Even if you’ve traveled only once, you’re most likely familiar with the fact that things invariably go wrong. Your luggage ends up in Hong Kong, but somehow you remain stateside. That beautiful condo by the beach ends up being a dingy flat behind the strip mall by the beach.
Long-term digital nomads know this to be the universal rule of traveling and have learned to roll with the punches. But some punches can be avoided, and that is where nomad health insurance comes in.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
In our post-COVID world of random cancellations and health scares, the cost of not having travel and global health insurance is expensive indeed.
It can be as simple as your flight to Italy being canceled three times which results in your Airbnb refusing to both switch your reservation and return your money. Or taking a 6-month transfer assignment in Dubai and wanting local healthcare while you’re there.
With plans as low as $40 a month and easy signup and cancellation, it is financially prudent to be prepared – especially considering the significant cost of healthcare.
While you may not know what hospital care you might need, you do know that it will cost you more than $40. Whether it is simple travel insurance, to insure the thousands spent on airline tickets, to digital nomad insurance to protect yourself against unforeseen health complications in a foreign country; the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Not All Health Insurance is Created Equal
Even within one country, all health insurance is not created equal. Coverage varies, customer service varies, price varies, and the list continues.
Whether you are an expat, backpacker, or digital nomad, it is important to prepare for potential circumstances and know the specifics of your needs. While there are many solid options for digital nomad health- and travel insurance (check out this post), PassportCard Nomads is a strong contender and our go-to insurance provider. Not only is there 100% flexibility, but everything is handled in one app, which takes away all the paperwork of making claims, appointments, etc. and with their prepaid PassportCard(VISA) solution, the payment process is straightforward with no out-of-pocket payments – A true game changer in the industry if you ask me.
If you forego insurance to save a few dollars and end up needing care, you won’t get to be choosy, and it is always good to be choosy when it comes to health and money.
Always Avoid the Agent
Avoiding the agent usually saves time and effort, but this is especially true for nomads who travel the globe. With coverage and reimbursement being a potential administrative nightmare in a foreign setting, the simplicity of the app has huge appeal. No forms, no agents – just an app. When traveling globally and dealing with anything from language barriers to different expectations … an app is brilliant.
Peace of Mind as a digital nomad
When possible, stress should absolutely be avoided, and that means preparing for those pesky slip-ups or unlucky situations. That preparation is at the essence of insurance because as Murphy’s Law states: if anything can go wrong, it will.
While that may seem entirely too pessimistic to mention in a post about travel, it is never a bad idea to be one step ahead. Digital nomad insurance makes being impressively prescient easier than saying, “Can I get my money back” in Italian.
