Carry Both An Insurance Policy Identity Card As Proof Of Your Insurance And A Claim Form

Written By: Abigail Jones on September 12, 2010 No Comment

The most frightening medical emergency I’ve encountered in years of travel abroad involved a young Frenchwoman who, as was later diagnosed, was suffering an appendicitis attack in Afghanistan. Her agony began on a stranded bus in the middle of an empty desert. Americans who love going to remote places in the world could cause them to endure sicknesses or accidents, sometimes far from sufficient medical care or even none at all.

After several hours out of Kandahar, the bus crowded with Afghans broke down in the middle of nowhere. I could tell that the woman’s friend who approached me, a westerner, was worried and confused. Her friend, stretched out in the back seat, was in terrible stomach pain. They couldn’t do much that’s why they just applied a wet handkerchief to her friend’s forehead to somehow temper the day’s searing heat.

After a few hours, some passengers didn’t have second thoughts in hopping on a truck that passed even though it wasn’t going near Kabul. A European car which I was able to flag down came on time when the Frenchwoman was in so much agony. The two French travelers were brought by the Swiss couple in the sedan to Kabul. I was able to ride in the bus that came after a long while along with the Afghan passengers. The next day, I found the Frenchwoman’s companion in my hotel thanking me for what I did. The French Embassy was quick enough to respond to her friend’s need for an instant appendectomy after the Swiss and the Frenchwoman who approached me earlier contacted the embassy in Kabul. It was definitely a close call which shook up the friend.

The Maryland based association for safe international road travel can provide travelers with hazardous road conditions in 60 foreign countries. The report may cite the perils of night driving, the probability of livestock on the road, accident prone roads and bizarre driving practices depending on the country. With this, rentals of cars and buses will be risky due to the lack of safety standards.

A bus accident in Turkey killed a 25 year old Bethesda medical student which paved the way for the association to be found. Cited by a non-profit organization, Egypt, Kenya, South Korea, Turkey and Morocco are the countries which have the highest dangerous roads based on statistics. The list may include India but it still doesn’t provide statistics. In every country’s consular information sheets, the US State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has included road hazard information for the association has urged them quite well. Carrying an adequate health insurance and buying a medical evacuation policy should be taken seriously. You will answer your own expenses if you become sick or are injured because the US Embassy is only capable of helping you find a proper medical care. Transferring you through a helicopter from a remote place to an emergency hospital can cost you a fortune. According to the State Department, it is a must for you to carry an insurance policy identity card as a proof that you’re an insurance holder and you also have to be aware of what kind of medical services your health insurance covers.

A treatment plan cannot be provided by the Social Security Medicare to a senior citizen if he/she is outside the country, but the American Association of Retired Persons is able to supply a Medicare supplement plan. A few firms sell medical evacuation insurance which can be bought on an annual or per trip basis. The company sells insurance as well as its travel agents.

If the greatest unfavorable events take place, call the nearest US Embassy. The least that the embassy could do is to give a list of local doctors or other medical facilities. Most likely, the embassy personnel will take necessary steps to insure Americans the best medical care. Most Americans who love to go to distant places are the ones who take advantage of this medical care. Proper treatment, a better facility and friends or relatives are the three things that an accident victim in a foreign country needs which are monitored by the officers.

If you are in search of info don’t forget to view this resource travel insurance compare. You can get the best travel insurance au information by visiting this website.