Are you searching for the best digital nomad health insurance? In this guide, we’ll discuss the best option there is at the moment.
Whether you are a freelancer or entrepreneur living and traveling abroad, travel medical insurance is a MUST! There is a high number of travel insurance companies on the market, and it might get overwhelming when choosing one. But better be safe than sorry!
Travelers usually travel with travel insurance, and digital nomads might be doing the same. Although, normal travel insurance don’t really take into consideration long-term travelers.
With costly insurance policies, it could be tempting to avoid getting one, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
What if… it didn’t have to be super expensive?! In this post, we will be talking about SafetyWing and Genki, which are the best health insurance for digital nomads (and long-term travelers).
We will cover the pros and cons and tell you more about what is included in their policies.
What Is SafetyWing?
SafetyWing is a long-term health insurance created for nomads by nomads, meeting both travel and medical needs that digital nomads could face while traveling outside of their home country.
SafetyWing’s goal is to build up a global and complete social safety net tailored to the needs of digital nomads with a variety of their products.
And even though the company is still new to the nomad travel insurance game, it’s already backed by some of the biggest insurance companies around and many other partners!
With SafetyWing travel medical insurance, you can travel anywhere in the world outside of your home country except for Iran, North Korea, and Cuba (except for U.S. citizens with a permit to travel to Cuba).
The same goes for citizenship, so you can buy this insurance if you are a citizen of any country in the world besides the three countries that are mentioned above.
What SafetyWing Offers Digital Nomads
SafetyWing insurance provides coverage for medical expenses such as unexpected illness or injury out of the home country but it also covers travel-related benefits like lost luggage or travel delay.
It doesn’t cover routine checkups, cancer treatment, and pre-existing conditions. You can find the medical provider close to you on the SafetyWing website under ‘Find a hospital’. There is a list of the worldwide network of hospitals and doctors, so it’s easy to find help!
If you ask, ‘Am I covered while I’m in my home country?’ the answer is yes! Although the visit has to be accidental meaning, you can’t come to your home country to treat an illness or injury which started abroad.
This option is quite interesting especially if you lost your citizenship and/or medical insurance in your home country.
For every 90 days, you are covered for up to 30 days for unforeseen eligible medical conditions (15 days if you’re from the US).
What’s included?
Nomad Insurance is the first insurance for nomads to also cover quarantine!
Here’s how it works in a nutshell:
- You must have Nomad Insurance for a minimum of 28 days.
- You are outside of your home country.
- Your quarantine is mandated by a physician or governmental authority because you have either tested positive for COVID-19 OR you are symptomatic and waiting for your test results.
- Planned hotel quarantine is not covered. If you test negative or you do not have symptoms, quarantine is not covered.
- You can claim quarantine coverage of $50/day for up to 10 days (with the limitation of being once within a 364-day period).
Here’s a list of the other important inclusions:
- Hospital Coverage and Local Ambulance for illness and injury
- Prescription Drugs
- Emergency Dental (acute onset of pain)
- Physical Therapy and Chiropractic Care
- Lost Checked Luggage (but not pricey electronics)
- Travel Delay and Trip Interruption (but not trip cancelation)
- Moped or Scooter Accident
- Lost or Stolen Passport/Travel Visa
- Sports and Activities (most of the sports on amateur/non-professional level included)
- Terrorism and Urgent Medical Evacuation
- Natural Disaster (replacement accommodation)
How Much Does SafetyWing cost?
SafetyWing digital nomad insurance is, without a doubt, one of the cheapest options on the market!
It starts at $45.08 for 4 weeks (28 days), and if you opt for the monthly subscription, the payment is automatically charged every 28 days until you cancel.
If you want to include travel in the US, the price is $83.44 for 4 weeks (this option is only available to non-US citizens), which is still a very good price! At the end of a 364-day period, you will be asked to renew again.
When Is The Best Time To Purchase Safetywing Travel Insurance?
There are no restrictions on a specific time when to buy insurance, so in case you forget to buy the insurance before you leave your home country, no need to worry!
Unlike many other companies, with Safety Wing you can purchase it anytime during your travels.
SafetyWing Pros
Some pros would be worldwide coverage, flexibility to buy the insurance anytime (before or during traveling), home country coverage for 30 days (or 15 days if you are from the US), a wide range of sports/activities covered, and the affordable price with automatic monthly payments which makes your life easy (one less thing to worry about).
Lastly, if you’re traveling with a child, children between 14 days and 10 years are included in your insurance free of charge, which is a great bonus for parents (1 young child per adult)!
SafetyWing Cons
It’s a new player on the market, and therefore there still might be some minor issues to resolve (taking time to organize and file claims).
Also, their travel and medical insurance policies have some limitations compared to other health or travel insurance companies, although SafetyWings are working on improving these!
What Is Genki?
Genki provides health insurance for long-term travelers such as digital nomads and backpackers. You can get coverage from one month up to two years with a monthly subscription that you can cancel anytime.
What Genki Offers Digital Nomads
Genki insurance provides customized coverage to digital nomads.
Their pricing depends on three main things:
- Your age
- The region you’re visiting
- The deductible you choose
Regarding deductibles, you’ll get two options:
- Everything will be paid in full.
- A deductible of €50 will apply per case.
When it comes to destinations, let’s take a look at your options:
- Worldwide: You are covered everywhere, but the coverage in your home country is limited.
- Worldwide excluding Canada & USA: Like the Worldwide option but with cover in Canada and the USA limited to 6 weeks per 180 days.
What’s Included?
Let’s dive deeper into their coverage options.
Genki covers:
- Medical treatment
- Covid-19 treatments
- Sports injuries (take a look at the exclusions)
- Assistance
- Hospital visits
- Medical transport
- Repatriation
- Pregnancy
- Emergency dental treatment
- Initial mental issue treatment
- Etc.
How Much Does Genki Cost?
The plans start at €35.70 per month if you’re between 0 and 29 years old. If you’re between 30 and 49, plans start at €54.60 per month. Now, the pricing will change depending on the destinations covered and the options chosen.
When Is The Best Time To Purchase Genki Travel Insurance?
We always recommend travelers to purchase insurance before their trip, but you can also buy on the road if you need to, or if you realized that you forgot to purchase travel insurance.
Genki Pros
Genki offers worldwide coverage, flexibility, and home country coverage, which is fantastic for digital nomads. You can also cancel anytime, which is ideal if you don’t know how long you plan to travel. The price point is also affordable, which makes it a great option, especially if you are less than 30 years old.
Genki Cons
Genki is still a new insurance provider, which means it’s hard to tell how good they are going to be. That said, their insurance policy sure does look promising for digital nomads and long-term travelers.
Final Thoughts On Digital Nomad Insurance
Not quite sure if SafetyWing is for you? It’s currently the cheapest one on the market.
This insurance was made by nomads… for nomads. That said, it allows you to be covered at home too, and this shouldn’t destroy your budget.
I’ve been with SafetyWing myself for several months now, and I have had no complaints until now.
Looking for more resources for nomads? Take a look at one of the following blog posts:
