Missionary Medical Insurance Plans Helps You As You Help Others
One of the most rewarding adventures you can experience is to perform missionary work. But along with the excitement of international travel comes a certain degree of risk, and that risk makes it advisable to protect yourself with missionary insurance. What are the factors to consider when purchasing the correct insurance policy for your missionary journey?
Missionary health insurance can be classified into two primary types: short and long term. These classifications can be explained very easily; short term insurance for missionaries is designed for persons taking brief trips lasting anywhere from 5 days to 24 months. Long term insurance is available in annual increments and is designed for missionaries who are residing in a foreign country for a long period of time and/or who are making frequent trips to another country.
If you’re traveling as a missionary as part of large group, you may be able to participate in a group missionary medical insurance plan. This may help make it easier to absorb some of the costs associated with the plan as you may be able to get a cheaper rate when enrolling with your colleagues. Check with your insurance policy representative to learn more about this option.
After deciding on the length of your policy, your next consideration will involve how you will purchase it. Researching your various missionary travel insurance options has become much easier thanks to the Internet.
Do a quick Google search and you’re bound to come across a number of missionary insurance providers. Do some research, find out which ones are the most reputable, and from there you can begin requesting quotes on pricing and plan features. Be sure you understand all the various features of a plan before making a decision, otherwise you may see a lower rate and not realize it’s missing critical elements.
If you don’t feel comfortable making this purchase online, talk to someone at the church or other organization which has organized your missionary trip. They should have one or more recommendations they can share with you. Additionally, the U.S. State Department recommends missionary travel insurance, so you may be able to contact someone there for suggestions.
The price of your plan will be shaped by a number of factors, including term, deductible, and maximum policy value. Deductibles can be purchased at different rates, with higher deductibles typically resulting in lower premiums. Once again, you may wish to consult friends and colleagues with missionary experience, as they may have valuable advice on what a realistic deductible would be.
Missionary work isn’t just enriching, it can also be potentially dangerous, as any international travel can be. Take the right steps to reduce your risk, starting with the purchase of a comprehensive missionary medical insurance policy. Research the right policy for your trip, because you never know what you’ll run into on your journey.
Dan Miller often writes about international insurance.