Hello! What insurance would you recommend for using in Europe?

Far out. Just when I thought of signing with them.

zkvxiko I’d be surprised if you find an insurer that people don’t have angry stories about

The common theme I have heard is that it matters a lot if you can call ahead. I have heard good stories about world nomads for emergencies. Scooter crashes etc..

What do you mean by “call ahead” fpdqfeesfstsdraif ?

how would this work for an insurer?

• patient calls for a minor injury in country a.
• insurance is engaged but unfortunately things move too slow and patient continues the journey and flies out of country a to country b.
• patient calls insurance again from country b.
would the insurance cover the costs for the injury + treatment in country b, even if it occurred in country a?

my guess says absolutely, i don't see a reason not to, but insurance is shady territory for me...

I think you’re going to be disappointed if you’re buying insurance to cover things that you could decide to postpone treatment on for a few weeks

you got me wrong there, the injury appeared 2 days before our next flight and things move slow here

wonder how many of the positive reviews actually made a claim

that's nice, and kinda logical too

Me too

Anyone with experience with insured nomad? would love to get more information on it?

I really want to go with them but they're so recent I can't trust them
I'm certainly going with cigna global

```Insured Nomad's plan is not yet available. However, after some sleuthing, they are using a policy that's provided and administered by Point Comfort Underwriters.```

So much bad feedback about them, I'm sure you can find some in this very slack channel

the funny thing is all the "bad feedback" is generally around the fact that they just have a poor claim submission flow. The insurance itself is fine, and any of the claims i've seen about the insurance plan have been from people complaining that something wasn't covered that was either an existing condition or that they broke the terms of the coverage or didn't read the terms in the first place, which isn't a problem with safety wing and you'd get the same treatment anywhere else.

That’s the thing all isurance companies are a bit rubbish, although i might have a look at bupa/alianz who have global health plans

What do nomads from the US use for insurance?

I want a cheap, high-deductible plan in the US to handle emergencies. I've supplemented with the $40 SafetyWing travel health plan in the past as well.

Tried to get a quote online with Cigna and IMG but both turned me down when stating that my citizenship and residency was for the US.

I'm not sure about Cigna but I do know with IMG their Patriot travel medical plan is for non-US citizens visiting in the US. So, if you have US citizenship/residency, you would not qualify for that product because they are designed for travel outside of your home country.

Oh that's a cool idea!

plenty of nomads use cigna

hah, yea that's right. So at first I'd "live" in Mexico, even though I only plan to be there a few months

some do (e.g. Diners)

That's the trick with the insurance companies. They ensure from _rare_ events. It's a worthless opinion if the reviewer did no experience any of those rare events ... And since most people don't get to claim anything they reviews are slightly better than what they should be in the reality.

It's my speculation. Maybe someone has facts and numbers on it?

Is there an advantage of going with a safetywing versus getting travel insurance directly through say an AIG for example? These companies are essentially just front face marketing no?

Wow, that sounds awful, sorry you had to go through that

When I was researching insurance a few years ago, most of the big travel insurance providers did not offer an open-ended, month-to-month policy. I would have had to begin the policy before I left my home country, with a fixed departure and return date. SW makes it really easy to sign up and pay.

I see

yeah the reviews are mostly about how good the website is/easy to signup/price

I need some sound advice. I've been looking for an insurance for long term travel and the only one I guess that is flexible and sounded okay was Safety Wing, so I've purchased some policies in the past but I haven't submitted any claims yet... recently I had an emergency visit to the doctors and thought I could submit a claim. And then they revealed a lot about how things work which I didn't know before. I wasn't able to get reimbursed because I didn't hit the "deductible amount." And then I asked some questions in the chat and the guy on the chat told me this:

"The risk for your policy is traded on the Lloyds of London insurance exchange, so the risk holders of your existing policy and future policies are held by different investors.

Most insurance companies in the world are required to sell most of the risk to others, some sell them on an insurance exchange, others sell them to investors/re-insurers outside of an exchange.

Most of the purchasers are institutional investors, including retirement funds, and are just looking for a reasonable investment return."

So basically I gave them my money to "institutional investors" to gamble/trade with on the insurance exchange...... and I basically don't ever get my money back.

