Global Protective Solutions
What Makes Global Protective Solutions the Right Choice for Patients?
What Worries Patients Most About Traveling for Treatment?
More and more people travel to another country for medical and dental care, and for many it opens the door to care they might not otherwise have. But once the decision is made, a different set of questions starts to surface.
What if something goes wrong after my procedure? What if I get hurt or sick on the trip? Who do I call when I'm in a country I don't know? And how would I pay for any of it?
Those worries are real, and international medical travel needs specialized protection that standard travel insurance policies usually exclude or don't address. This page walks through the situations medical travelers worry about most, and how Global Protective Solutions (GPS) is designed to help with each one.
"What If Something Goes Wrong After My Procedure?"
This is usually the biggest fear. You've planned the treatment, booked the trip, and budgeted for the procedure. But a complication can bring medical or surgical expenses that were never part of the plan, and they can show up after the procedure is over, sometimes after you're already home.
Some patients also worry about less obvious problems, like thrombosis, or an outcome that turns out to be failed or unfavourable because of a complication.
| If you're worried about… | The complication coverage includes |
|---|---|
| A complication after treatment | Additional medical or surgical expenses due to a medical complication |
| Thrombosis | Additional medical or surgical expenses due to thrombosis |
| An unfavourable outcome | Additional medical or surgical expenses for a failed or unfavourable outcome caused by a covered complication |
| How long you're protected | Medical complications for up to 180 days after your medical procedure |
| Where you get corrective care | Locally, or back at your original treatment facility, if a covered complication requires medically necessary treatment |
Good to know, at home and abroad: the insurance and services apply to an event that occurs while you're traveling outside your home country. Care for a covered complication isn't limited to one country, though: eligible costs can be claimed even if they occur in your home country, up to 180 days after the procedure.
When you enroll, you can choose to remove home-country coverage. If you do, you're covered for a complication only while you're outside your home country, for the travel dates you gave when you enrolled.
"Does This Pay for My Procedure?" What GPS Doesn't Cover
It's important to know the limits before you travel, so there are no surprises later:
- The procedure itself. Benefits don't cover elective procedures or any medical expenses related to the initial procedure you chose and paid for.
- Results you're unhappy with. The benefits don't guarantee workmanship or your satisfaction with aesthetic results, or the successful outcome of a correcting procedure. A covered complication is a separate medical diagnosis resulting from the procedure, such as an infection.
- Routine follow-up care. Normal follow-up care that isn't the result of a covered complication isn't included, and there are no benefits if a patient fails to follow pre- and post-operative medical instructions.
- Other insurance comes first. Benefits are secondary to any and all collectible insurance.
- Sanctioned countries. Expenses in OFAC-sanctioned countries aren't eligible, and people traveling to or from those countries can't enroll.
"What If I Get Hurt or Sick on the Trip?"
Not every risk on a medical trip comes from the procedure. A transportation accident, a slip or fall, an illness contracted while traveling, or, in the hardest cases, an unexpected death from an accident or illness can turn a planned trip into an emergency. Then there are the practical setbacks: a cancelled or delayed trip, or problems with your baggage.
GPS programs include travel-related accident and illness insurance, and the benefits include:
"What About the Person Traveling With Me?"
Most patients don't make a medical trip alone. A spouse, parent, or friend often comes along to help, and they face the same travel risks you do.
How GPS helps: a travel companion can be included at enrollment for travel-related illnesses and accidents. It's recommended that you and your companion have the same coverage, so that if an accident involves you both, such as a taxi accident, you only have to call and coordinate with one assistance service.
"Who Do I Call When I'm in a Country I Don't Know?"
Being sick or injured is hard enough at home. Abroad, you may not know where the nearest suitable facility is, how to get there, or who to ask. You may also worry about your safety in an unfamiliar place, or what to do if your passport goes missing.
Medical emergency assistance, 24/7/365
Assistance is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It's provided by an international claims administrator, who can direct you to the nearest facility for treatment, arrange medical evacuation, and help with companion coordination.
Travel security support from Crisis24
Crisis24, a risk management company, provides travel security advice, crisis management services, safety assistance, and help with lost or stolen passports.
The Horizon Mobile app in your pocket
A downloadable app for Android and iOS that you can use for the duration of your trip, with location intelligence, alerts, quick connect assistance buttons, advice sheets, and useful links.
If something does happen, here's what to do
- For emergency medical assistance, call the telephone numbers on your GPS ID card, and identify your policy ID number and/or group name.
- Always seek emergency care at a duly qualified facility, so as not to make the complication worse.
- For non-emergency care, report to the claims manager as soon as practical and before you receive care, and seek pre-approval to avoid a reduction in benefits.
