Travelling abroad is an exciting experience, however unexpected illness and mishaps can occur. Whether you are travelling for leisure or on business, you need to have some form of travel health insurance that will cover you in case of an emergency. In this blog post, we will discuss what you should know about Travel Health Insurance and the different options available to you. We'll also provide information on some of the top companies that offer Travel health insurance in Nigeria.

What is Travel Health Insurance?
Travel health insurance is a supplemental policy that helps protect you while you’re travelling. It helps cover the fee of many emergency medical treatments in the course of a trip. Generally, most domestic health insurance policies are not accepted abroad, so there may be an advantage to buying travel health insurance to supplement your health insurance coverage.

In essence, travel health insurance safeguards you by giving you an upper hand, should there be an emergency.

Travel Health Insurance vs Your Health Insurance
You’re probably wondering why it is necessary to purchase travel health insurance when you already have health insurance. Well it would interest you to know that travel health insurance is different from your health insurance because it is a supplemental policy that helps protect you while you’re on a trip. It’s only valid for the length of your trip and is meant to be an extension of your health insurance when you’re out of network. If you suffer a medical emergency while you’re on your trip, your health insurance policy may not cover the cost of the treatment and services you receive, hence, travel travel insurance can help fill in the gaps by providing the coverage to help keep you safe and healthy on your trip.

Benefits of Travel Health Insurance

Travel health insurance offers a wide range of benefits. Some of which are:

Peace of mind: Medical emergencies can happen without caution. Knowing you have got coverage in case of an accident will make you worry less.

Foreign language assistance: Unless you’re fluent in the country's official language, communication can be difficult. For example, you may need help locating the hospital you need, or you may have issues communicating with the doctor about your medical problem. In such a case, your travel health insurance provider can aid in facilitating emergency services to help you navigate these conversations.

No procrastination: With travel health insurance, you can focus on getting the care or treatment you need immediately, rather than delay treatment till you’ve returned home.

Financial protection: Travel health insurance policy offers you a broad financial protection against many kinds of risks by handling unexpected medical expenses which could otherwise cut short your vacation budget, and, at worst, put you into a heavy debt.

What you should keep in mind while getting travel health insurance
When it comes to travel health insurance, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Consider your policy
Make sure that your health insurance policy covers you for medical emergencies while you're abroad. Many policies have exclusions for certain countries, so it's important to read the fine print carefully. One thing to focus on is your policy’s pre-existing conditions information. Some travel health insurance plans do not cover pre-existing conditions at all while others do but with specific exclusions. Read through these conditions thoroughly.

Get quotes from multiple companies
There are a variety of factors that go into determining the cost of a travel health insurance policy, so it's important to compare rates before choosing a policy.

Understand the coverage offered by your chosen policy
Make sure you understand the coverage offered by your chosen policy. Some policies may only cover medical emergencies, while others may also provide coverage for lost luggage or trip cancellations. For example, some policies may provide an additional benefit of providing immediate assistance cash arrangement or another bill settlement service if you lose your wallet or other valuables.

Some frequently asked questions
-What Duration Can My Travel Health Insurance Last?
Most travel insurance policies are not longer than six months. You can choose to be covered for only the days you will be abroad. You can also get an annual plan if you travel frequently.

Ultimately, the duration would depend on your health insurance provider.

-What Location Does Travel Health Insurance Cover?
You can choose where you want coverage. Depending on the health insurance provider, you either select the specific country where you will travel, or from a more general list of locations, such as Europe, Australia and New Zealand, and Worldwide.

-How Much Does Travel Health Insurance Cost?
The cost of travel health insurance typically depends on the duration of the trip, the amount of coverage limit you want. Cost of travel health insurance also varies from company to company.

-Companies in Nigeria that offers Travel Health Insurance
There are a number of companies that offer travel health insurance in Nigeria. Some of the top companies include Axa Mansard HMO and Leadway Health. They offer a variety of policies for Nigerian travellers, including comprehensive plans that cover medical emergencies, lost luggage, and trip cancellations.

Visit www.rohealth.ng to get travel health insurance.