Paying in cash if you have to go to a doctor in ports

I have heard mixed information on this. Let's say you get a toothache on board.

You decide to go to the dentist or doctor while in port. The bill is $500.

Do you need to pay in cash or will a credit card do? When I was in port once my cab driver

told me that if you need to go to the hospital (not their public hospital but their private one) you need

to give them cash upfront before you will be seen. The insurance will ultimately pay if you

submit a bill to them but what about at the time of service? I know this is port specific but as a general

rule should people plan ahead and bring emergency cash? Thanks.

I would use the ship's ATM in the morning before heading off for the doc. Or use a debit or credit card at an ATM in port somewhere. The fee would be less of worry than a similar large sum of cash at hand/in room.

One thing I do is carry a international claim form with me to have them fill out while there if a situation arrives. My insurance company has a form that I can print off the web. I would hope to think that it would help same time and problems at home.

Both good ideas! Thanks.

You decide to go to the dentist or doctor while in port. The bill is $500.

Do you need to pay in cash or will a credit card do?

Actually, that's an unanswerable question. It is totally dependent on what the service provider is willing to accept.

Actually, that's an unanswerable question. It is totally dependent on what the service provider is willing to accept.

Exactly. The main thing is to be sure that whoever the service provider is - that they provide you with enough documentation to satisfy your insurance company. The one time we had to get medical care, I knew that the insurance company would require dates, diagnosis, itemized treatment list with charges and the doctors name. This may vary.

Actually, that's an unanswerable question. It is totally dependent on what the service provider is willing to accept.

BINGO!

Personally, I would hope they would take a CC. (no debit cards here).

I would probably have some US cash with me.

And be ready to go to the nearest ATM if needed to get local currency, some countries do not want foreign bills.

And always assume they could care less about your insurance. They want real money.

Back in the 90's DH fell off a hotel treadmill in Tokyo and split his lip. It was cash only and I couldn't find an ATM that would accept my card anywhere near the hospital. Fortunately, the hotel was next to the hospital and they allowed a cash advance. The hospital bill was in Japanese so we had to pay to have it translated before submitting to our insurance company (at that time my employer medical).

Just a few years ago, I fell running in a park in Madrid. This time I had a travel medical policy, but couldn't bring up the policy info on my kindle while my arm was bleeding...so we just went intending to pay cash. They ended up not charging us for the hospital emergency room visit.

In fact, we first stopped at a pharmacy by the park to buy supplies to clean and bandage. The pharmacist cleaned and dressed the wound, but said we needed to go to a hospital for stitches...she wouldn't take money. Our hotel then sent us to a local clinic...they said I needed to go to a hospital, they redressed and again no charge. The hospital where we finally ended up was one recommended by the travel medical company to go to for care (learned this after the fact).

So before you go, print out a copy of the clinics and hospitals your health insurance or travel medical recommends in each country.

Back in the 90's DH fell off a hotel treadmill in Tokyo and split his lip. It was cash only and I couldn't find an ATM that would accept my card anywhere near the hospital. Fortunately, the hotel was next to the hospital and they allowed a cash advance. The hospital bill was in Japanese so we had to pay to have it translated before submitting to our insurance company (at that time my employer medical).

 

Just a few years ago, I fell running in a park in Madrid. This time I had a travel medical policy, but couldn't bring up the policy info on my kindle while my arm was bleeding...so we just went intending to pay cash. They ended up not charging us for the hospital emergency room visit.

 

In fact, we first stopped at a pharmacy by the park to buy supplies to clean and bandage. The pharmacist cleaned and dressed the wound, but said we needed to go to a hospital for stitches...she wouldn't take money. Our hotel then sent us to a local clinic...they said I needed to go to a hospital, they redressed and again no charge. The hospital where we finally ended up was one recommended by the travel medical company to go to for care (learned this after the fact).

 

 

So before you go, print out a copy of the clinics and hospitals your health insurance or travel medical recommends in each country.

The morale of this story is .... you need to quit exercising while on vacation. lol

Cozumel ER takes credit cards. DH was whimpering and thought he saw smoke coming up, the card got run so many times.

Kaiser Permanente covered everything but the deductible, and the travel insurance covered that $150. We were out $70 at the end for our daughter's appendicitis symptoms to get checked out by the head of Pediatrics.

In Mexico, you have to pay before services are rendered.

Cozumel ER takes credit cards. DH was whimpering and thought he saw smoke coming up, the card got run so many times.

 

Kaiser Permanente covered everything but the deductible, and the travel insurance covered that $150. We were out $70 at the end for our daughter's appendicitis symptoms to get checked out by the head of Pediatrics.

 

In Mexico, you have to pay before services are rendered.

Great, I can only imagine with my allergies, that my epi-pen wont work and my throat will be closing as they count my cash. Guess I better add a bee suit to my packing list. :D

The morale of this story is .... you need to quit exercising while on vacation. lol

LOL...or another moral... make sure you only need stitches in countries that don't charge for emergency visits. :) Admission woman in Spain did say "today it's free"...so I assume if someone was admitted for the night they would be charged.

We had a friend who fell off a bike in France and broke her arm (LOL...our friends are Klutzes when exercising out of the country also). There were no medical charges there also.

Another thing we learned is that the medical community in countries is not like the tourism community. Very few speak English. And, the systems are very different then the US. Thankfully, the hotel in Japan sent a bellhop to the hospital with us. In Spain, I was fortunate that there was an English speaking person standing next to us in admissions.