There are two general categories of travel insurance. There are trip cancellation policies (we will consider travel insurance from a credit card in this category) and travel medical insurance. MOST trip cancellation policies also cover medical expenses while on your trip. However, some cheaper plans and many offered through credit cards, do NOT. I recently checked my own credit card coverage and the coverage is limited to what I purchased using my card (so flights, hotel reservations only). If I get sick, that insurance alone will not cover me. This is getting to be more of an issue as our own domestic US policies often do not cover us well outside of our home state.
The other type of policy is a travel medical policy. This does NOT cover trip cancellation; however, if you are not able to go on your trip, you can simply cancel your policy before it begins for a full refund of the policy. If you purchase a comprehensive policy, you will also get many travel benefits like you do with the trip cancellation policies, such as: lost baggage, trip interruption, and accidental death benefits.
They may not be as high as with a trip cancellation plan, but they give some peace of mind and they allow you to choose more specifically the amount and type of medical coverage you need while you are traveling. Some policies offer coverage for acute onset of pre-existing medical conditions, for example. All policies offer some coverage of emergency medical evacuation and repatriation. So, the answer to the question is Yes and No. Be sure you have a travel insurance plan that will cover what is important to you while on your trip.
