Is traveler's health insurance really necessary?

Mickey S

So you go to India without travel insurance.

What if you are involved in a road traffic accident (not an uncommon occurrence in India) and sustain serious injuries? Who's going to pay to airlift you back to the US?

What if your luggage fails to arrive with you? How much will it cost to replace all your stuff?

What if all your stuff gets stolen on a train or bus? How will you get home?

The chances of something really bad happening are remote - I have not had to claim on travel insurance since 1985. But I still take it out just for the peace of mind. Worldwide travel insurance can be bought (here in the UK) for about £80 ($160) for a year. Why take the risk?

Travelling anywhere without insurance is just foolish.

Nick-H

For myself, I would find that very difficult and offputting. Is it compulsory?

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kmalik

My response was based upon what OP wrote:

It remains undeniable that the OP's chances of spending more than, say Rs. 28,000 ($800) on health care in one year in India are very very small. Nick's detailed list of medical costs amply confirms that. Ploink's experience bears evidence to that fact that the actual expenses can exceed many times that amount, depending upon the circumstances. I said earlier and repeat, if OP does not have personal or family assets to handle the possibility and consequences of a negative outcome - there is but one choice: buy the insurance. But then, s/he should not be asking this question in the first place.

Self-insurance is only a choice for those who have the financial wherewithal to handle the consequences. That's why I am a big believer in buying insurance against even a low risks of catastrophic consequences.

What I personally do not buy insurance against are unpleasant and inconvenient but hardly catastrophic outcomes. Mickey S's post is full of them:

• What if your luggage fails to arrive with you? How much will it cost to replace all your stuff? These are effectively insured by IATA as well as by typical CC companies. How many times do you want to insure this stuff?
• What if all your stuff gets stolen on a train or bus? How will you get home? Undeniably inconvenient,which it remains regardless of the insurance, but typically has a small financial impact that can be self-insured. As for returning home, ever heard of e-tickets?
• Who's going to pay to airlift you back to the US? Frankly, what this is really about is the repatriation of remains. I simply refuse to worry about that topic. But if you are interested, be sure to get a funeral insurance too

Then there are red herrings:

• What if you are involved in a road traffic accident (not an uncommon occurrence in India) and sustain serious injuries? A valid and the scariest scenario. However, the scary part is the poor road-side medical assistance in India. No insurance is going to solve that. The expenses from the injuries sustained in such accidents can be substantial, but the costs are far lower than the US and it is not nearly as scary a prospect. In terms of expected costs, the high rate of accidents is balanced by three ameliorating factors: (1) You save the ambulance costs, as there aren't any ambulances , and (2) If the accident is really serious, your chances of survival are much lower in the first place , so perhaps repatriation of remains is more applicable! (3) Look at the bright side, the emergency care, if you get to it in time, is unlikely to be the expensive Apollo but some cheap local hospital

karuna

^This is exactly the kind of sane, sensible advice we should all aspire to provide. More! More!


Short version:
- get travel insurance. Shop around, get it cheap and if you need to use it you won't regret it, if you don't use it you'll have forgotten the paltry sum you spent.
- use condoms. Sticks also repel monkeys, but try to avoid an infestation in the first place.

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glolly1

Yeah, the chances are low. But then again that is why insurance companies offer the insurances at all. They count on only a small percentage of the people to suffer (and have to get their medical costs covered).

But then again: When you fall sick in a foreign country, then it really turns foreign, no matter how used you have gotten to the culture. Then an insurance really gets you somewhere. You get better service in the hospitals and you don't need to worry about the payments at the moment - after all you have enough problems on your hands as it is.

Of course you may not only "just" get sick. You could have an accident where you don't have much influence on the situation and not much of a choice to fly home.

Additionally I found it pretty useful that some travel insurances require you to get a full medical check up before signing up. This is anyway quite advisable to get a status on your health before embarking on a long trip.

bips

Is it possible to buy travel insurance once you have arrived in india because it will be cheaper

Kingstonian

Curious.

That you'd apply the rules of poker to your own physical health and well being (as well as the financial status of yourself and anyone else who might, if the odds fail, have to pay for the consequences).

Nick-H

No; Indian insurers will only be interested in you if you are an Indian resident. Ex-pat employees may be able to follow this route, although even they would probably get a 'better' deal, ie better benefits, if they get their employer to cover them with a good policy in their home country.