Travel Insurance for Senior Citizens

Senior Citizen Travel Insurance: An Overview

Senior citizen travel insurance refers to the travel coverage specifically designed for the elderly people of the age of 61 years or above with no maximum age limit. The age, terms and conditions, coverage options, and premiums may vary from plan to plan and insurance provider for sure.

The policy offers various benefits that don't come with standard travel insurance plans. Whether it is about pre-existing disease coverage or preventive health check-ups, or cashless hospitalisation, or even ambulance services, senior citizen travel insurance got you covered.

Why Choose Travel Insurance for Senior Citizens?

Travel insurance for senior citizens is important to protect your international trip in case of an unexpected emergency en route. With medical and non-medical emergency coverage, travel insurance for senior citizens provides peace of mind while you explore a new country.

Additionally, no upper age limit for entry is one of the major features of travel insurance for senior citizens. Most of the insurance companies in India provide travel medical insurance for seniors up to 99 years of age.

Benefits of Travel Insurance for Senior Citizens

Whether it's for meeting your children, grandchildren, business, or seminars, travelling is exciting and brings new waves in life. Opting for our senior citizen travel insurance plan add more charm to it and gives older people a sigh of relief. Below are some of the significant benefits of buying the best travel insurance for the elderly:

• Comfort: Having travel insurance for senior citizens can help the elderly to travel worry-free. The plan shall be to their rescue during a travel-related emergency.
• Protection in Medical Emergency: The policy provides coverage to help you get immediate medical treatment.
• Compensation Amidst Mishaps: The plan offers compensation to the nominee in case of the insured person's uncertain death.
• Covers you in other Contingencies: Trip delays and loss of belongings and documentation will be handled under the travel plan.
• Cashless Claim Settlement: The cashless claim facility helps the elderly to avail of financial support in times of emergency hospitalisation. The plan ensures that you can get a cashless claim settlement in the network hospitals in the destination country.
• Region-specific Plans: Our travel insurance for senior citizens is region-specific, helping you cross the countries' boundaries and stay there hassle-free.

Travelling to a foreign land in the golden years of your life comes with several uncertainties. Thus, it is always wise to carry your old-age travel companion, that is, international travel insurance.

At Care Health Insurance, our travel insurance can be customised flexibly to meet the unique travel-related needs of the elderly. The plan provides comprehensive coverage at a cost-efficient premium.

What does Travel Insurance for Senior Citizens Cover?

In order to select the suitable travel insurance in India, you should know about what all situations are covered under the policy. Travel insurance for senior citizens offers comprehensive coverage on international trips to people in their 60s and above. Read further to know the scenarios that senior citizens travel insurance covers:

