International Travel insurance for Indians

According to the UNWTO 2018 Report, 51% of Global Travellers are on their way to Europe…Europe enjoys the distinction of being the continent of choice for the global traveller for many years now. Given the many breathtakingly beautiful destinations and the moderate climate throughout the year makes Europe an attractive destination for any traveller. However from an insurance perspective, Europe remains one of the costliest geographies for medical treatment. This is because of the strong Euro currency and continuously rising medical inflation.
Majority of Europe, which are 26 Schengen countries have a mandatory insurance policy for obtaining a visa and hence any traveller will need to first purchase an insurance policy. The Schengen visa requirements stipulate that the insurance coverage needs to be a minimum of Euros €30,000 for Accident & Sickness Expenses. It is important to note that all insurance companies should have an approval from the Schengen Committee for participating in the Schengen insurance program, only then can they underwrite a Schengen insurance program. Currently most of the leading travel insurers offer a specific plan for Schengen Travel which include Tata AIG, Bajaj Allianz, Religare, Reliance General, Royal Sundaram, Future Generali etc. As an insured, once can opt for any of them given their comprehensive coverage and competitive premium.

Currently 16% of the world travellers are visiting Americas (out of which majority of them are going to the USA) which is one of the largest market travel and tourism markets. A whopping 53% of the Indian outbound travellers are going to the The Americas and the largest % of them are going to USA. Most Indians travel there to visit family and friends and for their higher studies. USA is probably the costliest country for medical treatment and so while it is not mandatory for a traveller to have insurance before entering USA or for obtaining a visa, it is critical that the traveller does not take the risk of going to USA without insurance cover.
Given the way the medical system operates in the USA (with repricing of medical invoices) it is important that your travel insurance partner along with their Assistance and Claims Management partner (normally referred to as TPA) has a large network of hospitals across the country and also is aware of the medical landscape there. Most insurance companies have their TPA arrangements in USA but companies like Tata AIG have their Assistance arm Travel Guard based out of Houston which is a big value addition to the USA bound business, leisure or student traveller. The traveller should ensure sufficient coverage (atleast $100,000 sum insured for accident & sickness) and should ensure their plan has coverages like Personal Liability etc.