“Seguro al Turista”: Free Medical Insurance for Tourists in Panama

When traveling abroad, one of the things people worry about is having a medical emergency.  Many choose to purchase international medical coverage, but it can end up being quite costly.  Panama is raising the bar with a new policy: Free Medical Insurance for Tourists in Panama!  That’s right; visitors get free medical insurance coverage in Panama during the first 30 days of their stay.  Talk about incentive to choose Panama for your next vacation destination!

To me, like probably everyone else, thinking of having total medical coverage in case of an accident is very attractive.  On a personal note, I am a bit clumsy and sometimes distracted; during my travel I’ve managed to lose 2 credit cards IN ONE DAY!  With my bad luck during the same trip I ended up catching a kidney infection, which I had never had and it’s something I would not even wish upon a foe.  Good thing the credit cards had insurance protection, but I did not!  So I ended up paying over $500 dollars for a 1-hour stay in the clinic and suffering throughout much of my short vacation.  Therefore, when I travel from now on I always try to take precautions.  I am always afraid one of these days my clumsiness will lead to a sprained ankle or even worse, another iffy ailment that will not only ruin my vacation time but my budget too.  When I heard about the government implementing this Free Medical Insurance for Tourists in Panama I thought to myself, this will ease the worries of A LOT of travelers, save money for their travel and entice them to visit Panama, even more than once!

As stated on Panama’s official website and the sponsor of the insurance program, https://visitpanama.com/, Panama wants to take care of you like if you were home (or maybe better!).  The Free Medical Insurance for Tourists in Panama covers for hospitalization and medical expenses for up to $7000 USD in case of accident or contracting a disease while in Panama.  The Panama tourist insurance could also cover for death, emergency dental, some administrative legal assistance, lost or stolen documents and even delayed flights and lost luggage!  Just contact the number on the front of the card you receive at the Tocumen International Airport upon your arrival to Panama; these cards are handed out at the tourist information centers located in the immigration area inside the airport.  PLACE IT IN A SAFE SPOT as it may change your Panama vacation completely if you happen to have an emergency.

For more information on this Panama tourist insurance and a list of clinics and medical facilities to go to in case of an emergency, you can visit the visitpanama.com link above.  Don’t forget to review the limitations and exclusions, i.e. accidents from extreme sports are not covered in case you happen to break a leg while intentionally jumping off a cliff!

Keep it safe and enjoy Panama.  There’s so much to do and see in Panama and now you can feel free to explore it all secure that in case of a mishap, Panama has got your back with the Free Medical Insurance for Tourists!