• Emergency Hospitalisation: In case you encounter a medical emergency while on an overseas trip, the medical travel insurance for seniors will provide financial coverage encompassing expenses for IPD and OPD expenses.
• COVID-19 Coverage: Keeping in mind the adverse effects of Covid-19 on the elderly, the senior citizens travel insurance offers COVID-19 coverage. The plan offers financial cushion so that you enjoy your trip without the fear of the pandemic.
• Personal Accident: Travelling abroad can bring many uncertainties, including accidents. Considering such worries, we cover Accidental Death/Permanent Total Disability requiring urgent and immediate medical attention in our travel insurance for senior citizens.
• Dental Treatment: If any injury is caused to your sound natural teeth or you have any acute pain, do not worry! We cover medical expenses for such dental treatment so you can keep your million-dollar smile intact during your overseas journey.
• Pre-existing Diseases: Travel insurance for senior citizens will cover the treatment of pre-existing diseases in case of a life-threatening condition.
• Common Carrier Accidental Death: A lump sum amount will be paid as compensation if the insured person loses his/her life while travelling in a common carrier/ public transport.
• Trip Delay, Cancellation, or Interruption: If you suffer financial loss due to an interrupted, cancelled or delayed trip under covered reasons, then the senior citizen travel insurance shall cover you for the losses.
• Loss of Passport and Checked-in Baggage: The travel insurance for senior citizens ensures that you get coverage for loss or delay of checked-in baggage if the loss incurred is verified under covered reasons. The plan offers lump sum financial coverage if you lose your passport for specified reasons.
• Up-gradation to Business Class: Don’t worry if a medical practitioner suggests you need immediate medical attention back in your home country. The travel insurance for senior citizens will cover the reasonable expense incurred in the upgradation of an economic class flight ticket to a business class ticket.
• Personal Liability: Travel insurance for senior citizens also covers personal liability if an actual liability is caused under covered reasons. If the insured person’s negligence causes a civil claim or a lawsuit is filed, we help you by covering the financial expenses.
• New Coverage Benefits: We have widened our horizon and offer coverage for Missed Flight Connections/Hijack Distress Allowance/Automatic Trip Extension to keep you at bay from unnecessary stress.
• No Maximum Age Limit: Travel insurance for senior citizens has no maximum age cap. Anybody who is sixty-plus and wishes to travel the world can buy the best senior citizen travel insurance.
• Policy Extension: Worry not if you plan on extending your stay in a foreign land. As your senior citizen travel insurance comes with an option for policy extension for up to 365 days.
• Refund of Visa Fee: We refund your visa fee if your visa got rejected for no fault or negligence. It is an optional cover. Refer to T&C for more details.
• Adventure Sports Coverage: Adventure sports bring excitement and thrill, but at the same time can cause injuries too. We offer adventure sports coverage so that such injuries won't ruin your fun.
• Repatriation of Mortal Remains: We bear the costs of repatriating the insured person's mortal remains back to the home country for local burial or cremation.

Exclusions under Senior Citizens Travel Insurance

Travel insurance for senior citizens is a comprehensive policy that provides essential coverage at an affordable premium. However, the plan also has certain exclusions that you should take note of; before buying the plan.

• Medical treatment taken outside the Country of Residence if that is the sole reason or one of the reasons for the journey.
• Any treatment which could reasonably be delayed until the insured person's return to the country of residence shall not be covered in the travel insurance plan.
• Any dental treatment or surgery unless necessitated due to an injury.
• Circumcision unless necessary for treating an illness or as may be necessitated due to an accident.
• Treatment of any Congenital Anomaly or illness or defects or anomalies or treatment relating to birth defects.
• Hormone replacement therapy.
• Weight management services and treatment, vitamins, and tonics related to weight control programs, services, and supplies, including treatment of obesity (including morbid obesity).

What If I Need to Cancel My Travel Insurance Policy?

When there are unforeseen circumstances, and you need to cancel the trip, the insurance provider will never let you down.

The cancellation policy of travel insurance for senior citizens may vary depending on the terms and conditions, claims settled, and duration of the policy. It also varies by policy and travel insurance provider.

• Cancellation Period: There are various travel insurance policy providers that allow cancellations from 24 hours up to 14 days of the policy start date. However, the cancellation should be done before the policy start date to save the cancellation cost.
• Cancellation Fees: This may vary from company to company when it comes to deciding the cancellation fees of travel insurance for senior citizens. The time period of the trip cancellation also matters a lot because the refund ratio varies depending on the date of cancellation.
• Valid Documents: The insurance provider may ask for valid documents like a policy copy, passport copy, or sometimes a claim copy, if any. The required documents for cancellation of a senior citizen travel insurance policy may include xerox of passport, visa rejection letter(if applicable), policy copy, etc.

*Please note that the documents, along with the senior citizen travel insurance policy cancellation letter, will be subject to the underwriter’s discretion.

If you have returned from the trip early and are planning to discontinue your senior citizen travel insurance policy, the refund can be processed, applying the policy T&C. However, the proceedings of the refund depend on the scheduled expiry of policy, and there should be no claim made during the trip.

