Taking a 6 month sabbatical. Travel insurance? Regular insurance?
December 9, 2015 1:24 PM Subscribe
I'm planning to travel for 6 months (France for 3, then who knows) and will not have insurance through work. It's been difficult navigating all the options. Will I need travel insurance in addition to regular insurance? 29yo, located in CA, USA.
1) Is it correct that I will need to buy insurance when my current insurance will expire (end of January) or I won't be able to buy it later? I'm planning on buying catastrophic insurance through the ACA exchange. Currently I'm on a high deductible plan with about $5k in an HSA.
2) Does anyone have any recommendations for travel insurance? Do I need travel insurance (it looks like primary American insurance won't cover costs abroad)?
Is there anything I should watch out for? I'm planning on skiing and rock climbing so my main concern is helicopter rescues and having to possibly be flown back to the US.
I've seen a few options:
World Nomads - comes with trip insurance
HTH - says I need primary insurance
3) When I file a claim in France, would it be covered by the travel insurance or the primary insurance or some combination?
4) It looks like I have 60 days to elect COBRA coverage. Will the ACA allow me to buy a plan on the 60th day?
1) Is it correct that I will need to buy insurance when my current insurance will expire (end of January) or I won't be able to buy it later? I'm planning on buying catastrophic insurance through the ACA exchange. Currently I'm on a high deductible plan with about $5k in an HSA.
2) Does anyone have any recommendations for travel insurance? Do I need travel insurance (it looks like primary American insurance won't cover costs abroad)?
Is there anything I should watch out for? I'm planning on skiing and rock climbing so my main concern is helicopter rescues and having to possibly be flown back to the US.
I've seen a few options:
World Nomads - comes with trip insurance
HTH - says I need primary insurance
3) When I file a claim in France, would it be covered by the travel insurance or the primary insurance or some combination?
4) It looks like I have 60 days to elect COBRA coverage. Will the ACA allow me to buy a plan on the 60th day?
Response by poster: Just checked my United Healthcare coverage again. It says it does not cover charges abroad except for Emergency Health Services, though it says that I need to notify them if I end up in a hospital and they can elect to transfer me.
I'll probably go with the World Nomads coverage since it specifically covers sports and evac.
posted by just.good.enough at 1:44 PM on December 9, 2015
I'll probably go with the World Nomads coverage since it specifically covers sports and evac.
posted by just.good.enough at 1:44 PM on December 9, 2015
It's getting harder and harder to get travel insurance for skiing/mountain climbing; read your policy carefully as to what it excludes. (most policies have specific language around "extreme sports" and it can be oddly specific).
If you have an AMEX card, you may still be able to get really good travel insurance through them; as of last year they only offered it to card holders. I currently pair the travel insurance from the chase sapphire preferred card with whatever catastrophic health insurance I can find that does not explicitly exclude backcountry or "extreme" skiing.
I've heard less than good things about world nomads actually; a friend wasn't able to get travel/baggage delays reimbursed that we had gotten, so not sure how their health policy works. I've never had to use the Health Insurance portion of travel insurance; (skiing in south America it was easier/cheaper to just pay cash)
In France, I suspect it may be less of an issue/easier to pay out of pocket. Might be worth digging around for information.
Also if you're skiing in france, hit up the Portes du Soliel and Chamonix. hell spend a month in Chamonix. it'll be awesome/worth it.
posted by larthegreat at 2:09 PM on December 9, 2015
If you have an AMEX card, you may still be able to get really good travel insurance through them; as of last year they only offered it to card holders. I currently pair the travel insurance from the chase sapphire preferred card with whatever catastrophic health insurance I can find that does not explicitly exclude backcountry or "extreme" skiing.
I've heard less than good things about world nomads actually; a friend wasn't able to get travel/baggage delays reimbursed that we had gotten, so not sure how their health policy works. I've never had to use the Health Insurance portion of travel insurance; (skiing in south America it was easier/cheaper to just pay cash)
In France, I suspect it may be less of an issue/easier to pay out of pocket. Might be worth digging around for information.
Also if you're skiing in france, hit up the Portes du Soliel and Chamonix. hell spend a month in Chamonix. it'll be awesome/worth it.
posted by larthegreat at 2:09 PM on December 9, 2015
I'm planning on skiing and rock climbing so my main concern is helicopter rescues and having to possibly be flown back to the US.
Yes, absolutely get travel insurance, and make sure it covers your preferred sports.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:09 PM on December 9, 2015
Yes, absolutely get travel insurance, and make sure it covers your preferred sports.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:09 PM on December 9, 2015
3) When I file a claim in France, would it be covered by the travel insurance or the primary insurance or some combination?
Yes, it would be covered by the travel insurance.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:10 PM on December 9, 2015
Yes, it would be covered by the travel insurance.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:10 PM on December 9, 2015
Note that for most normal health issues and even everyday emergency room visits, like for a broken arm, the French medical system will probably not charge you anything or bother with your insurance. You should still GET insurance, especially to protect against those extremes you're concerned about. But you may not need it for many of the things Americans are used to using health insurance for.
If you don't have U.S. health insurance while you are living outside the country, you should be able to buy it when you return. Moving from one jurisdiction to another is a legitimate reason to buy on federal and state insurance exchanges outside of the "open enrollment" period. However, I'm not sure how that would work in a worst-case scenario where you're injured in France, and then return to the U.S. to receive treatment.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 2:21 PM on December 9, 2015
If you don't have U.S. health insurance while you are living outside the country, you should be able to buy it when you return. Moving from one jurisdiction to another is a legitimate reason to buy on federal and state insurance exchanges outside of the "open enrollment" period. However, I'm not sure how that would work in a worst-case scenario where you're injured in France, and then return to the U.S. to receive treatment.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 2:21 PM on December 9, 2015
I did this in 2015, and had a travel insurance policy (I went with World Nomads, didn't need to use it - take note that for rock-climbing coverage you'll need their more expensive Explorer policy) and a regular health insurance policy.
