When you're planning the trip of a lifetime, the last thing you want to think about is getting injured or ill while on your trip. However, accidents and injuries happen, and you need emergency medical insurance to help you get the best care possible while far away from home.

But Won't My Health Insurance Cover Me?

If you have health insurance, you should definitely check your policy to see what coverage is available when you're away from your home country. You will likely find that your regular health insurance offers no coverage or only 50% coverage for medical expenses. It likely will also not cover you if you need to be evacuated back home.

What Does Emergency Medical Insurance Cover?

It covers travel-related medical emergencies, whether you are a student studying abroad for several months, a businessperson, or a vacationer traveling for just a few days. In fact, you can purchase insurance for the exact number of days you'll be gone.

When you purchase your emergency insurance, be sure to check that the policy:

* Covers any preexisting conditions you have

* Includes an emergency assistance phone number you can call to help you find a doctor or hospital if necessary

* Includes emergency medical evacuation

You can also choose whether you want the policy to include additional coverages for baggage insurance, trip cancellation insurance, and trip interruption insurance.

Finding a Cheap Policy

Fortunately, emergency travel insurance doesn't cost a lot, often just a dollar or two a day. To get a cheap rate, go to an insurance comparison website. You can enter your travel information and insurance needs and you will then receive quotes from multiple A-rated insurance companies.

Looking to lower your monthly premium on your health insurance? High Deductible Major Medical Health Insurance may be the answer you've been looking for. Here's what it is and where you can get it cheap.

What is High Deductible Major Medical Health Insurance?

This type of insurance covers you only for serious injuries or illnesses. You select the deductible you want, which will usually be from $500 to $10,000 per year. You pay all your medical expenses up to this deductible, after which the company pays 100% of any additional medical expenses.

If My Deductible is so High, How Am I Saving Money?

You are saving money because, while your deductible is high, your monthly premiums are low. Consider this: your monthly premiums can be half of what you would pay for a traditional health insurance program. In addition, these types of health plans are often coupled with "insurance savings accounts."

What's an insurance savings account? You can think of it as a medical 401-K, in which you regularly deposit money-on a pre-tax basis-to cover your medical expenses until you meet your deductible. So if your deductible is $2,000, you would want to deposit $2,000 in your insurance savings account each year to pay for that deductible. When you have a medical expense, you draw money out of the savings plan to pay for it.

Sounds Great - Where Can I Find a Cheap Plan?

You can find free quotes for cheap high deductible health insurance plans quickly and easily by going online to an insurance comparison website. On such a site, you can shop for a plan any time by just filling out a simple form with information about yourself and your health insurance needs. You then receive quotes from multiple A-rated companies, which you can look over on your own time and choose the best plan for your situation.

And if you have any questions, the best comparison websites have insurance professionals on-hand who will answer your questions and provide information on how to lower your premium even further (see link below).

If you are self employed or do not get health insurance through your job, then it is something you are probably concerned about. Many people have been financially ruined because they got sick or had an accident when they did not have coverage, and many studies show that people with health insurance get better care! Even if you decided to budget for a health plan, you may have been declined for coverage because of a pre existing health condition. It can be very tough to find an adequate medical plan these days for lots of reasons!

However, maybe you haven't considered the combination of a high deductible, or catastrophic, health insurance plan with a supplement. The medical plan may have a deductible of $5,000, $10,000, or even $20,000! That sounds like a lot, but it will pale in comparison with the medical costs a person can incur because of a major accident or injury. Because the deductible is high, the premiums will be much lower. These types of plans also do not suffer as many rate increases, and insurance companies usually relax their underwriting standards too!

Of course, $5,000 to $20,000 is still a lot of money to have to pay, but it is also amount you could probably borrow or pay off. Think of this size of a deductible as a car payment. However, if you ran up a $100,000 or $1,000,000 bill because of a terrible accident or illness, it would be almost impossible for most you to find that much money from a lender. That would be like paying off a home mortgage, or maybe even the mortgage on a mansion! It would be much easier to handle the car payment, now wouldn't it?

