When Travel Insurance Doesn't Cover Seniors.

Thousands of old and old people are ready to travel south towards the summer, when the sun and warmth are guaranteed.

Many of them are not aware of the rules that apply and what they should pay attention to before and during the trip.

Travel: If you have checked baggage, there are several things you should pay attention to, especially the label. Video: Selena Stamper/Storyblox

After reaching a certain age, it’s extremely important to check if travel insurance is valid – and to learn about the specific conditions that apply.

You must know this

– It’s important to be aware that some travel insurance policies may have limited coverage after age 70, such as in the event of death and disability, Gjensidige’s director of communications Arne Voll tells DinSide.

check it out

This is especially true of credit card insurance, so read your terms carefully or contact your insurance company if you are not sure what applies to your travel insurance.

As you get older, the risks of something happening to your health while traveling also increase. Therefore, travel insurance is one of the most important things to have in order before leaving/starting a trip. If one has already left, it is too late.

Travel insurance applies to everyone, regardless of age. Most of the inquiries we receive are matters related to the disease. Additionally, there are some baggage damages and cancellations due to illness.

– At the same time, we often feel that clients receive expected and potential treatment expenses. This is not covered by travel insurance and can be very costly for the person involved.

You get the bill

– In some cases, we see that the elderly and the disabled were in contact with the general practitioner who then recommended that they travel abroad, because the patient may benefit from a trip, even if the health condition indicates that he may need treatment during the period they spend abroad, as Foll says, and continues:

People fear the heat

– It is worrisome, mainly for the customer who may risk being left with very high bills. In some cases, this can amount to several tens of thousands of kronor, which the customer must cover himself. If someone needs help getting back to Norway by plane due to serious illnesses or health problems, the bill can quickly run into several hundred thousand kroner.

You must do this before you travel

Have a good talk with the doctor before you leave. Tell about the purpose of the trip, how long you will be awake and what he thinks about your health. Also, listen to what they think about the risk of complications or worsening of their current health.
Contact Helfo before you travel abroad if you have a known health problem. Within the EEA countries, you can seek assistance and obtain approval for treatments and medical examinations before departure.
This way, you can apply for a refund when you get home. However, you should be aware that public medical care can be of a completely different standard than what you are used to from Norway.
It is important to have travel insurance. It also makes sense to bring your European Health Insurance Card to be able to get help with free health services in public hospitals and emergency rooms. One still has to calculate the deductions.
If you become ill or injured while traveling abroad, or if a known disorder worsens, contact the emergency center where you are insured. Here, there is a lot of help to be had regarding which doctors and hospitals can be recommended or not.
(Source: Gjensidige)

cancellation

You should also be aware of the special considerations when it comes to canceling a trip.

– If you are in good health when booking the flight, cancellation will be covered if you are unable to travel because the person became acutely ill before departure. Foll clarifies that booking a flight while you are sick or injured does not cover cancellation if that is the reason for the cancellation of the flight.

If you suffer from a chronic illness or have a known ailment that may require treatment on the trip, be aware that these are costs that you will have to cover yourself.

Shock account

– We had clients, including elderly people, who fell acutely ill while traveling abroad and were presented with very high bills.

More than 2000 for one day

An elderly client was visiting her family in the US when she developed heart problems. I was in the hospital for 10 days and the bill was over half a million kroner. The client had never encountered such problems before and was operated on and subsequently recovered. The customer has everything covered by insurance.

In the end:

– Many seniors, like many others, may have canceled their travel insurance in the age of Corona. Therefore, it is very important that they also check that they have this in order, Arne Foll concludes.

Hi, my name is Odd Roar Lange and I am a travel expert and journalist for DinSide and Dagbladet. Do you have advice about traveling for seniors? Or do you have an experience, question, or clever suggestion that others should know about?