Travel Insurance

In case you missed the fiasco, Jen was injured in a foreign country (Argentina), and now highly recommends some form of medical travel insurance!  The chance of serious injury is low, and medical care in India is more affordable, but.....

MEDICAL + TRIP INSURANCE
If you would like "travel" insurance in addition to "medical" insurance, meaning the insurance will help cover costs associated with a canceled trip, missed airline connection, lost or delayed baggage, etc, then expect to pay around $100-200.  Cost of this insurance is mostly related to the "cost of the trip" that you enter for your quote, although age also plays a factor.  Because the costs associated for this trip other than airfare are actually quite low, I submitted for a quote for a $2500 quote (airfare + other likely expenses - and I estimated high) for a trip from Dec 18-Jan 8 and was quoted at $110-$170 depending on the package chosen.

In the past I have used AIG travel guard and been very happy with their customer service (although I have never needed to submit a claim to them).  If you choose this company, they will ask you for the date of your trip down payment (they assume you are going on a group tour-type trip). Try to buy your insurance within 2 weeks of buying your plan ticket (I'm assuming this is your "down payment) because the insurance then includes several extra features, such as pre-existing condition waiver.

MEDICAL ONLY INSURANCE
It is also possible to get medical-only insurance (not to include things like airfare, canceled trips, etc).  Many big name insurance companies offer this.  Again, the fee is actually reasonable and, in Jen's opinion, "you will be thankful you have it if you need it."  It seems that several of these companies include children under 12 for free when a parent buys insurance. This website may be useful: http://www.reviews.com/travel-insurance/medical/  (it seems that these companies listed also offer trip/ticket insurance in their quotes if desired).

In some cases, your regular US insurance company may cover emergency medical expenses incurred abroad (this was true for Jen's insurance).  They will probably expect you to pay upfront and then submit a claim for reimbursement.  While medical fees in India will be much cheaper than in the US, this is something to consider. 


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You may also be interested to know that Prabha's mom (and many of her friends) are doctors.