But we are not done yet. Remember I mentioned supplemental plans. You can find cash supplements to cover unexpected accidents or sickness in the amount of $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000. Because these policies only cover this low amount, they are affordable and easy to qualify for! Now you have taken care of that unexpected bill.

You can also find a high deductible medical plan that qualifies as an HSA (Health Savings Account) plan. You can set up a savings account that actually pays interest. Contributions are tax deductible, within specified limits. And you can use the money in this account for many medical costs that health insurance plans do not usually cover.

So consider what you have now. You are paying $300 to $500 less for your catastrophic health plan every month if you are like many families Take some of that money and contribute to your tax deductible savings account, and then take a little more and pay for a supplement. You have a way to pay for doctor's visits and prescriptions, and you have coverage in case of a major illness! You will probably even have a little money left over to spend on other items in your family's budget. Also consider that, no only is the HSA account deductible, the premiums may also be deductible. I cannot help you find really cheap health insurance, but I can help you save some money!

When you head off to college, your mind is usually filled with hanging out and partying. You tend to think the rules don't apply to you and freedom is at your fingertips. You'll never again be told what to do. Well some students seem to have that illusion, but most are really stressed about their grades and having to face life without their parents whom, up until this moment, have taken care of all their expenses. The last thing you need is something else to worry about with all this reality setting in. You still need to keep yourself prepared for the worst even though you are young and healthy. This is the reason medical insurance for student is something important.

When some students go off to college, they don't have health or dental insurance coverage. Due to the fact that this was previously taken cared of by their parents before. Had they taken some time and do some research, which could most likely be found at the school's website, you'd find that health insurance plans are mandatory for full time students.

If you are attending a University or a community college and have no health insurance, make sure to look into medical insurance for students. You can never be too sure when you may be in need of it. Most college students don't have thousands of dollars set aside to take care of their medical expenses in case they get sick or are hospitalized for a while. Dental insurance may not be necessary, but you should definitely look into the medical plans that your school provide. Don't wait until it's too late if you happen to be a full time student. Look into a medical insurance plan that fits your needs and budget.

Mention the idea of cheap medical insurance and most Arizona residents will laugh in your face. The very idea that medical coverage could still be cheap in this day and age is ludicrous - right? Well, until relatively recently that may have been true, but now there is a new form of medical coverage that could turn many people's healthcare world up-side-down and save them a ton of cash in the process.

The new form of coverage is a Health Savings Account, also known as an HSA. These are special savings accounts that are funded with cheap tax-free dollars. You use these cheap dollars to pay for all of your medical bills each year, and since you are paying for your own doctor's office visits, and paying for your own outpatient needs, and paying for your own specialists and paying for your own prescriptions, there is no one to tell you which doctors or what pharmacy you have to use. You are in full control of your own health care.

And since you are paying for everything with tax-free money you are saving the equivalent of approximately 25% on all of your costs.

Also, since you save money by needing medical treatment less, you have a tremendous incentive to stay healthy. You have an added reason to stop smoking or using chew and you have a great reason for skipping as many fast food meals as you can and watching your weight.

Another tremendous advantage to a Health Savings Account is that any cash left in the account at the end of a year can be rolled over into the next year. This means that over time you could build up a nice tax-free retirement nest egg - especially if you keep yourself healthy.

Obviously there are some things none of us have any control over - such as a totally unexpected catastrophic accident or illness. Such an event could wipe out our life savings or even force us to sell our home in virtually the blink of an eye.

Your Health Savings Account has you covered there, as well. You will be required to purchase a cheap super-high-deductible health insurance policy which will protect your assets if you should suffer a catastrophic event.

