Nov 22, 2023Liked by Brent Hartinger, Michael Jensen
Arg. This is putting front and center that I’m going to have to figure this out in the next few months as we transition from working to not working to living in Europe and making sure we have the right coverage for when we come back to the US for family visits. Thanks, as always for your deep dives.
Thanks for your considerable effort in research and writing about this topic. I am also wading through the options for myself for 2024. Your coverage has made the talk a little easier and is confirming a lot of info I have and opening up avenues of inquiries for items I have not thought about. I’ll let you know how it goes!
I think the follow through of a health insurance company is another important factor. It's one thing for them to state on paper that they will cover x, y, and z but quite another if they make it difficult to use the coverage in a time of emergency or take their time with reimbursements. How do the companies you mentioned rate for efficiency and support?
Thank you forall this information! I have been struggling to figure out the best insurance option for a year of travel. I’m wondering why you decided to keep ACA coverage in the US and combine that with travel insurance, instead of doing something like Genki Resident. Thank you!
One thing missing from your analysis (which probably doesn't apply to you) deals with us older Americans. We get cheap medical coverage through the government, Medicare.
How do these policies interact with Medicare which has crappy to non-existent coverage outside the United States? One thing is imagine as very important is medical evacuation. If you've got a serious problem, getting back to Medicare land would seem very useful.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to a future article that deals with that complication.
Yes, you're comment is spot on: Medicare doesn't apply to international travel or mishaps, which is why I cover medical evacuation so specifically (and why I think it's so very very important). If you're an American relying on Medicare, it's fine to just have a travel insurance policy, even if you're a long-term traveler, AS LONG AS IT HAS A GREAT MEDICAL EVACUATION COMPONENT. Genki does, SafetyWing really, really does not. You need to make sure they will *take you back to the United States for treatment* if that is what you request. Genki will, with SafetyWing... it depends on what the doctor says. Not good enough, IMHO.
Another extremely helpful article about this daunting topic. THANK YOU!
Genki is tempting, but there is no available info on claims. I don't know how long the processing takes, if most are denied etc. Furthermore, I sent a couple of questions to dr-walter and have not heard back after almost 2 months!!!
Brent, I commented on your previous article with the same concern. Have you heard any info on Genki's claim processing since?
And please keep writing on this topic. These articles are extremely helpful.
Hello, my career was commercial insurance industry for 30+ years. Allianz is always highly rated for their claim handling. But don’t take anyone else’s word for it. You should go to their website, FB page, X account, etc and check these for yourself. Good luck!
Arg. This is putting front and center that I’m going to have to figure this out in the next few months as we transition from working to not working to living in Europe and making sure we have the right coverage for when we come back to the US for family visits. Thanks, as always for your deep dives.
You're very welcome. Let me know if you have questions.
Thanks for your considerable effort in research and writing about this topic. I am also wading through the options for myself for 2024. Your coverage has made the talk a little easier and is confirming a lot of info I have and opening up avenues of inquiries for items I have not thought about. I’ll let you know how it goes!
Please do! Would love to know!
I think the follow through of a health insurance company is another important factor. It's one thing for them to state on paper that they will cover x, y, and z but quite another if they make it difficult to use the coverage in a time of emergency or take their time with reimbursements. How do the companies you mentioned rate for efficiency and support?
It's a fair point.
Here are the Trust Pilot review for both (Genki is slightly higher).
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/genki.world
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/safetywing.com
I have anecdotal data (and personal experience) but that is truly different info to determine.
Thanks for sharing this link with me and everyone else.
Love your writing!
😍😍😍
Thank you forall this information! I have been struggling to figure out the best insurance option for a year of travel. I’m wondering why you decided to keep ACA coverage in the US and combine that with travel insurance, instead of doing something like Genki Resident. Thank you!
You're very welcome. :-)
One thing missing from your analysis (which probably doesn't apply to you) deals with us older Americans. We get cheap medical coverage through the government, Medicare.
How do these policies interact with Medicare which has crappy to non-existent coverage outside the United States? One thing is imagine as very important is medical evacuation. If you've got a serious problem, getting back to Medicare land would seem very useful.
At any rate, I'm looking forward to a future article that deals with that complication.
Check out my full article on travel insurance here: https://www.brentandmichaelaregoingplaces.com/p/which-is-better-safetywing-world
Yes, you're comment is spot on: Medicare doesn't apply to international travel or mishaps, which is why I cover medical evacuation so specifically (and why I think it's so very very important). If you're an American relying on Medicare, it's fine to just have a travel insurance policy, even if you're a long-term traveler, AS LONG AS IT HAS A GREAT MEDICAL EVACUATION COMPONENT. Genki does, SafetyWing really, really does not. You need to make sure they will *take you back to the United States for treatment* if that is what you request. Genki will, with SafetyWing... it depends on what the doctor says. Not good enough, IMHO.
Another extremely helpful article about this daunting topic. THANK YOU!
Genki is tempting, but there is no available info on claims. I don't know how long the processing takes, if most are denied etc. Furthermore, I sent a couple of questions to dr-walter and have not heard back after almost 2 months!!!
Brent, I commented on your previous article with the same concern. Have you heard any info on Genki's claim processing since?
And please keep writing on this topic. These articles are extremely helpful.
Hello, my career was commercial insurance industry for 30+ years. Allianz is always highly rated for their claim handling. But don’t take anyone else’s word for it. You should go to their website, FB page, X account, etc and check these for yourself. Good luck!
Thank you! Good to know.
You're very welcome!
Here are the Trust Pilot reviews (Genki is slightly higher).
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/genki.world
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/safetywing.com
But as Vicki mentions, Allianz (and DR WALTER, their other partner) are highly rated.
It is absolutely something of a guess. My personal experience with SafetyWing was bad, but I know others who have had great experiences.