Understanding Your Travel Insurance Benefit Period

A benefit period is the specific amount of time for which medical services and treatments are covered. Benefit periods vary from plan to plan; it can be the same as the policy period but may last longer. Most comprehensive travel medical insurance plans have approximately 6 months of the benefit period. Please read your travel medical insurance policy brochure to find out the exact benefit period for your specific plan.

Knowing your benefit period can be useful in the following situations:

• If your travel medical insurance policy has ended: During the benefit period, the insurance company pays for covered medical problems that started while the policy was effective. So, even if you go back to your home country or your policy expires, the insurance will still cover for the continued treatment of the medical problem that started during the time the policy was effective.
• If your policy is past the renewal period: This feature becomes crucial if your travel medical insurance isn’t renewable, or beyond the date of renewability. If you need continued coverage for a problem that started while the policy was effective, then the travel medical insurance would cover it up to the specified benefit period. A new policy won’t cover for problems that started in the old policy period, as it would be considered a pre-existing condition for the new policy.

It’s vital to know the benefit period for your travel medical insurance because as a policyholder, you have the right to know for how long you’ll continue to receive benefits. If you have additional questions about the benefit period for various travel medical insurance policies contact our Customer Success Team for assistance.