International Insurance for Missionary Groups
As an organizer of a missionary group traveling overseas, you’re probably thinking a lot about the valuable work your group is doing. However, the most important thing is to ensure that your volunteers remain safe, healthy, and protected during their service trips abroad. The key to doing this is to purchase the most appropriate missionary insurance plan for your group.
You are responsible for ensuring the group stays safe and aware of dangers abroad. Missionary groups often travel to remote or high-risk areas to help specific groups. Your home health coverage probably won’t cover your people abroad, and you may even need additional coverage to allow for potentially more hazardous conditions. For your group to stay secure, they must have the correct mission trip insurance in case unexpected weather, accidents, injuries, or trip cancellations occur.
What Types of Insurance Do Missionary Groups Need?
Service groups may require various types of group insurance, depending on the group’s size, the duration of the trip, and the destination’s associated risk factors. When planning your mission trip, consider what types of protections are most important to your group. Health insurance, also known as medical insurance, should be a top priority. However, some mission groups may also need life insurance.
If your group participates in one service or volunteer trip a year, a single-trip group travel insurance plan may be enough. However, if multiple trips are planned, you may need to consider an annual coverage plan.
Travel Insurance for Missionaries
Travel insurance for missionary groups can be comprehensive, covering a range of expenses, or limited to basic medical expenses only. With the unique considerations of mission trips, though, you should make sure your group’s missionary travel insurance policy includes all of the following:
- Medical Expenses: This coverage provides you with the necessary information to receive medical treatment at a local medical center.
- Emergency Evacuation: Organizes and provides funds for medically necessary evacuations.
- Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption: Covers nonrefundable trip expenses if the trip is canceled for a covered reason. It also provides the money to book a plane ticket back home and return to the service work after the risk or event has passed.
- Baggage Protection: Provides reimbursement for stolen or destroyed luggage, as well as funds to purchase necessities for your group until their bags can be recovered or replaced.
- Repatriation Coverage: Provides funds and organizational help if a member of the group passes away while on a missionary trip. This coverage ensures that family members do not have to rely on government and transportation systems to bring remains home for burial.
Global Medical Insurance for Missionaries
If you plan to take multiple mission trips in a year, or if a single mission trip will last more than a year, consider long-term group health insurance for missionaries.
Purchasing a year-long policy for your organization allows you to provide coverage for various groups throughout the year, even if different members of your organization are traveling at other times. It also ensures that your people are covered if they are on a mission in a single location for more than a year.
Long-term health insurance for groups is also a great option if your group members are from different countries and you want to consolidate their coverage under one plan.
Life Insurance for Missionaries
Sometimes, you may also want to consider global life insurance for your missionary group, or some members might wish to have this option. Given the unique challenges and even dangers that service organizations face, members of your group may want their families to be protected in the event of their death while on a mission trip.
If you are interested in life insurance, consider discussing it with one of our global benefits advisors when you contact them about missionary health insurance for your group.
How to Buy Missionary Insurance Coverage
Timing is important because some benefits only apply if you purchase missionary travel insurance within a certain number of days after you begin paying for the trip. Therefore, make sure to buy travel insurance for your missionary group early in your trip planning.
Additionally, we recommend not purchasing a travel policy solely based on price. It’s crucial to compare plans side by side and take advantage of the “free look period for a refund,” which many companies offer. Keeping your group informed and up to date on all fronts will be the best way to ensure you are not liable for unexpected events. Volunteers, service organizations, and non-profit groups provide help to many countries around the world; we should treat their safety with the utmost care.
Andrew Blomberg is the Vice President of Global Benefits at ICI, leading innovative insurance strategies for organizations worldwide. An MBA-educated, multi-licensed expert, he specializes in optimizing global benefits programs and guiding clients through complex challenges.
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