Leaving well assured allows you to travel with peace of mind. Here are some benchmarks to better understand the different issues, betweenrepatriation assistance, the European health assistance card and the supplementary guarantee.
Repatriation assistance insurance
This contract is the one most frequently offered by tour operators. Its purpose is to cover the costs of rescue, hospitalization and repatriation in the event of accidents or illnesses occurring during the journey. It reimburses, up to a maximum of 1000 € or less depending on the contract, part of the care and medicines prescribed abroad,which requires to subscribe to a complementary travel insurance,if you want to benefit from an almost total guarantee,taking care of medical expenses that can be exorbitant depending on the country, such as in the United States, Canada, Australia or Japan.
Referred to as basic travel insurance, repatriation assistance insurance cannot be charged to the customer without his agreement,so that in many cases it is not provided for in tour operators’ rates. When it is offered, it costs on average a little more than ten euros. It is important to know that in case of refusal, you will not benefit from any assistance abroad. Before subscribing to this contract, it is nevertheless necessary to check the guarantees covered in terms of insurance and assistance.
In addition, your payment card, if it is of a certain level of standing “Gold” or “Platinum”,(Mastercard, Visa, American Express, for example), offers you conditions of repatriation and assistance equivalent to that of tour operators,but also compensation in case of death or disability occurring during the trip, subject to having paid for air tickets, stay or car rental with said card.
Also check your daily property and casualty insurance (car, home, any risk), which most likely protects you abroad,to avoid redundantly subscribing to contracts.
To obtain your visa for certain destinations, you will need to prove your repatriation insurance (China, Russia…). Your insurer will issue them to you automatically; remember to print them in color so as not to see them refused!
Supplementary insurance
Basic travel insurance does not cover cancellation costs; to protect yourself against the cancellation of a trip due to the death of a loved one, for illness, economic dismissal, invitation to a job interview or an exam, you can take out cancellation insurance, which will generally cost about thirty euros.
To benefit from better coverage of medical care in the event of an accident or health problem while travelling, it is necessary to take out a supplementary insurance,called “any risk” or “multi-risk”,for an average amount of 40 euros, which also includes a luggage guarantee,if it is lost, stolen or damaged during the trip, and an interruption of stay guarantee if you are led to shorten your stay.
These insurances are covered by your luxury credit card,if you have paid with it.
The European Health Insurance Card
This card replaced in 2004 the old form called E111. It is issued on request by the primary health insurance fund and allows coverage in the event of hospitalization or medical consultation in all countries of the European Union, as well as in Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, which have signed agreements with France.
Depending on the country, the card entitlesyou to free health care, allows you to be reimbursed on the spot with the social security organization,or, back in France, by the health insurance fund. However, remember to keep all the proofs of payment. Attention, refunds will be made on the French basis of reimbursement,your mutual taking care of the additional reimbursements, as for treatments performed in France.
Allow two weeks to obtain your health insurance card,which will be valid for one year from its issue. If you have to leave before this deadline, the health insurance fund can issue you with aprovisional certificate, valid for three months.
The European card is issued on an individual basis; each member of the family, including children, must therefore obtain his or her own card.
The main specialized insurers
Travel and Assistance Insurance (AVA): www.ava.fr
Full Travel Insurance (AVI): www.avi-international.com
Europ Assistance : www.europ-assistance.fr
Global Assistance: www.mondial-assistance.fr
European Support: www.leassur.com
Insure for extreme activities
Before leaving for an extreme internship, a trek, a diving cruise,always make sure you have asked your insurer about the conditions of coverage in the event of an accident, in France as abroad. Some insurances can cover many activities,others not and then require additional insurance. Everything is usually written into your contract / or not, hence the interest to ask for a written confirmation, in the form of a certificate.This certificate will be all the more useful in case of difficulties, avoiding any discussion or negotiation,both with the insurer and with the rescue teams, especially abroad.
The case of diving abroad
If you go diving abroad,remember that this activity is at risk. You may be faced with any sort of unpleasant surprise,and need vital relief,such as resorting to a decompression box. Always check, depending on your destination, the existence and accessibility of such equipment. To avoid unpleasant surprises in some countries, such as exorbitant costs, advances to be made, baksh to pay,you can take out DAN insurance.
Today, DAN International is a multilingual network made up of numerous 24-hour alert centers, more than 500 hyperbaric infrastructures and a growing number of hyperbaric diving specialists who treat diving emergencies and accept referrals to them.
Each year, more than 15,000 calls for diving emergencies are received by DAN call lines,and dive medical consultants answer thousands of health or safety questions. More than 400,000 DAN members worldwide benefit from emergency medical services and medical and hyperbaric treatments through insurance coverage available around the world.
For less than a hundred euros per year,the global coverage, both in terms of personnel, decompression boxes, as well as contracts with the coastguard and other emergency services, will prevent you from unpleasant surprises,in addition to the difficulties you will be going through. Tested and well tested!