- To file a claim, use the claim form provided for your coverage; contact details for the claim and assistance services are on the form. You'll need to authorize access to your medical records so the claims manager can assess your claim.
"What Happens to My Plans, and My Family, If Something Goes Wrong?"
A complication doesn't only affect your health. It can mean changing flights, staying longer than planned, finding somewhere to eat and sleep, and keeping the people who depend on you at home informed and cared for. These are the details that add stress at exactly the wrong moment.
- How GPS helps
- Additional expenses for travel, meals, and accommodations
- Dependent care and family coordination
- Prescription services for expatriates, to supply prescriptions for most medications in most countries
- Country and travel information services
What This Means for You as a Medical Traveler
Help With the Costs of a Complication
If a covered complication follows your procedure, additional medical or surgical expenses are included for up to 180 days, including when the costs occur back home, unless you removed home-country coverage.
Protection for the Whole Trip, Not Just the Procedure
Travel accident and illness coverage addresses the risks of simply being away, from emergency medical care to trip cancellation, delay, and baggage.
Someone to Turn To, Day or Night
With 24/7/365 emergency assistance, Crisis24 support, and the Horizon Mobile app, you're not left to figure things out alone in an unfamiliar country.
Your Companion and Family Aren't Forgotten
Companion options, dependent care, and family coordination reflect the fact that a medical trip involves more than one person.
"Can I Get Covered, and How?"
The medical complications coverage is available to anyone traveling outside their home country to have a medical procedure, wherever they live. You don't have to be a U.S. citizen to apply, although certain age, citizenship, and procedure restrictions apply.
Your treating facility matters too: it must be duly qualified by the jurisdiction where it's located, and/or hold an international accreditation from an ISQua member organization or another recognized international accrediting body.
- Apply online. Submit an application for enrollment, and include your travel companion if they're coming with you.
- Wait for approval. Once your application has been reviewed and approved, you'll receive a notification with instructions on how to make a secure payment.
- Get your confirmation and ID card. Once payment is verified, you'll immediately receive your confirmation of insurance and services and your ID card. The Horizon Mobile registration code and details are provided when you enroll and log into your account.
Who Stands Behind GPS?
GPS isn't an insurance company. It's the name of a group of programs, established in 2008 and designed specifically for the international medical travel industry. The programs are created and administered by Custom Assurance Placements, Ltd., a U.S.-based insurance broker in Columbia, South Carolina, whose mission is to provide solutions that fit each international patient's and partner's unique needs.
Coverage is placed with insurance carriers including:
along with other multinational A-rated insurance companies, depending on the coverage. Support services are delivered with partners including Crisis24 and Horizon Mobile.
From medical travelers
Testimonials as published by Global Protective Solutions
"Your claims contact Rhiannon at Global response has been amazing and very helpful."
Natasha, Medical Tourist from Australia
"Thank you so much! I can't thank you enough. Your efforts mean the world to us!"
Chad, Medical Tourist from Canada
Questions Medical Travelers Ask About GPS
Will I be covered if a complication appears after I get home?
Eligible costs for a covered complication can be claimed even if they occur in your home country, up to 180 days after the procedure date, unless you chose to remove home-country coverage when you enrolled. The covered event itself must occur while you're traveling outside your home country.
Will GPS pay for my procedure?
No. The coverage doesn't pay for elective procedures or for medical expenses related to the initial procedure. It's there for unexpected travel accidents and for medical complications of the procedure you chose and paid for.
Is follow-up care covered?
Normal follow-up care that isn't the result of a covered complication isn't included. Follow-up care is often necessary, so it's worth planning it well in advance, before you finalize your trip.
I don't live in the United States. Can I still enroll?
Yes. The programs are available worldwide, and you don't need to be a U.S. citizen to apply. Certain age, citizenship, and procedure restrictions apply.
What if my passport is lost or stolen abroad?
Crisis24 provides help with lost or stolen passports, along with travel security advice and safety assistance.
Traveling for Care Shouldn't Mean Traveling Unprotected
Choosing treatment abroad takes courage and careful planning. The procedure is what you're traveling for, but it's the unexpected moments, a complication, an accident, a lost passport, a family left waiting at home, that can turn a good plan into a hard experience.
Global Protective Solutions is built around those moments, with complication coverage for up to 180 days after your procedure, travel accident and illness protection, companion options, and 24/7/365 assistance, all designed specifically for medical travelers.
Planning Treatment Abroad?
Put your coverage in place before you travel, so you can focus on your recovery.
Enroll with GPSInformation on this page is based on materials published by Custom Assurance Placements, Ltd. PlacidCircle partners are independent businesses.
