{"id":1017,"date":"2018-02-15T08:00:51","date_gmt":"2018-02-15T14:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.therealdealtours.com\/blog2\/?p=1017"},"modified":"2025-02-06T11:37:53","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T17:37:53","slug":"tourist-medical-insurance-in-panama","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therealdealtours.com\/blog\/blog\/tourist-medical-insurance-in-panama\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Travel Insurance – Tourist Medical Insurance in Panama"},"content":{"rendered":"

Panama Travel Insurance – Worry Free Panama Vacations<\/h1>\n

No More  – Now What?<\/h2>\n

A few years ago we posted on the benefits of free medical insurance for tourists in Panama<\/a>.  Panama’s department of tourism was offering visitors one of the most amazing incentives to travel to Panama: peace of mind!  Unfortunately, many unethical people were exploiting their generosity and were coming to Panama just to have costly medical procedures done.  The cost to keep the program running was well beyond the benefit of bringing in extra tourism, so the program got cancelled.<\/p>\n

So, since free medical insurance in Panama is no longer available, we figured it would be good to follow up with some recommendations for good travel insurance and a few reasons it is important to buy before you travel.<\/p>\n

Should I Buy Travel Medical Insurance When Traveling to Panama?<\/h4>\n

Simple answer is, yes.  The benefits far outweigh the cost, and really, peace of mind during your vacation is priceless.  You are on vacation to relax and enjoy after all, so why worry about being uninsured and unprotected.  I also may offend a few friends here over my next words, but the older we get the more likely we are to run into a medical emergency.  We just don’t bounce like we used to.  If you can relate…get medical insurance.<\/p>\n

I Already Included Trip Insurance When Booking My Flight.  Isn’t That Enough?<\/h4>\n

If all you care about is being reimbursed for any inconveniences while on vacation such as missed flights or lost luggage, then your Trip Insurance should cover it.  If you are more concerned about getting proper medical attention in case of emergency as well as an evacuation plan to get you back to your home country, then Travel Medical Insurance is a much better option.  You may be surprised to know that in many cases Travel Medical Insurance is even cheaper than the Trip Insurance that you purchased.<\/p>\n

If you are mildly considering both, then look for a Travel Medical plan that includes some trip cancellation benefits.  They are a bit more expensive, but cheaper than purchasing separately.  If both are extremely important to you, then purchase both plans. Having that assurance for your entire vacation is definitely worth the peace of mind.<\/p>\n

I Am Healthy and Active, Do I Really Need Travel Medical Insurance When Traveling to Panama?<\/h4>\n

You may think because you are young and healthy that travel medical insurance really is not necessary. I traveled like this for several years with no incident.  Then there was that one time in Whistler, BC when a snow-boarding accident sent me to the emergency room.  I barely had enough money to cover the lift pass, let alone the hospital bills.  That was about 15 years ago. If I search for full coverage insurance today, the quote is about $42 for the week, so imagine how little it would have been back then! Oh my goodness the money I would have saved! PS…I am forever grateful to my friend\u2019s parents who bailed me out of the hospital with their credit card.<\/p>\n

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You may be thinking to yourself, “Well snowboarding is a dangerous sport, I do not plan on doing anything that dangerous on vacation.”<\/em>  You may want to re-think that.  There are a lot of unplanned scenarios that can ruin your vacation that are not at all dangerous.<\/p>\n