Your domestic health insurance doesn’t cover it. The $25 “trip insurance” or “travel protection” upsell before you book your plane ticket definitely doesn’t cover it. Traditional travel insurance also doesn’t cover it. Holding a bag full of cash doesn’t do it either.
What are we talking about?
Medical quality of care and the fundamental lack of transparency when travelers go overseas and seek medical care.
Granted, when emergencies happen and you need to go straight to the ER, you prioritize medical attention and not medical quality. Some care is better than no care; that’s the tradeoff we’ve grown accustomed to and accepted.
Unfortunately the data doesn’t add up — 45% of the time patients receive the wrong treatment, and up to 20% of medical cases are misdiagnosed
(Data: JAMA / New England Journal of Medicine).
These are s***ty odds and not something we would expect when we are PAYING for any product/service, especially medical care that is directly related to our personal health and well-being.
So why is travel medical not a priority?
- Unaware: Most travelers believe their existing “domestic” workplace health benefits or credit cards cover international travel medical situations
- Preference: Travelers understandably prefer to spend their disposable income on items of enjoyment, like food, drink, shopping, experiences
- Incomplete existing options: Traditional travel medical insurance companies are set up to increase doctor bookings and mutual revenue by prioritizing the widest network, rather than quality certainty; it is not to their advantage to pit their own providers against each other
Now, there are exceptions to the above and it applies to employees and their families that work for large/global scale companies. Most of these companies typically offer robust international travel medical coverage for business and personal travel.
But, as we know, most of the global economy is filled with small through medium-sized companies that cannot afford and/or require such a cost heavy, low value solution.
What’s more, traditional travel insurance, even the best of the best, tends to deliver “paper piece of mind” that focuses more on minimizing cost rather than immediate health consequences.
So what choices do we have and why does high-quality travel medical matter?
With respect, pandemic aside, travel medical needs are inevitable, usually not of the emergency nature, and needed quality care should not be difficult. There should be no reason to suck it up, tough it out, load up on over-the-counter medicines, ignore it or just wait to go home before you seek care.
When you get sick or hurt, you should expect to see a high-quality doctor that KNOWS what they are doing. And your only travel medical option shouldn’t be travel insurance or nothing at all.
The likelihood of contracting Covid-19 is still less than most travel illnesses and injuries that we’ve encountered before and Covid-19 vaccines will not “protect” against that.
And while destinations might be “requiring” travelers to have minimum travel insurance before they arrive, know that these requirements are in place to protect the country and not the traveler. No country wants to lose money on any tourist, especially in their medical facilities.
That’s why CarpeMed is a traveler-first, easy-to-use app with primary purpose to provide access to high-quality care that speaks your language IF and WHEN you need it (in-person and telehealth).
It doesn’t matter if you are traveling to relax, explore, or with a purpose, travelers that are planners can easily research and KNOW in advance what medical options are at their destination. And for travelers that just want to know they have options on the ground, CarpeMed does just that.
In your pocket before you know it…
CarpeMed will be partnering with corporate benefits management companies to offer employee memberships that include a family plan (up to 4), providing clear value in comparison to individual/single-trip traditional travel insurance plans. They will also be partnering with online travel agencies and meta search aggregators and be available to any traveler.
In a post-Covid world, can you afford to gamble on healthcare quality?
CarpeMed owns the sweet spot of travel medical quality, value and certainty. Medical care and coverage is never free, but should not be a blind transaction. Know what you’re paying for before you pay.
To learn more about CarpeMed, please visit: www.carpemedtravel.com
For general inquiries, business development and partnership opportunities, please feel free to contact: discover@carpemedtravel.com
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