I have had a variety of occasions where our guests have asked about travel insurance. Most of the time it relates to their concern about someone with whom they are traveling, such as an elderly parent with health issues. Or perhaps they are vacationing as a family with a child that has extensive and life-threatening allergies.
More recently, in the early days (years!) of the covid pandemic, there were a lot of questions about trip insurance… and a lot of talk about how most trip insurance excluded provisions for covid. What most people wanted – and still do- is to be evacuated promptly to their home country and receive care there. Most people don’t want to be sick on vacation and certainly don’t want to be in a foreign country for treatment, no matter how good the health care is! And even in the “best case” scenario, which would be to test positive for covid but remain symptom free… you would still be stuck indoors until you test negative! It can be scary if you are really sick and need to be hospitalized in another country, and it can wrack up the travel costs whether you are hospitalized or whether you have to extend your stay at a luxury villa in Costa Rica!
I had learned about Covac from a travel agent several years ago and was intrigued by their special membership for Covid “extractions.” In a recent conversation with the sales director at Covac, I learned so much more.
What is the biggest plus for buying Covac Global medical insurance?
One of the biggest complaints, as I understand it, to many types of medical insurance, is that you have to see a local doctor or physician to get “clearance” and approval before you can be extracted to your home and preferred doctor. Covac does not require local hospitalization or local approval. You simply must be admitted for in-patient care treatment, observation, or testing at your own hospital in order to be transported there by Covac.
Are there restrictions to who can be insured by this type of travel insurance?
There are no pre-existing conditions clauses. The maximum age is 85 years old and the minimum for your own coverage is 18 years old, though if you are part of a family plan, it includes all minors in that family.
What kind of travel insurance membership options are there?
With Covac Global, you purchase a travel insurance membership based on your travel days. You may buy a 15 or 30 day membership which is valid for a single trip or an annual membership. You can also buy medical (only) insurance or covid (only) insurance or a combo covid and medical insurance. Furthermore, you can buy an individual membership for those age 18-85, or a family membership, which will also cover minors.
Tell me about the covid extractions
At Papagayo Luxury, we offer our rental guests in-home PCR and rapid testing by a medical professional. The doctor will come to your home, administer a covid test and you are emailed the results promptly. For covid extraction, Covac insured travelers must first present a positive PCR test administered by a medical professional. Symptoms are then evaluated and signed off by a licensed medical professional and Covac Global’s medical director. Travelers must also be fit for air travel.
How can I buy Covac Travel Insurance?
We now offer Covac Global medical travel insurance to our guests as an extra convenience and to hopefully give you a “sigh of relief” that if there were a medical emergency or medical problem while you were on vacation, you would be whisked away to your home hospital. Click here to get your medical insurance quote directly from Covac Global.
We always have the pulse on our guests when they are onsite with regular communication. If you don’t feel well, we can help with a variety of options, from the paramedic that is always onsite at the Papagayo fire team, to the doctor that makes house calls to your luxury vacation rental, or the local clinics and hospitals in Liberia and Guanacaste. I have personal experience with every single one of these options and our concierge is a local resident in the community. We are here to help make your stay amazing. If that requires medicine, a doctor, or more, we are on it! Get in touch and let us know what kind of vacation you are seeking.
