Travel Insurance Gaining Importance As America’s Population Ages, Travels More
The jury is still out as to whether individuals and families should purchase travel insurance but it does offer a measure of security, particularly for older travelers.
Recent focus group studies by this newsletter seems to indicate that many individuals, particularly those over 50 year of age are increasingly favoring such a purchase.
Not unnaturally, the umbrella organization of travel insurance providers says this practice is growing more necessary. Many people are still unaware of offerings now available or their need for them.
The 2006 Travel Insurance Consumer Survey by the United States Travel Insurance Association (USTIA) revealed that "... while a majority of those who don't buy travel insurance are familiar with flight and trip cancellation insurance, the vast majority are unaware of travel health insurance, baggage coverage and medical evacuation insurance. Even among travel insurance buyers, only 50% were aware of medical evacuation insurance."
One provider, CSA Travel Protection (www.csatravelprotection.com) is reminding fall and winter vacationers to adopt a “safety first” approach by purchasing travel insurance before their trip. CSA, a leading provider of travel insurance and assistance services, is highlighting medical coverage and services. It suggests the need for multi-faceted protection as travelers actively begin to book prepaid winter holiday vacations, and non-refundable packaged travel. Should a serious health crisis arise, not only could someone potentially lose their travel investment at popular winter destinations such as Caribbean cruises and ski resorts, but they may also incur massive medical bills. Frequently, to their surprise, people are not covered by their primary health plans when traveling outside of the U.S. or to a region beyond their local coverage area.
“Medical-related emergencies are among the leading reasons our policyholders file claims,” said CSA Chairman and CEO Les Maine. “They discover that travel insurance is pure, proven ‘protection’ – whether they’re faced with an ankle sprain or something medically serious, and potentially, financially crippling, such as a steep, five-figure medical evacuation.”
CSA’s core product, the Freestyle Plan, and its upgrade version, Freestyle Luxe, include coverages and benefits for Trip Cancellation (100% of trip cost), Trip Interruption (150% of trip cost) and Trip Delay. These are often triggered in the event of unexpected medical situations, such as a child’s sickness before a trip, personal health emergency during a trip, or a serious injury or illness that requires medical evacuation (also called emergency medical transportation).
CSA’s Freestyle and Freestyle Luxe feature these important medical-related coverages:
• Medical and Dental Expense
• Emergency Assistance/Emergency Medical Transportation
• Air Flight Accident
Each travel protection plan also features 24-Hour Emergency Assistance Services, provided by CSA’s designated service provider, including:
• Nurse Help Line - Consultation with registered nurses providing clinical assessment, education and general health information.
• Medical Referral - Assistance in obtaining names of qualified doctors and referrals. (Translation services are also available to help travelers overcome language barriers in a foreign country.)
• Emergency Prescription Refill Assistance - Help in obtaining a refill or replacement of an existing prescription, if medication has been lost or stolen.
Additionally, Freestyle Luxe offers coverage for pre-existing medical conditions if the plan is purchased at any time, all the way up to final payment. Oftentimes, other travel insurance providers will offer this coverage only via a very limited 14-day window.
CSA Travel Protection (www.csatravelprotection.com) has provided value-driven travel insurance, travel services and emergency assistance since 1991.
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