Introduction

As a travel nurse, you know that health insurance is a must. After all, it’s one of the most important things you can have to keep yourself and your family safe. But finding the right policy can be difficult. If you’re wondering how to compare plans or what type of plan might be best for you as a traveler, this guide will help!

If you’re a travel nurse, you probably already know how important having health insurance is for you and your family’s well-being.

If you’re a travel nurse, you probably already know how important having health insurance is for you and your family’s well-being. Travel nursing can be a high-risk profession, and if something happens while on the job, there may not be access to employer-based insurance coverage or affordable options.

Travel nurses are at risk of injury or illness while working in a foreign country—and those risks don’t stop when they return home at night! In fact, many travelers experience post-travel exhaustion because they’ve been away from familiar surroundings without being able to sleep at night due to jet lag (or worse).

But finding the right plan at an affordable cost can be hard.

But finding the right plan at an affordable cost can be hard. To help you navigate this process, we’ve created a resource that compares plans in your area and provides information about each one. We also offer tips on how to shop around for a plan that fits your budget and specific needs—and if you’re on a tight budget, consider a high deductible plan so you aren’t paying much out-of-pocket in case of illness or injury.

Here are some things to consider when looking for health insurance as a travel nurse.

• What type of coverage do you want?
• How much can you afford to spend?
• Do you want to choose different providers for different services, or do all policies cover the same services (like emergency care)? If so, how important is it that the provider covered be in your area?
• Are there any plans out there that only cover emergency care and don’t offer routine care at all? If so, are those worth considering too?

When choosing a health insurance policy, the first thing to do is ask yourself what type of coverage you want.

When choosing a health insurance policy, the first thing to do is ask yourself what type of coverage you want. Do you want a plan that covers just emergency care or one that covers routine care too? If it’s okay with your employer, then consider adding an HSA (Health Savings Account) supplement to your policy—this will allow you to use pre-tax dollars for medical expenses and pay them out later when needed.

• Figure out what’s important to you and start there. Once you’ve figured out what type of coverage is right for your needs and preferences, it’s time to figure out what kind of budget can be afforded by travel nurses who work in different areas across the country or globe!

Do you want a plan that covers just emergency care or one that covers routine care too?

The next question to ask is: do you want a plan that covers just emergency care or one that covers routine care too?

Routine care is covered by the government, so it’s an option only if you have access to your own health insurance through work (i.e., not through Medicare or Medicaid). You may have heard of these programs before—they are known as “Obamacare” plans! Emergency room visits and visits from specialists aren’t included in this type of coverage, though many employers will offer a supplemental policy for patients who need it.

Figure out what’s important to you and start there.

The first step to finding the right travel nurse insurance is figuring out what’s important to you. Think about your personal priorities and those of your family, job and travel agency. What are they looking for in their healthcare? Do they care more about price than quality? Is it worth paying extra dollars if it means being covered by a network hospital with great doctors who work around the clock to get you back on your feet quickly after surgery or an emergency visit?

You may be surprised by what factors really influence your decision-making process when choosing coverage:

• What would happen if something happened during a trip away from home? Would health insurance pay for costly procedures like knee replacements or hip replacements after an accident on assignment as a travel nurse? If so, which one do we choose—a comprehensive plan that covers all expenses incurred during any treatment at any facility in the country (like Aetna) versus one that only covers costs incurred within our current region (like Medica)?
• Will my spouse also need coverage while working abroad so we can share expenses equally instead of having one person pay most everything up front before leaving home?

Now that you have an idea of what you need in terms of benefits and coverage, it’s time to figure out what you can afford to spend.

The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out how much the insurance will cost. This is called a premium, and it’s what you’ll pay each month to cover your health plan.

The second thing you’ll want to do is figure out how many years of coverage are included in your policy. Some policies may cover up to three years of hospitalization or doctor visits while traveling, while others offer only a year at most (or even less). If this is something important for you—say because there were two separate surgeries performed on the same day—then make sure that whatever plan offers more coverage than one year includes both procedures so that there’s no gap between them when covering subsequent stays abroad.

The higher your deductible, the lower your premium will be.

The higher your deductible, the lower your premium will be.

Deductibles are the amount you pay before your insurance plan starts paying for services. Deductibles usually range from $1,000 to $2,000—and can even be higher if you have high health issues and need lots of care. On average, these deductibles are about 10% of your annual household income (not including other sources of coverage) but may vary depending on where you live and how much money is available in your budget for medical expenses.

If you have a lower deductible than another traveler’s spouse who works as an RN as well but doesn’t travel internationally regularly like they do…then maybe there’s something else going on here?

Next, decide whether you want to choose different providers for different services.

You can choose different providers for different services. This is a great way to save money because you only pay one premium, but it can be hard to make sure that all of your coverage options are covered by each provider.

If you want to select different providers for different services, there are two main ways to do this:

• Choose one plan through an insurer that has partnered with multiple insurers and then add on other plans from those same insurers as needed (this option is available in some states). For example, if you want dental coverage but don’t want vision or hearing care included in the same plan, then choose one insurer and add-on another provider later on down the road when needed (e.g., if one tooth falls out). Or if there is something specific about one part of your body—like feet—that needs extra attention from time to time but isn’t covered under another part(s) of your body…then go ahead and get separate coverage!

Conclusion

We hope this article has given you some insight on how to find affordable health insurance as a travel nurse.