Travel insurance provides coverage for medical expenses incurred while travelling outside of your home province or in another country. While travel insurance is widely available through airlines, travel agencies, and credit card companies, not all coverage is equal.
Vital Partners has chosen to use TuGo for most clients’ travel insurance needs as the coverage goes beyond standard benefits and features to protect travelers in the event of a sudden, acute, and unexpected health event.
Pre-existing conditions coverage: A pre-existing condition is a condition and/or symptom other than a minor ailment which arose or worsened on the date of departure or in a set time prior to the date of departure.
The set amount of time for which a medical condition must be “stable” (no change in condition, treatment, or an undiagnosed condition or symptom) varies considerably among insurance contracts.
With TuGo, the stability clause is 7 days for trips under 35 days for travelers under the age of 59 and 90 days for trips over 35 days.
For ages 60 – 74, the stability clause is 180 days; and for travelers over age 75, there is a 365-day stability period for all trip lengths.
Where TuGo shines in this area is in limiting the exposure of travelers if the Medical Health Questionnaire contains errors or omissions regarding pre-existing conditions or treatments.
For many other carriers, an error or omission would void coverage and the traveler would be responsible for any related emergency medical costs related to that condition.
However, TuGo applies an extra deductible of $15,000 USD. While this is still a significant amount of money, it is likely much less than the hospital bill if a medical emergency arises.
Top-up coverage: Sometimes travel insurance is limited to a set number of days (such as 15 days). Many other insurers will not allow another insurance company to cover the first part of the trip and then provide coverage for the remaining portion of the trip. However, TuGo allows you to purchase coverage for just the number of days that you need on top of another plan.
Family rates are available for travelers up to age 59, which reduces cost of this coverage.
Optional coverage for travelers planning to engage in contact sports, adventure sports, and extreme sports while travelling. Some of these activities can be excluded on standard policies.
Other benefits include:
Return of pets
Return to your destination if you are transported to your home province under the Emergency Air Transportation Benefit
Child care
Return of vehicle, return of children/grandchildren, return of travelling companion
It is important to review the fine print or coverage details of any travel insurance contract prior to departure. If uncertain about plan limits, and whether coverage would be available for a pre-existing condition, it is important to obtain pre-trip counselling directly from the insurance company.
Remember to call your insurer’s 1-800 traveler assistance immediately if an emergency arises.
Need travel insurance? We can help! Single-trip and Multi-trip annual plans are available.
Contact us for assistance.