Vaccines: $2,586
Medications: $690.89
International Travel Insurance Premium: $1,034
Domestic Health Insurance Premium: $4,723.44
Peace of Mind: Priceless
With all of the debate going on about reforming healthcare in the United States, it seems appropriate to add a post about the steps we have taken to stay as healthy as possible while traveling. Obtaining a litany of vaccines and medications (almost none of which were covered by our employer-provided health insurance plans) and maintaining both domestic and international health insurance while traveling can be a complete budget buster. However, in my opinion, the peace of mind is worth every penny.
Vaccines
Keith – 7: Yellow Fever, Meningitis, Polio, Flu, Japanese Encephalitis (2) and Hepatitis A and B combo
Amy – 10 (with 1 more to go): Yellow Fever, Tetanus, Meningitis, Polio, Hepatitis A and B combo (3 so far, 1 more upon return), Flu and Japanese Encephalitis (2)
Keith and Amy – Typhoid (4 pills each)
We didn’t skimp when it came to rolling up our sleeves and transforming our arms into human pincushions. Taking health precautions for a year of world travel is not for the faint of heart or needle-phobic. Luckily neither of us has an issue with needles and Keith had already gotten several of the vaccines so we were able to save our arms and wallets on a few of the shots. We also had no reactions to any of the vaccines.
After researching which vaccines were required and which merely recommended, we decided to err on the side of caution. For example, many travelers to Asia pass on the Japanese Encephalitis vaccine, relying instead on mosquito bite prevention techniques like using DEET, mosquito nets and limiting exposure during certain times of the day. Personally, it seems that no matter how much bug spray I use, I’m still a mosquito magnet, so while the JE vaccine was one of the most expensive, I’d rather not be freaking out every time I get a bite while waiting ten days to see if my brain is going to swell. We also ended up with some vaccines that are for places that we have since dropped from our itinerary, but we like having the flexibility knowing that we can change our plans at the last minute and not face any restrictions.
Health Insurance
One of the most striking features of the vast majority of people who are able to take a year off from work and travel the world is that they come from countries with socialized medicine. These travelers can simply pick up an inexpensive international policy that covers emergency care and medical evacuations while they are abroad. For routine care while abroad, it is usually pretty cheap so many just pay out of pocket and don’t even bother submitting claims.
For Americans contemplating an around the world adventure, the cost of healthcare is a more weighty consideration. Employer provided health insurance is the most affordable, if not the only affordable option available to most Americans. Add a preexisting condition and your rates for independent health insurance skyrocket, if you can get coverage at all. And if you have a 63-day gap in your health insurance coverage and can’t get insurance through your employer, you may just be completely out of luck and have to rely on the keeping-your-fingers-crossed that you don’t ever get sick again approach. Christine Gilbert has a great post on her blog almostfearless.com summarizing different health insurance options for Americans traveling abroad.
It took months of research and the assistance of an insurance broker to figure out the most affordable option that provided us with creditable coverage – the industry term for a health insurance policy certified as legitimate by the state in which it is provided and that is recognized by other insurance companies for the purpose of satisfying the continuous coverage requirements – and wouldn’t reject us based on preexisting conditions. And to be honest, despite our various degrees and working with an expert, we still wouldn’t say that we completely understand all of the fine print.
It might seem excessive to get coverage that is only good in a country that we don’t intend to spend any time in during the next year. But we needed a domestic policy for two reasons: first, in the event we unexpectedly return to the United States and need medical care, and second, in the event we return to the United States at the end of our trip and don’t immediately transition back into jobs with employer provided coverage. While we are basically still young and healthy, we know of peers who have rolled the dice on maintaining health insurance coverage and ended up with a $30,000 case of appendicitis. We ultimately decided on a fairly bare-bones policy compared to the policies we were used to from our employers (i.e. one with coverage limits and without a prescription plan) that we can upgrade if necessary when we return home at the end of our trip. After figuring out this piece of the health insurance policy, choosing an international plan from World Nomads was an easy decision to make.
Still, I think we’ll keep our fingers crossed just in case and hope that we don’t need to use either policy during our travels…and that there is a resolution to the health care reform debate by the time we return to the States.
Are we being health care hypochondriacs? Is it worth the $8,343.44 we have spent before even purchasing our first plane ticket? What do you think?
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