Why Regions Matter

How does where I'm going affect my insurance premium?

Your destination affects where you're going because of a few reasons. There are factors such as the cost of medical services in that country, the availability of medical facilities, the remoteness of where you're going, and emergency transport to take into account.

For example, it's fairly well known that medical treatment in the United States is extremely costly as opposed to somewhere in Europe like Ireland or France. A standard blood test can cost up to $120 (£90) without insurance, and offices or labs have the ability to raise this fee in line with clinic or hospital policy. If you're taken ill in Florida, they might run a series of blood tests in order to make a diagnosis - alongside the cost of an appointment, room, and other charges. So you see, this can add up very, very quickly.

And while it's also quite likely you would be travelling to a tourist area, city, or other destination with easy access to amenities, there are plenty of places all over the world which are luxurious, but remote. This could mean that getting you to the nearest medical facility with the correct equipment to treat you, is long-winded, laborious, delayed, or even unlikely. This increases the potential need for emergency medical transport such as an air ambulance (which isn't a free service!), and perhaps having to cross borders to benefit from medical assistance.

It's for this reason that multiple geographical regions exist. Europe 1, Europe 2, Worldwide exc., and Worldwide including the USA, Canada, Caribbean, and Mexico. Generally the later your destination appears on the list, the higher your premium can be.