I'm from Canada and most insurances are extremely expensive ($200+/month) so I resorted to SafetyWing, they also make it really hard to secure any claims. My partner who is European has an amazing insurance thats only 50 euros/month that cover all medical expenses around the world and he always got his money back (I can't get it as a Canadian, like most good and affordable insurances). Now I know these flexible insurances like Safety Wing and IMG Global (I used it before) are scams and gamble with your money basically and you don't really get reimbursed.

Does anyone know of alternatives? Are insurances really needed when you're travelling or do you just pay out of pocket? I don't really have any health conditions/concerns so I'm considering to just not get insurance (until I get some other foreign residency in which I can get really good cheap health insurance like my partner). Any thoughts or advice on what to do?

Having a deductible doesn't mean that they'd never pay for your claims, they would still pay once your claims exceed the deductible amount. This is standard practice and makes your insurance considerably cheaper than without a deductible.

All the stuff about the insurance exchange is just what happens when you ask how the sausage is made.

Ya, deductible is pretty standard in all insurance.

Given that you're considering not to get insurance at all, sounds like paying a few hundred out of pocket isn't a problem for you anyways. However, the main reason to get insurance is for the big emergencies that hopefully never happen, but might cost you tens of thousands (e.g. emergency transport back to your home country)

I have used worldnomads for 5 years because I liked their process but I never had to made a claim. Going over to Trust Pilot they have a 3.5/5 and there are a lot of angry reviews but there are also a lot of positive reviews. I remember talking to people who got into scooter accidents or got dengue and world nomads covered them, however, since I never made a claim I don't know how good they really are.

+1 sounds like standard reinsurance that all insurers do to spread the risk. It shouldn't matter to you at all though and you can forget about it again, it's an implementation detail. The insurance company is still responsible for fulfilling the contract (i.e. paying for claims covered by the terms)

I have also heard people who have had problems. It makes me wonder if it is even possible to have an affordable insurance plan that doesn't have problems.

Generally, you should have health insurance. Generally, you won't have health insurance anymore in Ontario if you're gone for 6 months. Generally, your insurance will have a deductible. If you're so low risk in your health and day-to-day that you're wondering if you should have health insurance at all, Safety Wing is fine.

The "be stupid rich" seems to be the only guaranteed perfect insurance policy.

Be wary of buying into most "travel insurance" health plan whose coverage depends on covering the expenses of sending you home to treat you. If you're gone from Ontario long enough, sending you home isn't a thing and they won't support treating out in the place of injury. You'll need coverage that actually treats you where you are injured, or find a way to keep your OHIP active.

I'm sorry for what happened to you and I can't recommend any international health insurance yet. I only recently went with Cigna and I haven't needed them yet.
Out of curiosity, could you share which insurance your partner went with?

You can keep OHIP active with remote work status, I am going to have to go update that soon actually.

yyuvmwbsoaj this story is both good for evaluating SafetyWing and the need for any insurance all the time. You never know when an emergency happens!

say you're traveling and you like a country so much you decide to stay for an extended period of time, 6 months, one year... would you ditch your travel insurance in favor of a local insurance?

I guess after 6 months lots of countries would consider you a resident and your travel insurance might no longer be valid there? At least something to watch out for and read up on the rules of the country

you mean tax resident? i'm not sure if that would interfere with your travel insurance, provided you signed up for the time you're using it

the main problem imo is that most travel insurances are only for emergencies, not outpatient like routine checks.. and when you add outpatient coverage the price explodes...

Yeah, so in my case I get free health insurance in UK, but only as long as the UK considers me to be a resident. So the point of travel insurance is to cover emergencies and transport back to UK so I can use the full health care system there if needed. Do need to be careful to still be considered a UK resident, which isn't that hard if you travel around different countries, but potentially problematic if I spend 6+ months in one country

that makes good sense

“Reinsurance” of any insurance risk by “Lloyds Names” is the rule rather than the exception within the insurance industry. It’s the way insurance has always worked, since the very first policies were written for the shipping industry hundreds of years ago. Although I am perplexed that the agent thought to mention this. It’s really not relevant.

If the amount you’re claiming is lower than the deductible, then they’re correct in asserting that there’s nothing to pay against your claim. I’m afraid it’s just a case of bad luck on this occasion.

