded ticket.

(Also, depending on the policy, etc. the insurance company may wish to buy the ticket directly for you rather than reimbursing a ticket you have bought yourself).

As ever - check the policy wording carefully before you buy it, and contact the insurance company before you spend anything!

when we got our 10 day tickets to bcn from iad on ua, trip insurance from Allianz by ua was offered for $25 each. we took it. i do not kno what within the fine print can allow them to waive payment. by the way,although wife is 67, but looks 45, i am 75 with heart condition.

Indeed, but I just make the point that it is up to the insurance company to authorise the cost, and I wouldn't pay for anything in the expectation of being reimbursed without their prior approval. Certainly not an upgraded ticket.

(Also, depending on the policy, etc. the insurance company may wish to buy the ticket directly for you rather than reimbursing a ticket you have bought yourself).

As ever - check the policy wording carefully before you buy it, and contact the insurance company before you spend anything!
If you travel several times/year, you definitely need a policy which covers repatriation / medical evac. The insurance company medical team will evaluate your docs' medical recommendations and determine whether that is best dealt with by paying for your continued stay, an upgraded seat or even a private air ambulance. Needless to say, the insurance company will pick the least expensive option, leaving you free to pick up the balance.

Many employers also have policies which cover this. Even if you are on a non-work trip, it's worth checking to make certain it's covered.

You may also find that the specific routing you need (UK) is cheaper than a worldwide policy. If you get hurt in the UK, it's unlikely that you need emergency evacuation back to the USA. Not so, if you are somewhere with a less developed medical system.

The costs here can be stupendously high, so do not expect dealing with insurance to be the same as sending in a claim for a doc's visit back home.

Indeed, but I just make the point that it is up to the insurance company to authorise the cost, and I wouldn't pay for anything in the expectation of being reimbursed without their prior approval. Certainly not an upgraded ticket.

(Also, depending on the policy, etc. the insurance company may wish to buy the ticket directly for you rather than reimbursing a ticket you have bought yourself).

As ever - check the policy wording carefully before you buy it, and contact the insurance company before you spend anything!Fair enough. I agree with all of this. Incidentally, this is also the reason that so many of us do not purchase travel insurance at all. The only thing that's worse than needing travel insurance and not having it and needing it and realizing that you fall under one of its numerous exceptions, such that there is no coverage anyway.

"evacuation plans cover getting you to a hospital" well, for example MedJetAssist covers the cost of getting you to a home hospital of your choice. It does require you to become a hospital inpatient alas. So it's not a solution to your problem.. but it's indeed a valid problem.

I have found http://www.travelinsure.com/why/medicalevacuation.asp mentioning several seats but I have not read through the small print. I am curious whether it works please do read the small print :)

Can just tell you that in germany we pay less than 10€ a year per person for a one year valid travel health insurance incl. worldwide "bring home" service. Each journey can't be longer than 6 weeks (some insurance offer it up to 8 weeks), but you can how often you like.

"evacuation plans cover getting you to a hospital" well, for example MedJetAssist covers the cost of getting you to a home hospital of your choice. It does require you to become a hospital inpatient alas. So it's not a solution to your problem.. but it's indeed a valid problem.


I have never used http://medjetassist.com/ but it's highly recommended on a certain adventure motorcycle forum I read. I have some friends that use another similar service but I can never remember the name of it. As chx points out it doesn't directly answer the problem of the OP but it seems like a good idea.

The only thing that's worse than needing travel insurance and not having it and needing it and realizing that you fall under one of its numerous exceptions, such that there is no coverage anyway.

agree, im not sure how were supposed to shop for coverage

evac is cheap enough id do it for something more isolated/extreme

Medjetassist has zero exclusions and is recommended by the Economist magazine

http://www.virtuallytheretravel.com/Economist%20Medjetassist%20Economist%20Article.pdf


www.virtuallytheretravel.com/medjetassist.htm

feel free to contact me if you require any clarification