Covering against calamities
By Tom Ramstack
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Insurance companies say more international travelers have been inquiring about health insurance coverage since the catastrophic Indian Ocean tsunami. "We have seen inquiries and volumes increase," said Jonathan Ansell, chief executive officer of World Access, one of the nation's largest travel insurance companies. " Southeast Asia has certainly raised the awareness of people of the calamities that can happen when they need health care." International relief agencies report that as many as 10,000 foreign tourists were killed or still are missing from the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami. Many are from Scandinavian countries. At least 37 of the confirmed or presumed dead are American...

However, no more than 25 percent of Americans who travel abroad buy international health insurance, said Derek Patterson, president of EGlobalHealth Insurers Agency, a travel health insurance broker. Costs for a medical evacuation by airplane "can very easily approach six figures," Mr. Patterson said. The average short-term medical insurance for U.S. citizens between 30 and 39 years old costs about $42 per month for a maximum benefit of $50,000. A 60- to 64-year-old American would pay $122 per month for the same policy. The rates vary depending on the amount of coverage, the deductibles that apply and purchasers' pre-existing health conditions.

Often the purchasers are missionaries and relief workers, such as people traveling to Asia to help victims of the tsunami, Mr. Patterson said. Inquiries and visits to the EGlobalHealth Web site by people seeking travel insurance are up sharply since Dec. 26 to an estimated 20,000 per day. "It's doubled," Mr. Patterson said. "There's definitely been a spike." Most employer-provided health insurance will cover emergency treatment in foreign countries, according to the insurers. However, small HMOs sometimes do not provide the coverage. Long-term treatment in foreign countries is excluded from most insurance policies. Those seeking medical treatment in foreign countries should be aware of options before leaving the United States, said Susan Millerick, spokeswoman for Aetna insurance company, which insures nearly 14 million people in the United States...

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