Cheap medical insurance is an idea that has thousands of Arizona residents almost salivating. For most Arizona residents it has been so long since they have been able to get cheap medical coverage that they have given up all hope of ever seeing a low-cost policy again. Take heart, because all hope is not lost. There is a relative new and almost unknown form of health coverage that can save virtually everyone thousands of dollars a year while still providing them with full medical protection.

This new form of coverage is called a Health Savings Account, or HSA. An HSA is a very special savings account that you put cheap tax-free dollars into. You then use your tax-free savings to pay for all of your own medical needs during the year.

Since you are paying for your own doctor's visits and your own specialists and your own prescriptions you can pick and choose any doctors you want and any pharmacy you want with no interference whatsoever from anyone. You are in total control. And since you are paying for everything with tax-free money it's equivalent to a savings of approximately 25%.

Another huge benefit of a Health Savings Account is that any money remaining in the account at the end of a year is rolled over into the next year - tax free! That means over time it is possible that you could build up a nice tax-free nest egg that you can spend as soon as you start using Medicare.

Obviously this type of plan works best for people who are generally healthy. In fact, the majority of healthy young individuals and families could do quite well investing in this type of health plan. This type of medical coverage encourages individuals to quite smoking or using any tobacco products and it encourages people to lose weight - because the healthier you are the more you save!

Of course the surest way to save money on ANY health plan is to buy your policy online. As everyone knows, online insurance sellers have almost no overhead plus they have a lot of competition - two things which add up to incredible savings for you.

In fact, buying your medical policy online is equivalent to buying it at wholesale - and wouldn't you rather buy wholesale than pay retail?

Ask almost any Arizona resident how they feel about medical insurance and you're sure to hear the same thing from each and every one of them - medical coverage is just too darn expensive. It's gotten so expensive, in fact, that fully 16% of all Arizona residents can't afford any coverage at all. Or at least they think they can't afford any coverage. The fact is, there's a new type of medical coverage that's radically different and potentially less expensive that could be the answer millions of Arizona residents have been hoping for.

But before we look at this new form of medical protection let's talk about your overall health since this new form of coverage works best for people who are generally healthy and don't need to see their doctor very often in a normal year.

There are two primary things that most Americans can do to improve their health and lower the cost of their health care. If they smoke or use chew they can stop, and if they are overweight they can shed a few pounds. Neither of these things is very appealing to most people, but the fact of the matter is you can save a ton of money every year if you can quit smoking and drop a few pounds.

Quitting smoking is more a matter of finally deciding on a gut level that you want to quit than it is based on any kind of patch or other gimmick. Either you sincerely want to quit or you don't - and if you don't really feel the NEED to quit smoking then it's very likely that any attempt to quit will fail.

Losing weight is also a matter of not just wanting to lose but of NEEDING to lose. One thing many Arizona residents can do to lose weight is to drive right on past their favorite fast food joint every day. If you have a real craving for a burger and fries then DON'T stop. A burger and fries can have more than 1,000 calories and enough fat and cholesterol to swim in.

Just how sincere are you about saving money on your health care?

The new type of health policy that can save you a ton of money is known as a Health Savings Account, or an HSA. This is a very special savings account that you put cheap tax-free dollars into. You then pay for ALL of your health needs every year with your own tax-free dollars.

Since you are using your own money to pay for your health needs you are in total control. You pick your own doctor, your own specialist, and decide about your own prescriptions.

As part of your Health Savings Account you will be required to buy a very cheap super-high-deductible health insurance policy. This high-deductible policy won't pay a penny toward your normal doctor's office visits, or your prescriptions (that's what you use your tax-free savings account for). What this cheap medical coverage does do is it protects your life savings and even your home from the possibility of a catastrophic accident or illness that could cost you tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars and wipe out all of your assets overnight.

But regardless of what kind of health coverage you're looking for, one thing will always save you big bucks, and that is buying your policy online. Buying online health insurance will save you 20 to 30% each and every month. In fact, it simply doesn't make sense to buy your health coverage anywhere but online these days.