American citizens who travel to foreign countries
say they're more concerned about suffering a medical emergency in another
country than they are of falling victim to a terrorist attack.
That was one of the findings in a survey sponsored
by Chubb Insurance, which found that American tourists most fear the
consequences of being hospitalized in a foreign land.
It was cited as the greatest concern of 73.5% of
those surveyed, which was double the fear of getting mugged, three
times the fear of being injured in a terrorist attack and 10 times the
fear of being sexually assaulted.
"Americans are traveling more, especially to exotic
locations, and they're engaging in more adventurous activities," says
Luis Granados, a Chubb vice president. "This puts them at greater risk
of illness and accidental injury. Travelers need to consider how they
would handle a medical emergency... in a foreign country, where language
barriers and limited access to advanced medical facilities may create a
perilous situation."
With the results of the survey in hand, Chubb is
pitching its Signature Passport product as a way to ease such concerns.
The insurance, which is a travel accident policy that provides up to
$250,000 in coverage for emergency medical transportation to advanced
medical facilities, costs $365 per year, per household.
Among the other features of the insurance is up to
$50,000 in coverage, with no deductible, for medical costs incurred as
a result of an accident or illness while traveling outside of the
United States.
The insurance is available in 21 states and there
are plans to add 10 to 15 additional states by the end of 2006, says
Peter Spicer, new product manager for Chubb Personal Insurance.
The insurance is not available to anyone age 80 or older, he adds.
Spicer says that even though terrorism gets the most
attention from the media, travelers to foreign countries are more
concerned about the mundane risks they face all the time.
"It's the every-day exposure they have that concerns
them the most," he says. "It's being in a foreign country, and not
knowing your way around a city and getting hit by a taxi cab as you
cross the street."