As the year draws to a close, many white-collar workers are saving up their annual leave for travel. On October 19, the news that Shanghai woman Jin Ling died of altitude sickness on the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway while traveling to Tibet once again drew public attention to the potential risks of high-altitude travel.
Just because of neglecting a cough and fever, the life of a young person who had quit work two years ago to fully embrace backpacking—full of love for life and freedom—ended in tragedy. In this sad story, I see the enthusiasm and bravery of youth, the kindness and responsibility of good Samaritans, and the sorrow and desolation of the elderly. At the same time, I also see the fatal overconfidence and carelessness. In high-altitude areas, any discomfort should be taken seriously, especially cold symptoms that can easily lead to life-threatening conditions such as high-altitude pulmonary edema or cerebral edema. These must never be ignored. One should immediately take cold medicine and descend to lower altitudes for medical treatment, and only continue the journey after full recovery.
Assess risks before travel and make thorough preparations
Nowadays, Tibet has become a highly favored travel destination among adventurers. A friend of mine has always wanted to go to Tibet, often saying, “I must go to Tibet while my health still allows it; otherwise, I’ll regret it for life!” Recently, he finally fulfilled his wish. He just returned from Tibet and was eager to share his experience. Overall, he had a great impression of Tibet, but not so much of himself. He was originally very confident in his health, with all medical check-up indicators being excellent. However, upon arriving in Lhasa, he immediately experienced chest tightness and nausea, needing at least two oxygen tanks per day, and couldn’t sleep without oxygen. It seems that traveling to high-altitude areas requires more than just enthusiasm—you need to assess all potential risks in advance, develop emergency plans, and prepare clothing, medicine, tools, and ideally, appropriate insurance. It’s about preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.
What insurance covers “altitude sickness”?
1. Do accident insurance and accident medical insurance cover “altitude sickness”?
Many of my friends purchase travel accident insurance, comprehensive accident insurance, or accident medical insurance before traveling. For just a few yuan or tens of yuan, they can secure coverage worth tens or even hundreds of thousands—truly getting a lot for a little. But when I asked several friends whether accident or accident medical insurance should cover death, disability, or medical expenses caused by altitude sickness, they all thought it was a travel accident and therefore should be covered. This shows that the general public’s understanding of accident-related insurance is not comprehensive enough.
First, accident-related insurance only covers incidents caused by accidental injuries, and the contracts clearly state that “accidental injury refers to an objective event that is external, sudden, unintended, and non-disease-related, causing bodily harm.”
In Jin Ling’s case, the cause of her death was acute severe high-altitude illness triggered by a cough and fever—that is, severe “altitude sickness”—which does not fit the definition of accidental injury, so it is not covered under accident-related insurance.
2. What insurance covers “altitude sickness”?
Currently, I’ve learned that two companies offer specialized “altitude sickness” insurance. One is the “Guardian Expert High-Altitude Specific Disease Medical Insurance” launched by People’s Health Insurance Company of China, which compensates for hospitalization expenses and emergency medical costs within three days prior to hospitalization if the insured is treated for acute high-altitude cerebral edema or acute high-altitude pulmonary edema during high-altitude travel. The other is the “High-Altitude Specific Disease Expense Compensation Medical Insurance” launched by China Life Tibet Branch (only available through local institutions), which includes coverage for accidental death or disability, outpatient and inpatient treatment for high-altitude specific diseases, and funeral expense compensation. However, after verifying with customer service from both companies, I learned that these two products are group insurance and not available for individual purchase.
So, what kind of individual insurance can cover “altitude sickness”?
In fact, as a disease, any insurance product that covers disease-related incidents and does not list “altitude sickness” as an exclusion can provide coverage. Taking some products from Union Life as examples:
Union Yong’an Term Life Insurance, Union Supplementary Hospitalization Medical Insurance, and Union Supplementary Fixed Hospitalization Allowance Medical Insurance can respectively cover death or total disability caused by “altitude sickness,” hospitalization expense reimbursement, and fixed hospitalization subsidies. All of these are low-premium, high-coverage types of insurance. It’s important to note that hospitalization insurance products usually specify medical institutions. In case of emergency, you can seek nearby medical help first, but you must transfer to a designated hospital within three days. If there are no designated hospitals locally, you can seek treatment at a local public hospital at the county or district level (Grade 2 or above). However, it’s best to report the incident to customer service promptly after an insurance event occurs, so a representative can guide you on how to seek treatment and handle the claims process.
Purchase insurance before travel, but avoid misunderstandings
1. If you get injured by falling rocks during an adventure, will travel accident insurance cover it?
The exclusions in travel accident insurance and general accident-related insurance typically include “activities such as diving, skydiving, rock climbing, exploration, martial arts competitions, wrestling, stunt performances, horse racing, car racing, and other high-risk sports.” Moreover, “exploration” is specifically defined as “knowingly placing oneself in a situation with a risk of losing life or sustaining bodily harm under certain natural conditions, such as river rafting, mountaineering, trekking through deserts or unpopulated primeval forests.”
If you encounter an accident involving falling rocks while on a regular tourist route recognized by the local tourism authority, then death, disability, or medical expenses resulting from the accident may be covered by accident-related insurance. However, if the accident occurs in undeveloped, remote, or harsh environments not authorized by relevant departments, it needs to be assessed. If it is deemed to fall under the excluded “exploration,” then it will not be covered.
It’s important to note that even on regular tourist routes organized by legitimate travel agencies, some activities are excluded under accident-related insurance policies, such as rock climbing, car racing, bungee jumping, or piloting gliders or paragliders, which are popular among young people.
Therefore, even if you have accident-related insurance, not all accidents will be covered.
2. What insurance covers high-risk sports such as rock climbing, car racing, or bungee jumping?
Currently, consumption-based pure protection insurance products generally list high-risk sports and exploration as exclusions. However, long-term savings-oriented insurance, such as many companies’ whole life insurance, endowment insurance, or annuity insurance, tend to have fewer exclusions and do not exclude high-risk sports or exploration.
Knowledge link: How to avoid “altitude sickness”?
Put simply, “altitude sickness” is caused by lack of oxygen. When entering high-altitude areas, the oxygen partial pressure in the atmosphere decreases. People who haven’t undergone acclimatization training have reduced tolerance to low-oxygen environments and may develop a series of high-altitude maladaptation symptoms due to oxygen deficiency.
Experts advise that before going to high-altitude areas, one should first undergo a medical check-up. People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, interstitial lung disease, various respiratory insufficiencies, organic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, gastrointestinal diseases, neurological or psychiatric disorders, or severe chronic illnesses are not suitable for high-altitude areas. If safety cannot be confirmed, a hypoxia test should be taken. Once travel is confirmed, it’s best to carry preventive and relief medications such as rhodiola, creatine tablets, glucose, painkillers, and cold medicine. You may also start taking compound codonopsis tablets two days before entering high-altitude areas, 8 tablets per day. Additionally, the higher the altitude, the greater the incidence of altitude sickness. After exceeding 2,400 meters in elevation, it’s best to stop and rest for 1–2 days for every additional 600 meters, allowing the body to adjust before ascending further. If symptoms such as coughing or fever occur, cold medicine should be taken immediately, and medical attention sought promptly to prevent the condition from worsening into life-threatening high-altitude cerebral or pulmonary edema.