Missionary Insurance Plans

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. But the most important thing is to keep your volunteers safe, healthy, and protected on 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, it’s crucial they 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 need several kinds of group insurance, depending on the size of the group, the length of the trip, and the risk factors of the destination. When planning your mission trip, think about what kinds of protections matter most to your group. Health insurance or medical insurance should be a top priority. However, some mission groups may need life insurance, too.

If your group participates in one service or volunteer trip a year, a single-trip group travel insurance plan may be enough. But if multiple trips are on the agenda, you may need to opt for an annual coverage plan.

Travel Insurance for Missionaries

Travel insurance for missionary groups can be comprehensive or cover 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 covers you and gives you the information you need to get medical treatment at a local medical center.

Evacuation Coverage: Organizes and provides funds in cases of 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: Provides reimbursement for stolen or destroyed luggage, plus funds to buy necessities for your group until their bags can be found 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 go through the government and transportation systems to bring remains home for burial.

Global Medical Insurance for Missionaries

If you are planning multiple mission trips in a year, or even if a single mission trip is going to last more than a year, you should look into long-term group health insurance for missionaries.

Buying a year-long policy for your organization allows you to provide coverage for various groups throughout the year while they are on a service trip, even if different members of your organization are going at different 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 global life insurance for your missionary group, or some members might want the 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, talk about it with one of our agents 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 based on price alone. 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.

We work with leading underwriters to provide fast responses and affordable options. If you want more information about group insurance, please Request a Free Quote.

What Are the Best Insurance Plans for a Missionary Group?

We offer several plans that provide exceptional coverage for groups of all sizes. Complete a Request for Coverage, and our Director of Group Sales will follow up with recommendations.

Author: Andrew Blomberg is the Vice President of Global Benefits at International Citizens Insurance. Andrew is a licensed insurance broker with expertise in the areas of international group travel, global health, life, and disability insurance. Having worked and traveled throughout the world, he has the experience to provide personal insight along with his industry knowledge. Andrew is dedicated to providing group benefits to organizations, large and small, for today's global workforce. Connect with him on LinkedIn.

Related:

• Global Benefits for Volunteers
• Group vs Individual International Health Insurance
• Overseas Health Insurance Coverage
• Group Travel Insurance