Since I was unemployed, I was eligible for expanded Medicaid coverage - in California this is called Medi-Cal and you should be eligible while you have no income.
This insurance covered me for Obamacare requirements (you are liable for a fine for each month without coverage, unless you spend 330+ days in the year outside the US), and has also covered me adequately since I returned to the US before I started working and got new insurance.
It looks like I have 60 days to elect COBRA coverage. Will the ACA allow me to buy a plan on the 60th day?
No, the end of COBRA eligibility is *not* a qualifying life event.
Moving from one jurisdiction to another is a legitimate reason to buy on federal and state insurance exchanges outside of the "open enrollment" period.
However, since you won't establish residency in any other jurisdiction, then as I understand it returning to your existing residence will not be a qualifying life event. While you can enrol in Medi-Cal at any time during the year, if eligible, it makes more sense to enrol before leaving so you get the Obamacare coverage anyway.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 2:56 PM on December 9, 2015
Since I was unemployed, I was eligible for expanded Medicaid coverage - in California this is called Medi-Cal and you should be eligible while you have no income.
This insurance covered me for Obamacare requirements (you are liable for a fine for each month without coverage, unless you spend 330+ days in the year outside the US), and has also covered me adequately since I returned to the US before I started working and got new insurance.
It looks like I have 60 days to elect COBRA coverage. Will the ACA allow me to buy a plan on the 60th day?
No, the end of COBRA eligibility is *not* a qualifying life event.
Moving from one jurisdiction to another is a legitimate reason to buy on federal and state insurance exchanges outside of the "open enrollment" period.
However, since you won't establish residency in any other jurisdiction, then as I understand it returning to your existing residence will not be a qualifying life event. While you can enrol in Medi-Cal at any time during the year, if eligible, it makes more sense to enrol before leaving so you get the Obamacare coverage anyway.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 2:56 PM on December 9, 2015
Yes, you should obtain travel health insurance in addition to your US health plan. I have bought MEDEX Global travel health insurance several times—an optional "sports coverage" add-on is available, and I find the pricing quite reasonable. However, I must qualify my recommendation by noting that (fortunately) I have never had to use my coverage while abroad so I can't comment on the claims process.
MEDEX is focused on medical coverage only and offers little or no coverage for "trip insurance" items like missed flights, lost/stolen baggage, and so on. This might be a good option for you if you are prepared to eat those costs and/or have ancillary coverage from another source (e.g., your credit card company might offer some limited trip insurance).
posted by 4rtemis at 3:05 PM on December 9, 2015
MEDEX is focused on medical coverage only and offers little or no coverage for "trip insurance" items like missed flights, lost/stolen baggage, and so on. This might be a good option for you if you are prepared to eat those costs and/or have ancillary coverage from another source (e.g., your credit card company might offer some limited trip insurance).
posted by 4rtemis at 3:05 PM on December 9, 2015
FYI re: credit card coverage - none of the credit cards I looked at covered a trip of 6 months duration, although it's possible there's something out there.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 3:09 PM on December 9, 2015
posted by the agents of KAOS at 3:09 PM on December 9, 2015
Response by poster: Looks like I can get Amex travel medical/evac insurance for the first $60 for only $32. I'll need to look closer at the fine print about the sports.
Thanks for the heads upagentsofKAOS, looks like I'll need to sign up for Medi-cal in January.
I was reading more about French insurance, they make you pay first and get reimbursed (minus some money) later so having extra insurance is recommended to cover the gap. Since I'm mostly looking for catastrophic insurance travel medical should do it for me.
Thanks for all the help so far. I've secured a studio for 3 months in Chamonix and have a season pass :)
posted by just.good.enough at 3:21 PM on December 9, 2015
Thanks for the heads upagentsofKAOS, looks like I'll need to sign up for Medi-cal in January.
I was reading more about French insurance, they make you pay first and get reimbursed (minus some money) later so having extra insurance is recommended to cover the gap. Since I'm mostly looking for catastrophic insurance travel medical should do it for me.
Thanks for all the help so far. I've secured a studio for 3 months in Chamonix and have a season pass :)
posted by just.good.enough at 3:21 PM on December 9, 2015
Response by poster: Oops, meant to say amex covers medical/evac for the first 60 days of a trip for $32. No restrictions on sports.
posted by just.good.enough at 3:35 PM on December 9, 2015
posted by just.good.enough at 3:35 PM on December 9, 2015
it is not that well known, but if you are a member of a native american tribe (i.e. have your tribal card) or are otherwise eligible to be treated at native clinics/hospitals, you are allowed to enroll in an obamacare insurance plan at any time.
posted by lescour at 4:45 PM on December 9, 2015
posted by lescour at 4:45 PM on December 9, 2015
When we travelled around the world for 18 months, we used HolidaySafe for our travel/medical insurance. The price was very reasonable for us (considering ages, length of cover, etc) AND the standard plan covered A LOT of activities that most other plans would not even consider covering (e.g., volunteering with wildlife!).
And here is the clincher: we DID have to use the insurance, and they paid out in full.
Edited to add: We used their longstay policy. This link includes a link to a list of standard activities they cover and additional extensions you can pay for.
posted by Halo in reverse at 1:28 AM on December 10, 2015
And here is the clincher: we DID have to use the insurance, and they paid out in full.
Edited to add: We used their longstay policy. This link includes a link to a list of standard activities they cover and additional extensions you can pay for.
posted by Halo in reverse at 1:28 AM on December 10, 2015
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