Conditions of Senior Citizen Travel Insurance Policy Cancellation

Cancelling a senior citizen travel insurance policy is only possible in certain unforeseen and unintentional conditions. Some valid scenarios of cancellation may include the death of a family member, damage to the residence, terrorist attacks or natural disasters, denial of a tourist visa, theft of travel documents, etc. Again, this may vary from policy to policy.

Exclusion in Trip Cancellation

Here are some exclusions in senior citizen travel insurance policy you should be mindful of:

• If the sole reason for travelling is availing medical treatment outside the residence country.
• Pregnancy, or any other related issue leading to the hospitalisation.
• Any natural calamity that is not declared by the government as hazardous.
• Permanent exclusions like self-inflicted crime, suicide, attempt to suicide etc.

Note - Please refer to the terms and conditions of the policy, as it may vary from company to company and policy to policy.

Senior Citizen Travel Insurance: Few Things to Remember

Here are a few things to remember before purchasing senior citizen travel insurance:

Choose Wisely

Always take a note of your health conditions and the budget for sure. Choose senior citizen travel insurance as per the requirement of your destination country and choose the sum insured accordingly.

Read the Terms and Conditions Carefully

Be sure to read everything related to the policy. Try to choose the plan that covers pre-existing diseases. The pre-existing coverage may vary as per the policies of the company and the premium you will be paying for senior citizen travel insurance.

Coverage Options

Don’t miss out on checking the coverage options provided by the insurance provider. Be sure to choose the insurance plan that covers trip cancellations and trip delays and avoid the plans that comes with accident restrictions.

Be Mindful of the Exclusions

While purchasing a senior citizen travel insurance, you should always consider the exclusions of the insurance policy. Remember some permanent exclusions like self inflicted injuries or crimes are not covered in any policy.

Monitor Your Health Conditions

Start monitoring your health at least a week before you are planning to travel. Plan your things accordingly. Don’t forget to carry the medicines and supplements you are taking in your home country. It is quite possible that you may not find it in the destination country. Also, carry your required medicines for precautionary measures.

Keep Your Documents Handy and Safe

It is really important to keep your important documents, such as passport, flight tickets, hotel details, etc., handy and safe to avoid last-minute hassle. Don’t carry it around while exploring your destination city. However, in case of loss and misplace, senior citizen travel insurance will get you covered. However, T&C applied!

How to Buy Best Travel Insurance for Senior Citizens

Buying travel insurance can be tedious for the elderly as not everyone in their 60s is tech-savvy. Thus, to ensure that you do not face any hassles during buying travel insurance, we have suggested the crucial things you should do to buy travel insurance.

It would also be wise to have a young person assisting you.

Step 1: Compare the Plans

Before finalising overseas insurance for senior citizens, compare travel insurance from 4-5 best travel insurance companies. To do so, you can also take the help of insurance agents or call up the customer care number of various companies if any doubt arises.

Step 2: Assess the Best Options

Once you have compared various international travel insurance options and finalised a few plans, move further and assess all the policy terms & conditions. Check out the policy’s coverage, terms & conditions, and optional benefits.

Step 3: Ask the Needful Queries

Make sure there are no loopholes in understanding the policy finalised for purchase. If you have any queries, reach out to your agent or the customer representative of the insurance company and clear all the doubts.

Step 4: Learn the Claims Procedures

Before buying the policy, understand the claims procedure and the documents required to access claims. Do not make the payment until you are well-versed in filing a claim.

Following the aforementioned steps, you can choose/ buy the best travel insurance for senior citizens.

Health emergencies are more common in old age than in any other age group. While health insurance for Senior citizens can safeguard your finances within the home country, you can rely on Care Health Insurance to cover any overseas trips you may have in the second innings of your life! While you embark on making memories, don't forget to take your travel companion with you!

Also, don't forget reading the plan carefully and understanding the terms & conditions beforehand can save you from any last-minute surprises!