By Whitney Stidom, Vice President of Consumer Enablement, eHealth

As the summer travel season reaches its peak, millions of Americans are gearing up for trips across the country and overseas. While having fun with family and friends is likely at the top of your checklist, how ready would you be if you became ill or injured on your trip? 

For most people, they are not very ready. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of Americans said they would not know what to do if they needed medical care while traveling away from home. What’s more, a new eHealth survey found about 70% of Americans either don’t know or incorrectly believe their health plan generally includes coverage while traveling internationally.

Whether you're planning a cross-country road trip or an international adventure, understanding your health insurance coverage while traveling is crucial for avoiding unexpected medical bills and ensuring you receive proper care when needed.

Here are three steps to help with that: 

Step 1: Before your trip it is a good idea to schedule a wellness visit with your primary care physician if you have not had one already. This appointment can help determine your fitness for travel and identify potential health issues. Best of all, these annual preventive exams are typically covered at no additional out-of-pocket cost as part of your health plan. Likewise, your physician can check if you and your family members are up to date on covered and recommended vaccinations, which can be especially important when traveling internationally. Finally, whether you are covered through an employer or individual plan, Medicare and Medicaid, check with your plan to understand what is covered while traveling outside of your home area, especially to determine whether any U.S. destination will have in-network care providers available and whether any international destination will have coverage at all.

Step 2: During your trip it’s important to know emergency care will typically be covered by your plan, assuming you are still in the U.S. For people who are covered by Original Medicare Parts A and B, you can generally visit any Medicare-approved doctors and hospitals anywhere in the country. For people with Medicare Advantage, it’s key to check which medical providers are in network with your plan, as going out of network for non-emergency care can cost more. If traveling internationally, most health insurance plans, including Medicare, have limited or no coverage for care, other than a few limited exceptions such as when you’re on a cruise ship in U.S. territorial waters. If you need medical care on your trip, make sure to keep a digital or physical copy of your insurance or Medicare card and list of emergency contacts. Also, consider bringing a credit card in case you need to pay out of pocket for medical care in a foreign country.

Step 3: After your trip make sure to save all documentation, including any bills, receipts, and medical records, if you did receive care while traveling. These are important if you file a reimbursement claim with your insurer, in cases where the care may be covered. Some plans require claims to be submitted within a specific timeframe, so don’t delay. If you visited an out-of-network provider for non-emergency care, ask about setting up a payment plan if the bill is substantial. Finally, learn from the experience and think about additional kinds of coverage may be helpful moving forward, such as a travel insurance plan, which may include coverage for emergency medical care abroad, medical evacuation or trip cancellation. For people who are eligible for Medicare, consider enrolling in a Medicare Supplement plan, ideally when you first become eligible for Medicare. Medicare Supplement plans may include an emergency care benefit for international travel.

By considering these steps, your health insurance can be a safety net — not a stressor — on your summer getaway.

Whitney Stidom is vice president of consumer enablement at eHealth, a leading online health insurance marketplace that helps consumers confidently navigate their health benefit decisions.

• For additional insights, click here for an article from Forbes, and here for one from MarketWatch, in which Whitney is quoted on the subject of healthcare and summer travel.