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Overseas Medical Insurance for Indians

So what are Overseas Medical Plans? What do they cover?

Also know an Overseas Travel Insurance, the features typically include:

• Medical emergencies (following both Sickness and Accidents), Trip Cancellations, Lost or Delayed baggage, and Passport Loss during international travel.
• All plans offer cashless hospitalization at Network hospitals abroad.
• COVID-19 coverage is included in all insurance plans across insurers.
• Travel Insurance Premiums are based on age, destination, duration, and sum insured.
• Shorter trips and younger travelers often get lower rates.
• Multi-trip (annual) plans are cost-effective for frequent flyers.
• All insurance companies offer 24X7 Assistance and Claims support through their Third Party Administrators (TPAs) abroad.
• Insurance is mandatory for Schengen (29 European countries) visa and also mandatorily required for student visas (e.g., USA, Canada, Australia, Germany Rest of the World).

Coverage under Overseas Medical Plans:

• Emergency Medical & Hospitalization – Covers sudden illnesses and accident-related hospital stays.
• Trip Interruption/Cancellation – Reimburses pre-paid travel costs if you cancel for covered reasons (e.g. illness, death in family).
• Baggage & Personal Belongings – Covers delayed, lost, or stolen luggage and personal items.
• Passport & Travel Document Loss – Pays for emergency replacements and related expenses.Emergency Evacuation & Repatriation – Covers transfer to the nearest adequate facility or return home in severe situations.
• Personal Liability – Pays for unintentional third party property and bodily injury/damage cause by the insured traveler.
• Trip Delay / Flight Delay - Trip delay insurance provides coverage for expenses incurred due to unexpected travel delays, helping to mitigate costs associated with accommodations, meals, and transportation.
• Adventure Sports Coverage – Pays for Accidental Medical expenses when undertaking Adventure Sports including skiing, scuba diving, trekking etc.

What are some of the claim tips to keep in mind?

• Keep a hard copy or atlease a soft copy of your insurance policy handy in case needed at short notice.
• Save bills, prescriptions, and discharge summaries post admission.
• Call the insurer’s emergency Toll/Toll Free helpline within 24 hours of hospitalization.
• For reimbursement, submit claims within 30 days of treatment.
• All claims reimbursements will be made in ₹ INR irrespective of the currency they were spent in…
• All Inpatient claims at network hospitals can be made Cashless, and Outpatient treatment will be processed as Reimbursement.
• Almost all Travel related claims will be made on a Indemnity basis only. For eg. If you do not incur any expenses for a Baggage Delay/Baggage Loss, the claim will not eligible for payment.

What qualifies as a pre existing medical condition?

Any illness or treatment you received on continue to receive before buying the travel policy—always declare it to see if you're covered.

Can I modify my policy after purchase?

Yes—for name, address, passport number changes or travel date changes (trip not yet begun) can be done through the Travel Insurer Customer Care centre. Premium-affecting changes like sum insured, plan change (Including to Excluding USA/Canada), age change or who’s covered require a new policy .

When does my policy expire?

• Single trip: Ends either on your scheduled return date on the policy schedule or actual return to India (whichever is earlier).
• Annual multi trip: Valid for 12 months from the purchase date, but will remain valid as long as you are outside India and within the per trip duration limit (30/45/60 days).

Can I extend my policy while abroad?

Extensions depend on insurer and destination but generally most insurers are willing to extend the policy upto a cumulative duration of 360 days —apply before expiry, usually directly with the insurance customer care centre.

How do I claim for a cashless hospitalization?

Steps to be followed include:

1. Contact the insurer’s Assistance Partner (TPA) helpline.
2. Share insurance policy details , passport, nature of ailment/treatment and hospital admission info.
3. Provide medical documents at discharge—cashless billing is processed with the hospital.

What documents are required for reimbursement claims?

For a prompt reimbursement, you must ensure timely submission of bills as follows:

• Medical bills, Diagnostic Reports, Discharge Summary from the hospital along with the receipts for the payment made towards these expenses.
• Filled in claims form, insurance policy copy, passport pages. Must be done within 30 days of treatment.

What’s the deductible/excess, and how does it work?

A deductible is the amount you pay as part of the claim amount/sum insured. For example most travel insurance plans have a deductible of $100, which is payable by you. SO if the claim with the hospital is $2000, the insurer will guarantee payment of $1900 to the hospital and $100 will need to be paid by you.

Can I add adventure sports or higher-risk activities?

Yes—many plans offer add-ons for winter sports, trekking, scuba, mountaineering, etc. Standard plans may exclude them.

How fast are claims processed?

• Cashless claims are usually guaranteed by the insurance company within 6-8 hours of admission.
• Reimbursement claims may take 15 working days, once complete documentation is submitted.