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UnitedHealthcare Travel Insurance Review


ConsumersAdvocate.org Rating: 4.4 / 5 (Excellent)
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UnitedHealthcare Global is a division of UnitedHealthcare that specializes in travel and expatriate insurance.

Formerly known as Frontier MEDEX, the division focuses on insurance solutions for business and student travelers, including health insurance coverages, medical repatriation, and security evacuation.

UnitedHealthcare global currently services more than 4.6 million medical insurance policyholders in over 125 countries.
 
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How is UnitedHealthcare Global rated?

Breakdown

4.5/5
Coverage
4.5/5
Extra Benefits
5.0/5
Financial Strength
3.5/5
Price & Reputation

Overall Rating: 4.4 / 5 (Excellent)

With only a few exceptions, UnitedHealthcare Global offers a thorough array of travel insurance coverages.

The company is on a very sound financial footing.

Although it does have a large absolute number of BBB complaints and has been named in a recent consumer class action lawsuit, the number of complaints relative to the company's massive scale of operations is well within reason.

The company offers various services that relate to medical and logistical travel issues, but does not offer the concierge-style add-ons that some competitors do.

In sum, UnitedHealthcare Global is an above-average choice for people who want to insure their travels.

UnitedHealthcare Global Plans & Coverage

Coverage - 4.5 / 5

UnitedHealthcare Global provides a wide range of travel insurance coverages.

However, it does not appear that coverage applies if the traveler's host or business partner falls ill.

The standard policy excludes injuries sustained while participating in extreme sports, but a rider can be purchased to insure against such harm.

Coverage is currently excluded in Afghanistan, Antarctica, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria.
Available Plans
Comprehensive
Trip Cancelation/ Interruption
Medical
Baggage
Accidental Death
Group
Trip Cancellation/Interruption Coverage
Injury/Illness/Death of Traveler
Injury/Illness/Death of Non Traveling Family Member
Natural Disaster at Destination
Terrorism/Evacuation at Destination
Emergency Medical and Emergency Transportation Coverage
Doctor, Hospital, or Other Licensed Provider
Dental
Emergency Medical Evacuation/Repatriation
Transport Family Member to Bedside
Transport Children Home
Baggage Coverage
Lost/Damaged/Stolen
Baggage Delay Coverage

Emergency Medical Coverage Details

Maximum Emergency Medical Reimbursement
$1,000,000
Maximum Emergency Medical Evacuation Reimbursement
$1,000,000
Deductible for Emergency Medical Coverage

Baggage Coverage Details

Maximum Baggage Reimbursement
$250
Receipts Required for Valuable items

UnitedHealthcare Global Financial Strength

Financial Strength - 5 / 5

UnitedHealthcare is the sixth largest company in the United States and the largest health insurer in the world.

It gets high ratings from the big three financial ratings agencies.

The company's finances appear to be very sound.
Standard & Poor's Financial Rating
AA
Moody's Financial Rating
A1
AM Best Financial Rating
A

UnitedHealthcare Global Price & Reputation

Price & Reputation - 3.5 / 5

UnitedHealthcare is not rated by the BBB or TrustPilot.

It has, however, been the subject of 1,333 consumer complaints to the BBB in the last three years.

The company has generally responded to these in a pro forma manner, saying the HIPAA regulations forbid the company from addressing the consumers' complaints but promising they would contact the consumer.

This approach makes it difficult to ascertain whether those complaints have been adequately addressed.

As the largest health insurer in the United States, the company has naturally been the target of various lawsuits.

One that particularly affected consumers was a class action in which 50,000 customers claimed the company improperly denied mental health benefits.

The case was settled before trial and the company amended its policy rules to pay previously-denied claims.

Compared to the 115 million people UnitedHealthcare insures, these numbers are tiny.

However, the way the company has handled these consumer complaints suggests that while the vast majority of its customers are content with its service, there is a small minority whose concerns have not been properly addressed.
BBB Rating
NR
Number of BBB Positive Reviews
1
Number of BBB Negative Reviews
64

UnitedHealthcare Global Customer Assistance Services

Extra Benefits - 4.5 / 5

UnitedHealthcare Global provides nearly all of the types of non-insurance services the travel insurance industry offers.

These include handling many of the practical and logistical issues faced by travelers abroad when they meet with the unexpected.

The company doesn't offer the concierge services that some of its competitors do, but within the universe of medically-related travel services, its benefits are better than those offered by many of its competitors.
24/7 Support
Mobile App

Travel Assistance Services

  • Return Travel Arrangements
  • Rebooking
  • Lost Passport/Document Assistance
  • Emergency Cash
  • Translation Services
  • Legal Assistance Referral

Emergency Medical Assistance Services

  • Physician Referral
  • Emergency Medical Case Management
  • Arrange Medical Payment Where Available
  • Emergency Prescription Replacement
  • Eyeglass Replacement Assistance
  • Update Family at Home
  • Shipment of Medical Records
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Customer Comments & Reviews

Loading Reviews ...
P
Paul
4/8/2019
After reading the review from Jo of Seattle, Washington, it seems as though it would be a nightmare to deal with your travel insurance. Is this really true?

J
JO
3/28/2019
AVOID at all cost! Had an ER incident while traveling. Working with their reps is impossible. They are ill informed about their own product and processes. You will get a different answer each time. It takes at least a week to get a simple response on a simple inquiry. To make things worse, they don't even address all the questions asked. When submitting a claim, it goes through a third party to review. That's another nightmare on its own. No response through e-mail. Reps over the phone in general are arrogant and unhelpful. No clear guidance on getting my claims reviewed, approved or denied. Seems to be sitting in limbo while my ER bills are overdue. In summary, if you... Read More

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