Senior travel insurance is a subset of regular insurance plans offered by a small number of insurance companies that only covers people over 65 when they are traveling outside of the United States. The insurance plans are intended to help you pay for the cost of accidents that lead to medical care or damage that occurs to your property or property that you rent. You have to file a claim over the phone or through the mail with your insurance company once you return to the United States to have them send a check for the cost of the claim.
Travel insurance plans designed specifically for seniors generally cover the cost of baggage lost by an airline, train station or hotel as well as the cost of hotel stays when your travel arrangements are delayed due to flights or trains not leaving on time. Medical costs for sicknesses developed while abroad, accidental death and dismemberment, and the cost of medical care or damage to personal effects due to terrorism are also covered by almost all plans.
There are three main tiers of senior travel insurance you can choose from most companies, although the exact specifics of the plans will vary from company to company. The main tier covers extensive medical costs and the price of traveling back to the United States if you need emergency medical services that cannot be rendered in the location you have traveled to. The second tier deals primarily with the costs of trip cancellation fees or the cost of missed hotels and flights if you can't go on your trip because of a medical emergency or natural disaster. The final tier has the least number of extra services and only provides the standard features along with phone assistance from an English speaker who will direct you to a hospital or U.S. embassy.
Medicare, Medicaid and most private health insurance plans will not cover you when you are outside of the United States. Compare different senior travel insurance plans to make sure you choose the one that has the features you need as many do not cover pre-existing medical conditions or have limits on the amount they will pay out.
The cost of travel insurance for seniors is much higher than regular travel insurance and may be prohibitively expensive. The non-profit group called Consumer Reports and many travel agencies have given statements specifically warning against travel insurance for seniors as they state the high price and rate of denied claims make it a poor choice.