tks ogxlt for this. I would not sign the contract for a year with them if I would read this before (4 months ago). I should be alarmed, as the signup process was already a full mess. Plan changed between I did signup until they was able to close the deal etc etc. As you wrote. People from SafetyWing are friendly etc, but that what we pay for, the insurance behind....
I just know, that I would die 2 years ago, in same situation. I had a burst appendix, means internal intoxication and doctors told me, that if i would arrive half hour later I would die. It was in a public hospital, so I survived. Reading your story I would die.... and for that scenario I (52) pay now nearly 500 USD per month.....
On the other side... what are the alternatives....

Damn... I feel you going through similar pain! It's a sneaky little organ that just acts out randomly :sweat_smile:

And as for the post and SW. There are no better alternative that I know of unless you go with full-on health insurance that costs like you said ~500$/mo. I am looking for one right now, but till that time they are the best options. So holding them accountable to make change and stick to it seems like the best action for now.

lqseltdkii Curious what you decided here! What did you end up doing?

I have US insurance and nothing in Mexico. I think that’ll be ok? For most things I’ll be able to fly back to the US

Hey there! Does anyone in the group use Cigna? Curious to hear your experience with it.

I recently started using them but I didn’t need to make a claim yet. thrrtwxy might be able to share his experience here

Thanks! kxblvndr svsptciwt Are you both from the US? and are you using Cigna as main insurance plan now or do you have coverage in the US as well? Curious to hear how you use it - Thanks!

waveskin-tone-3 my husband and I are 🇺🇸 and have been on Cigna Global as our primary insurance for the past three years. We use a friend’s address in Ecuador for the policy location.
We’ve put in claims all over the world, but never had an event that exceeded the deductible, so I can’t speak to emergencies or other extended care. I’ve been happy with them. We do have the plan that includes 6 months of US coverage.

Hey all! Is there anyone here who has stayed in Switzerland for longer than 3 months and can speak to whether or not something like the Cigna Global plan meets the mandatory Swiss health insurance requirement there?

afaik (I'm Swiss) anyone who stay longer then 3 months in Switzerland must have a Swiss Insurance.
More infos and list of insurance companies you can find here www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/versicherungen/krankenversicherung/krankenversicherung-versicherte-mit-wohnsitz-in-der-schweiz/versicherungspflicht.html|https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/versicherungen/krankenversicherung/krankenversic[…]cherte-mit-wohnsitz-in-der-schweiz/versicherungspflicht.html

Hey hizwvknlfiypamsort Thanks for sharing! Could I reach out for some more specific questions?

ewhmvbulyxy ended up going with william-russell.com/international-health-insurance/where-i-have-cover/indonesia/|william-russell.com/international-health-insurance/where-i-have-cover/indonesia/. Paying 4x more and with private insurances you never know, but at least they have a solid reputation in Bali hospitals and are a trusted provider with a good reputation among expats here. As always, I’ll only know if they’re any good when I end up needing their help 🤷

Sure thing

Interesting. I almost went with William Russell but when I learned they would not offer direct billing I decided to go with Cigna instead

Ok, curious. Free health insurance= NHS coverage?

Ok of interest, do you hold a UK passport?

If yes to both, we’re in the same situation.

Got a relative who does not want me to travel. She keeps saying I’ll lose all rights to NHS healthcare if I’m abroad for 6 months +

Can’t find anything on this.

Drs have said as long as you have the UK passport, you won’t be denied free NHS healthcare or prescriptions.

Hi all, is there a massive difference between travel insurance and international health insurance? TrueTraveller look really good and simple but confused about level of coverage

Yes. Health insurance will cover you if you get cancer, travel insurance will fly you home

Thanks for this. Am planning a move from UK to Mexico actually. Not planning on residency. Just 12 months stay

You might want to check the UK requirements for maintaining healthcare. I don't know anything about UK healthcare, I just know in Canada their are physical presence requirements.

Thanks Jonathan. Appreciate the info!

I have a chronic condition and I got my meds without a prescription while in Mexico.

Good point. Will look into UK health guidance now. Thanks again

np

Hey guys - complete newbie to travelling here... I'm booked to go to Barca for 3 months from this Sunday (pending a PCR test tomorrow). Is there any insurance you recommend I get in case I fail the PCR test so I can get the flight and hotel refunded?

Separately - can you recommend some more comprehensive insurance - to cover theft, breaks of my tech stuff and any health insurance?

Thank you!!!

Something like www.staysure.co.uk/coronavirus-travel-insurance/|https://www.staysure.co.uk/coronavirus-travel-insurance/ ?

Thanks Austin! I just gave them a ring and they said i'd be covered for a refund in my situation