I don't need much in terms of cancellation insurance or stuff insurance. If my stuff gets stolen or a flight gets canceled, I'll buy new stuff, for less than the cost of an insurance policy. Or maybe I'll just stay where I am! Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.
Anyway, medical. I'm looking for a high max coverage (mortgage mortgage), I'm not too picky about the deductible (nothing bad ever happens ever), and I don't want to get hosed. Approximate prices for a year of coverage:
World Nomads: $600, $100k max
International SOS, including medical: $1000
MedexAssist: $1500
Some other site I don't remember: also $1500
IMGlobal: $350, $500k max (customizable)
I feel like I must have missed something. How can different companies be off by a factor of 4? But I read through the plan a couple times and it looks pretty foolproof. And IMGlobal is a legit company. Chalk it up to truly just buying what I want, I guess.
I went through STA travel when I needed long term travel insurance (I was living in rural China for three months), but it's a travel agency for students but I don't know if they actually require you to be a student... however just for comparison's sake I had coverage for evacuation up to $250,000, medical expenses up to $100,000, Accidental death up to $20,000. Some other coverage, too, but those were my key points of concern. It cost me $265 for three months, would have been around $750 for a full year.
ReplyDeleteSo I think the prices you've been quoted are reasonable, I would take a higher amount of coverage (not the $100,000 one, medical evacuation by airplane can cost that much all by itself).
I actually used the insurance when I was mugged. I was without money in a farming town in the middle of nowhere in China and my phone was stolen; they covered the replacement cost of the things that were stolen and did an emergency cash transfer for me.
Oh right, to clarify: World Nomads offers $500k for evacuation on top of the $100k. Surprising that it's so much more expensive than the medical care!
ReplyDeleteWhen and where and why did you go to rural China?
Haha, not surprising at all! It's sort of like paying the $1000 airfare for all 100 people on a small commercial jet to get your own personal ride home.
ReplyDeleteAnd
1) I went to China in 2007
2) I was in Anqiu, an agricultural city in Northern China
3) I was teaching English
Neat! A comment stream is not a great place to carry on a conversation, so I'll postpone it. But I'd love to hear more about it sometime.
ReplyDeletehaha, I spend half my life on gchat, happy to talk about it there if you like :)
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, you should come to Pittburgh and we can chat about our travels in person!