Although there is a distinct need for insurance when travelling abroad there currently isn't an insurance policy specifically for medical tourists and there is no international legal regulation of medical tourism. Travel insurance companies are reluctant to cover people going abroad for medical treatment because they believe that they are insuring ill people who have a greater risk of a claim and are more likely to need medical help and feel this could get very expensive for them. They have responded to the medical tourism trend by adding 'blanket exclusions' so that a person is not covered when travelling for medical treatment or consultation abroad - whether this is for an MRI scan or for dental veneers.
As medical tourism continues to grow so does the demand for medical tourism insurance so things are likely to change, especially as the India hospital groups are urging UK health insurers to offer lower cost private medical insurance to cater for this burgeoning market.
If you have a health insurance policy you could check whether the company will cover you to have treatment abroad, and if it doesn't you can talk to your medical tourism provider for their recommendations. Standard travel insurance is unlikely to cover any extra costs as a result of medical treatment abroad, but it is vital to have some cover against theft in India and medical tourism companies do recommend individual travel insurance when travelling abroad for healthcare.
There are a broad range of travel policies available from short trip, multi trip, annual and international policies. When booking insurance a travel agent will assume that you are just going on holiday to India so make sure you are clear about what you will be doing there. If the true nature of the trip is not declared the insurance cover may not be properly valid which could result in your insurer refusing to pay claims on any part of the policy - even if only for lost luggage. Don't forget to mention any existing medical conditions.
If you have annual cover, keep an eye on when the insurance lapses and check the small print to ensure that your policy includes an emergency flight home. Also check for any exclusions and check that your policy covers you for any activities you plan to do while in India. Unless you pay more for your premium, there will be an excess fee to pay if you make a claim (money deducted from any claim made by each insured person and is sometimes payable under each section claimed for, or per incident).
See our list of insurance policy providers on the Private Healthcare website.
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