International Health Insurance...

Sometimes buying international health insurance is necessary, but there's no guarantee that it is. Before you get international medical insurance, it makes sense to understand the health care policies of the country you are going to. Depending on where you are traveling, you may have to buy no health care at all or you may have to buy some very comprehensive health insurance. The international health insurance companies will try to make it look like a necessity. They will use every tactic to convince you that, if you even plan on spending a day outside of America, you need to buy all kinds of services. This is not the case, but you should be wary.

When I went to England, for example, I had no need of international health insurance. England is great – most of Europe is. Unlike the United States which would practically prefer to let someone die than treat them for free, international health insurance in Europe is top notch. Everyone is taken care of in the country, whether or not they can afford to pay for health care. I actually got a serious flu while I was there. It started off as nothing, but soon I was so sick that I could barely move. That was how dehydrated I was. I thought that I would be a goner without international health insurance. I figured that no one would give me medical care – they certainly would be reluctant to do so in the United States. To say I was surprised by the treatment that I got was an understatement. Despite my lack of international health insurance, I was hospitalized and treated very well in a top-notch hospital.

When I was traveling in South America, however, things were very different. Again, I didn't get international health insurance coverage. I figured that things would be the same in Argentina as they were in England, but I was mistaken. Health care there is poor even if you have international health insurance. If you are not insured, however, it is abysmal. When I caught a serious parasite, I actually had to take a flight home to get treatment. There was no decent treatment option available in Argentina. This just goes to show you that it is always good to be prepared. If I had been better prepared, I would not have had to endure the misery of an eight hour flight with a severe stomach bug. Let's just say that it was no picnic!