Understanding The Specific Differences Between Travel and Health Insurance

We hear from travelers who are perplexed by the distinction between health insurance and travel insurance all too frequently.

Despite the fact that both insurances include a portion of medical coverage, the overall goals of each product are very different. Furthermore, if you buy the incorrect kind of product for your needs, you run the risk of being completely out of pocket due to your lack of understanding of these differences.

Let's now examine the key distinctions between the two insurance products.

What does health care or global health insurance mean?

While in the UK, health insurance typically provides access to private healthcare and covers a range of medical issues, including the diagnosis and treatment of some medical conditions.

Some international health insurance plans offer the option to add coverage for regular issues and medical care overseas, or they may be purchased independently. International health insurance is the name for this sort of insurance, which is frequently preferred by those who spend a lot of time traveling or working abroad.

Depending on the insured's age, general health, level of coverage, and location of coverage, health or foreign health insurance policies typically cost roughly £1,455 per person per year.

Depending on the kind of plan in place, the quantity of coverage offered by both national and foreign health insurance policies varies, but frequently includes coverage for:

Inpatient stays
routine examinations
Pre-existing condition coverage
Coverage for persistent ailments
Optional medical practitioners
Owners of health insurance policies can frequently add extra benefits to their coverage, such as dental care, maternity care, outpatient therapy, and repatriation.

Travel insurance: What is it?

Travel insurance plans are made to guard you against a variety of potential outcomes that might occur while you're on vacation or away from home for a brief period of time.

One-time purchases of travel insurance coverage, such as a week's vacation in Spain or many trips spread out over a year, are also options.

Single trip insurance starts at £5.74 and are better suited to people who only take one or two vacations a year. For people who appreciate traveling more regularly, multi-trip plans are preferred. Annual Multi-trip plans can be purchased for as low as £11.95.

The number of individuals on the insurance, each person's age, the level of coverage, the destination and duration of the trip, and whether anyone on the policy has any medical issues will all affect the final cost.

Regardless of cost, the majority of travel insurance coverage will protect you against unforeseen circumstances like:

Stolen baggage
Absence from a journey
Delays in travel
Need medical attention


Since public hospitals are often governed by the state and only provide emergency care, the majority of travel insurance policies will only pay for treatment up until the point at which you are able to return to the UK. With this sort of insurance, you cannot visit a doctor's office for normal checkups while you are traveling and you will not be covered for any long-term care once you return home.

What distinguishes health insurance from travel insurance, then?

The primary distinction, apart from the significant price difference, is that a travel insurance policy's medical coverage is limited to use in the event of a trip-related emergency. It cannot be used to pay for anticipated medical treatments or be used to claim expenses for general ailments. Additionally, your insurance may choose public or state hospitals from which to provide your medical care.

As opposed to this, health and international health policies allow you to seek assistance in non-emergency situations and may be utilized for more general health issues. When it comes to where you receive treatment, you have a lot more options thanks to these policies, which can even be expanded to include other private services like dentistry.

So, if you're thinking about taking a vacation or traveling for a few weeks or so, you should probably think about purchasing travel insurance. International health insurance, however, could be more appropriate for you if you want to spend several months or even years living abroad and are concerned about getting sick while you are there. Depending on your specific situation, you could eventually require both forms of coverage.

While we have tried to make this article as comprehensive as possible, we do understand we may not have answered all of your questions. We realize that there is much to learn and understand about health and travel. However, if you were to have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to us via e-mail or through the comments.