— Sep 16, 2019, 3:14 PM Email from Michael Palmer —
Greetings COEIT community,
Please be sure you share this information with your students who are traveling internationally.
My apologies for such a lengthy email, but this is a critical subject which warrants detail and attention.
In case you are unaware, our eTravel process does not include international travel insurance. It was originally communicated to us (the college) folks in IES would be able to assist those traveling internationally with obtaining travel insurance; however, IES recently communicated with the Dean’s Office they currently do not have the administrative bandwidth to support such a service**, as there were hundreds (close to thousands) of unique international trips last year. Therefore, I am writing to tell you, as you travel abroad, please make sure you’re purchasing international travel to protect yourself. Unfortunately, most health care plans do not cover things like evacuations. Therefore, UMBC recommends getting international travel insurance. Emergency evacuation and repatriation insurance provides two distinct services. If you fall ill or are injured in an area where adequate medical facilities are not available, emergency evacuation insurance can cover the costs involved with getting you to the nearest suitable medical facilities. In some cases, you may be brought back to the United States for treatment.
This insurance also offers the repatriation of your remains should you pass away overseas. Given the tremendous expense and logistical difficulties that are involved in any medical evacuation or repatriation, we strongly recommend that you purchase this. The University is not permitted to advocate for one insurance company over another, but there are plenty of companies who provide this coverage (examples: AIG, and CSA Travel Protection). Your health insurance company may also offer international travel policies to purchase for a single trip (Blue Cross Blue Shield does).
Please be sure to take into consideration the following coverages/situations as you seek insurance:
- Emergency medical care
- Repatriation of Remains
- Medical transport back to the United States
- Travel/accommodation costs
- 24 hour contact line
- Sufficient financial coverage
- The region(s) you travel in
- Duration of travel
- Pre-existing conditions
- Activities you plan on engaging in
You can find additional information regarding travel insurance considerations here: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad/insurance-providers-overseas.html
*Some of the travel agencies with which we work to book our accommodations do offer international travel insurance options should you make your travel plans through them (Globetrotter offers Travel Guard and will issue a quote; Omega Travel does not offer Travel Insurance; Travel On does offer an insurance option through Allianz Global Assistance).
**IES does handle international travel insurance for those faculty/students/staff participating in a study abroad program.
***Faculty, please make sure you’re reminding your students to purchase International Travel insurance if they’re attending a conference or traveling for research abroad. Your grant, if budgeted appropriately (i.e. budgeted for international travel), should cover these costs. Please check with a member of the Shared Services Sponsored Research Team if verification is desired.
Any additional guidance will be communicated out promptly as it becomes available.
If you have any questions or need clarification, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
Thanks,
Michael
Michael Palmer
College of Engineering and Information Technology
Dean’s Office
Assistant Dean of Finance and Administration