Caribbean Travel Now Requires Insurance, But Is The Minimum Enough?
Looking for Travel Insurance?
Compare Quotes With Over 22 Travel Insurers
If the tropics are beckoning you in 2021, make sure to plan for the way the pandemic has altered travel. Many destinations are updating insurance requirements for visitors.
Even before the pandemic, there were countries that required foreign travelers to have medical insurance in order to enter.
“This was a growing trend even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, due to an increase in unpaid medical bills from visitors,” says Kasara Barto, a spokesperson for Squaremouth, a travel insurance provider. Amid the pandemic, travel insurance requirements are becoming more prominent, especially because COVID-19- positive visitors may require extensive and expensive treatment.
“We have already seen more countries mandating travelers purchase medical insurance specifically for coronavirus and we expect that trend to continue,” Barto says.
Caribbean countries in particular are seeing a spike in American tourists after widespread border closures limited Americans’ access to previously popular European destinations, says Barto.
Each destination has its own entry requirements:
- Some only require a set amount of travel medical insurance
- Others require a pandemic travel insurance policy to cover COVID-19 specifically
- And others require travelers to purchase government-issued medical coverage. Aruba, the Bahamas and Jamaica currently require travelers to purchase their government-issued medical insurance.
“As entry requirements do vary by country and are subject to change at any time, we encourage travelers to verify the current requirements with their specific destination prior to travel,” says Barto.
See Squaremouth’s list of countries that require travel insurance.
Despite the travel insurance requirement, the required coverage may not actually offer enough protection for travelers’ concerns.
Required Travel Insurance Is Usually Only Medical Coverage
The coverage provided by mandatory insurance is often limited, as it typically only covers medical emergencies that occur in the destination.
“While this coverage can save travelers money if they require medical treatment while traveling, it doesn’t offer in-demand benefits, such as cancellation coverage prior to departure or interruption coverage while traveling,” says Barto.
Squaremouth reports that since the pandemic, many travelers are prioritizing trip cancellation coverage to protect their investments. Squaremouth says that 80% of all travel insurance policies purchased since the pandemic began have included coverage to cancel a trip.
According to Squaremouth, cancellation coverage has become so important to travelers they are willing to pay more in order to have complete flexibility to cancel. The company has seen a 524% increase in policies purchased with a cancel for any reason upgrade, which allows you to cancel up to two days prior to departure and receive 50% to 75% reimbursement (depending on the plan).
How to Get Better Coverage
The minimum coverage required varies by destination, so it is important that travelers verify their destination’s specific requirements, notes Barto.
“The minimum coverage required by these top destinations typically only offers emergency medical coverage for travelers while they are in the destination. In fact, some of the required policies include medical coverage only for the treatment of coronavirus, so in that case, travelers visiting that destination would not be covered for any other medical emergencies that may occur while on their trip,” she explains.
None of the required coverage for Caribbean destinations offer trip cancellation coverage for travelers. “That means travelers heading to those destinations will not be protected if they fall ill before their trip or need to cancel for another covered reason, including injuries or inclement weather,” Barto says.
If you’re visiting a destination with its own required government-issued medical plan, you can save money by purchasing a policy that includes trip cancellation benefits with low or no medical coverage. For example, says Barto, if you already have the required medical coverage from the destination, you can find a comprehensive travel insurance policy for a two-week, $10,000 trip that includes trip cancellation coverage for as low as $230. To add cancel for any reason coverage for the same trip, the least expensive option is $522.
In addition, the best travel insurance will include benefits for trip interruption and trip delays, and lost and stolen baggage.
Looking for Travel Insurance?
Compare Quotes With Over 22 Travel Insurers
Leave a Reply