Health insurance travel assistance

One of the most widespread fears among people when they're planning a trip is the possibility that they'll have an accident and that their insurance policy won't cover all the associated costs

Many sites give us the possibility to take out insurance that covers the material aspects of the trip, such as the flight, in case of cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances, or missing a connecting flight due to a delay... We can also cover the risk of lost luggage, or anything related to the place where we are going to stay during our holiday. 

What people forget about, and it's not a trivial matter, is cover for healthcare during their trip. If you are travelling nationally and you are not planning to cross the border, special insurance is not necessary as you are covered by the Social Security. However, when travelling abroad, there are other matters to take into account. 

Travel assistance with health insurance. Can I use the European Health Insurance Card?

If your holiday destination is within the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland, you can apply for a European Health Insurance Card, which will give you the same status as any resident of the country you're visiting. This does not guarantee that the service you receive will be free, as not all countries within the European Union have a free healthcare system like Spain. Therefore, in some cases you might have to pay for treatment.

This does not mean that once you've paid for treatment, you can't request to be reimbursed, if the country you're visiting permits these types of requests. 

A European Health Insurance Card gives you healthcare cover outside Spain, but it's scope is limited and it has many restrictions. 

To travel with as much peace of mind as possible in terms of health issues, and particularly if our destination is outside of the European Union, it is advisable to contract health insurance, or, if you already have it, find out the details of what is covered when travelling abroad. 

The insured person will need to get in touch with the insurer to find out directly what is covered on his or her policy when travelling abroad, along with how long the cover lasts and whether there is any kind of co-payment.