Bolivia Travel Insurance
Everything you need to know before your trip
Healthcare Cost Level
Low
Avg. ER Visit
$50
Recommended Coverage
$250,000
Evacuation Risk
High
Healthcare in Bolivia
What to expect if you need medical care
Bolivia's healthcare system operates on a low-cost tier, with an average emergency room visit costing around $50 and hospital stays averaging $150 per day. While these prices seem affordable, the healthcare quality is limited, particularly outside major cities. You'll rarely find English-speaking medical staff, making communication during medical emergencies challenging. Many regions, especially popular tourist destinations in the Andes and Amazon, have minimal medical facilities. If you experience a serious medical issue, you may need evacuation to better-equipped hospitals in Peru. The combination of extreme altitudes, remote locations, and basic medical infrastructure means that what starts as an affordable medical visit can quickly escalate into a complex and costly evacuation scenario.
What Your Policy Should Cover
Country-specific considerations for Bolivia
Your policy must specifically address Bolivia's unique challenges. Altitude-related illness coverage is essential, as altitude sickness poses a high risk year-round in this mountainous country. Ensure your policy explicitly includes helicopter evacuation from high-altitude areas, as many trekking routes exceed 4,000 meters. If you're planning adventure activities like mountaineering or extreme sports, verify these aren't excluded from your coverage. Remote area emergency evacuation is critical given Bolivia's vast isolated regions in both the Andes and Amazon basin. Consider coverage for vector-borne diseases including yellow fever, dengue, Zika, and Chagas disease, all of which present moderate risk year-round. Your policy should cover potential evacuation to Peru if local facilities cannot provide adequate treatment for your condition.
Altitude Sickness
High Risk
Peak: year-round
Yellow Fever
Moderate Risk
Peak: year-round
Dengue Fever
Moderate Risk
Peak: year-round
Zika Virus
Moderate Risk
Peak: year-round
Chagas Disease
Moderate Risk
Peak: year-round
Activity-Specific Coverage
High Altitude Trekking: Ensure coverage includes altitude-related illness and helicopter evacuation
Adventure Sports: Verify coverage for mountaineering and extreme sports activities
Remote Area Travel: Confirm emergency evacuation coverage from isolated regions
How Much Coverage Do You Need?
Our recommendation based on Bolivia's healthcare costs
While Bolivia's basic healthcare costs are low—$50 for an ER visit and $150 per hospital day—the recommended $250,000 coverage addresses the high evacuation risk. Medical evacuations from extreme altitudes or remote jungle regions can cost tens of thousands of dollars, especially if helicopter rescue is required. Transportation to quality hospitals in Peru adds significant expense. The $100,000 minimum provides basic protection, but $250,000 ensures you're covered for complex evacuations, extended treatment, and potential repatriation, which are realistic scenarios given Bolivia's challenging geography and limited medical infrastructure.
Minimum
$100,000
Basic emergencies only
Recommended
$250,000
Full protection
Making a Claim in Bolivia
Tips for smooth claims processing
Documentation Required: Medical reports, receipts, police reports if applicable, proof of travel dates and purpose
- Keep all medical receipts and reports, even for minor treatments, as documentation requirements are moderate and you'll need detailed proof of expenses for reimbursement
- Obtain police reports immediately if your medical emergency involves theft, accident, or crime, as these are specifically required for related claims
- Document your travel dates and purpose with copies of your itinerary, accommodation bookings, and entry stamps, as insurers require proof of when and why you were in Bolivia
- Take photos of any injuries and keep a written timeline of events, as English-speaking doctors are rare and you may need to translate medical reports later
- Request itemized bills and official stamps on all medical documentation, as informal receipts may not meet insurer requirements for claim processing
Get Covered for Bolivia
Adventure destinations like Bolivia require solid evacuation coverage. Don't leave without it.
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