"MediClaim means peace of mind," is a claim made by the insurance companies.

An overseas MediClaim policy is supposed to take care of all medical needs when the policyholder is abroad.

Common benefits offered by Indian insurers, under these plans include Medical expenses on account of disease, sickness or accident, personal accident benefit, compensation for loss of or delay delivery of checked baggage, loss of passport, personal liability etc. Few companies are offering value added benefits. For instance, some companies is offering benefits such as hospital daily allowance, hijacked distress allowance and financial emergency allowance.

These polices are offered in two variants. One being single trip insurance and the other being specifically aimed at Corporate Managers who travel frequently. While the policy for corporates is issued for a period of 1 year covering any number of visits within a year with each visit extending to a maximum of 30 days, single trip mediclaim policy is issued for the period of travel abroad. However maximum period up to which one can be covered varies from company to company. It may be noted that none of these polices can be extended after the trip has started.

TIPS FOR CHOOSING A POLICY

Choosing a right policy from a right insurer can make all the difference and here are few tips for buying a travel insurance policy:

• Mode of claim settlement
  
• Check for the international help line
  
• Can the policy be extended while you are abroad?
  
• Check whether you are covered while you are travelling/driving a vehicle