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BY IRENE C. CARD and BETSY CHANDLER
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE
Is the cold weather getting to you? Would you like to travel to some far-away island where the sun always shines?
When you are far away from home, it is important to have a way of getting back home, in a hurry, if you become seriously ill or injured. Travel insurance is a necessity as it covers numerous items that would not be covered by your health insurance. However, now we are going to tell you about a different kind of travel insurance.
International SOS has insurance especially for the international traveler or the student living abroad for a period of time. It is rather unique in that you buy a membership in International SOS. There are various types of memberships: The Scholastic Traveler Membership for students and scholars traveling abroad.
You get up to $1,000,000 of evacuation and repatriation coverage, 24 hour medical and travel assistance and access to the world's largest network of medical providers and professionals. A Global Travelers Membership is intended for personal and business travel and it also includes the same benefits as listed for the scholastic traveler.There is even a "Visitor U.S.A. Membership for foreign students and scholars who are staying in the U.S.A. This membership gives up to $50,000 of emergency evacuation, $20,000 of medical repatriation coverage and $20,000 of coverage for return of repatriation.
International SOS says, "We evacuate people from bad places, every hour, every day."
That is quite a statement and something we certainly don't give much thought to when we are sitting comfy-cozy in our living rooms. Getting sick or injured is no fun, even when we are home but can you imagine what it is like to be in a third world country and suddenly find yourself seriously ill or injured?
The quicker you get back to the States; the better off you will be, in most cases.
You still need your traditional health insurance. This is something extra and very, very exciting. In addition to the advantages of membership listed above, International SOS can give you complete travel safety information, advise you before your trip and give you immediate medical assistance while you are overseas. They are available 24/7, and even have a global "911" service.
You might have a question about a minor injury or find yourself in a life-threatening emergency. International SOS will make sure you get the appropriate help. They say they are only a phone call away and you can even call collect. They have an international staff of medical and security personnel, aviation specialists and trained operations coordinators to provide the car you need for any problem you may encounter while traveling.
Such a resource must be very comforting to a person thousands of miles from home.
We have a client who travels internationally every week, usually to the mid-east. He asked me to research this subject and see if I could find insurance that would evacuate him back to the States as quickly as possible, should the need arise.
Agents do not sell this; you must deal directly with International SOS and you can access them on their Web site, here.
Irene Card & Betsy Chandler are both licensed insurance professionals working at MIC Insurance Services, a health insurance services company. If you have questions relative to this column or other related topics, we invite you to call (973) 492-2828. You may browse through past columns by visiting www.micinsurance.com.
