Is international health insurance different from travel insurance? Yes!

International health insurance and travel insurance have seemingly identical benefits – but both serve a completely different purpose. Travel insurance also covers for the loss of luggage, flight disruptions, and loss of belongings, while FWD international health insurance also covers optional added benefits such as dental, maternity, outpatient and even eye check-ups, all of which are likely not available in travel insurance plans.

International health insurance provides overseas healthcare cover, for those relocating to another country for a longer or indefinite period of time; travel insurance, on the other hand, provides emergency medical cover for those who intend to go on vacation and shorter trips.

If I have international health insurance, do I still need to buy travel insurance?

While the overlapping medical benefits look similar, there are some key differentiating features between the two products. For example, if you go on a trip and only have international health insurance, you might not be covered for common travel-related inconveniences such as:

• Baggage delays
• Flight cancellations
• Theft and loss
• Damage to belongings
• Travel cancellations

These make up 53% of claims made by FWD Travel insurance customers, with medical and other claims making up the remaining 47%.

Want to know why travel insurance is important? We’ve studied what customers typically claim for in travel insurance claims, read more about travel insurance claims here.

Bottom line is, the chance of experiencing these travel-related inconveniences are not rare, and likely not covered by most international health insurance plans.

But if I have travel insurance, why do I still need international health insurance?

If you travel often in a year for indefinite amounts of time and require routine healthcare, then you may need to consider a more comprehensive plan like international health insurance.

With FWD international health insurance, you can get the medical attention you need abroad, with reliable and convenient. Access to medical facilities around the globe makes it convenient, and on top of that, cover can be customised to you or your family’s needs. You can choose to include:

• Outpatient cover
• Maternity benefit
• Dental benefit
• Vision benefit

As healthcare costs vary from one country to the other, you can avoid bill shock when you’re covered with an international health plan.

Do I need both travel insurance and international health insurance?

In an ideal situation, it’s good to have both insurance covers that cater to each of your specific needs. It might be worthwhile to consider what your company covers you for before making a decision as some provide coverage for travel, relocation or international healthcare.

Here at FWD, we like to keep insurance simple. If you are interested to learn more about our International Health insurance or Travel insurance, you can visit our product pages for details, our policy wordings are also available if you want to review specific details.

For worldwide coverage for your medical needs, find out more about our FWD International Health insurance. Get an FWD International Health insurance quote in just one minute.

Information is meant purely for informational purposes and should not be relied upon as financial advice.