This is a story about insurance that shocked me

[suse]

There was someone in my office yesterday who took a cruise last Feb. They bought travel guard insurance for the cruise. She fell and hurt her leg and needed to be airlifted to Miami for treatment. The cost? $18,000 on her credit card, not covered by her insurance. Wow. She appealed for the past many months with no success. Yikes. True story.

Does anyone know how to avoid this situation. What additional insurance should she have purchased?

[Rhea58]

The key question is exactly what coverage did she buy? DId it

explicitly say anything about airlifting and the amount they would

cover?

Policies I have bought in the past did not cover this but I could

cancel w/o $$ loss if a member of my family was incapacitated

or died before the trip.

[cruzeluver]

Certainly not all travel insurance policies have the same coverage. to avoid the situation? Read the policy carefully so you are aware of what is and is not covered. Easiest way is to use a service that allows you to compare policies from many different insurers so you can get exactly the coverage you want.

[cmdchiefthom]

That's a terrible situation. :( My guess would be that your co-worker probably bought a standard no frills policy for lost baggage, and trip interruption, but didn not buy the emergency medical and emergency transportation coverage. Travel Guard offers various levels of coverage, from basic to comprehensive.

[suse]

Thanks for your replies. This isn't a coworker; just someone I know. Not that it's important. I was very surprised when she told me her story.:eek:

That's a very hefty fee, I thought.

[Pat.bz]

In addition to trip insurance, we buy a yearly family trip medical insurance, MedJetAssist (gives an AARP discount). Our policy costs around $300.

[Roz]

Travel Guard, like most insurance, has different policies and different levels of coverage. Make sure you understand what you're purchasing. I won't purchase a policy that has less than $50,000 for med evac.

 

I suspect that she purchased a policy that had little or no coverage for an airlift. As a general rule, Travel Guard is a good company.

 

Roz

[K&RCurt]

As others have said, she likely just had trip interruption type insurance. You have to select medical / evacuation insurance if you desire it.

 

And actually $18K is a relatively low number for air evacuation. I have hard of ship to shore helicopter trips in excess of $60K.

[fann1sh]

There is an even sadder and scarier thread on the "Ask A Cruise Question" right now:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1121463

 

Suse, I'm not trying to play "I can top that!" I was shocked and moved by the plight of someone ill and stranded. The fact she travelled with no insurance....:eek:....I guess now is not the time to discuss her intelligence and sanity (or that of her TA).

[suse]

There is an even sadder and scarier thread on the "Ask A Cruise Question" right now:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1121463

 

Suse, I'm not trying to play "I can top that!" I was shocked and moved by the plight of someone ill and stranded. The fact she travelled with no insurance....:eek:....I guess now is not the time to discuss her intelligence and sanity (or that of her TA).

I agree. Awful.

[RedmondCruiser]

We always purchase HAL's platinum coverage. It affords up to $50,000 for medical evacuation. But remember the devil is in the details. "The big print giveth and the small print taketh away" Evacuation is to the NEAREST hospital. Then the attending physician at that hospital has to OK evac to a US hospital. All steps must be met to collect on the coverage. The best thing is to know your coverage before you leave, and eliminate any big and expensive surprises.

We like the HAL coverage since it provides cancellation for any reason rather than a set list of reasons to cancel. Also it is not age sensative. With many coverages the price goes up as you get older.

[lettienets]

We always purchase HAL's platinum coverage. It affords up to $50,000 for medical evacuation. But remember the devil is in the details. "The big print giveth and the small print taketh away" Evacuation is to the NEAREST hospital. Then the attending physician at that hospital has to OK evac to a US hospital. All steps must be met to collect on the coverage. The best thing is to know your coverage before you leave, and eliminate any big and expensive surprises.

 

We like the HAL coverage since it provides cancellation for any reason rather than a set list of reasons to cancel. Also it is not age sensative. With many coverages the price goes up as you get older.

I did not know evacuation with the Platinum meant to the nearest hospital, I thought it meant home.

When do you get a policy with the fine print?

[lastlook]

You can print it from the HAL web site. Enter the name of the policy in the search engine and it will bring you right to it. I printed a copy for myself yesterday as I have the CPP Platinum and wanted to read the whole thing.

[Roz]

I don't have MedJet Assist, but their coverage takes you to the hospital of your choice. As someone mentioned, it runs about $300 a year, and you can get an AARP discount.

 

Roz

[JennyandJoeS]

This post is a real eye opener. I thought "travel insurance" was "travel insurance".:confused:

[pms4104]

Following is from the Emergency Medical Transportation section of a TravelGuard policy:

 

"Payment of Loss: Travel Guard Assist must make all

arrangements and authorize all expenses in advance for

Emergency Evacuation or Repatriation of Remains

benefits to be payable. The Insurer reserves the right to

determine the benefit payable, including any reductions if

it was not reasonably possible to contact Travel Guard

Assist in advance."

 

So ... it is possible that the woman fighting to recoup her $18000 evac did not read her policy and follow the pertinent instructions.

[Tampa Girl]

Is anyone familiar with all three of these travel insurance protections and, if so, how would you compare them?

[suse]

Following is from the Emergency Medical Transportation section of a TravelGuard policy:

 

 

"Payment of Loss:

Travel Guard Assist must make all

 

So ... it is possible that the woman fighting to recoup her $18000 evac did not read her policy and follow the pertinent instructions.

but don't you think that sometimes you need an attorney to interpret the above conditions? She told me she did not want to be treated in a "third world" country. Not sure about all that but I am assuming she was more comfortable being treated at home. This was a drag for her. Point is, sometimes insurance policies are very difficult for the layman to understand.

arrangements and authorize all expenses in advance for

Emergency Evacuation or Repatriation of Remains

benefits to be payable. The Insurer reserves the right to

determine the benefit payable, including any reductions if

it was not reasonably possible to contact Travel Guard

Assist in advance."

[pms4104]

but don't you think that sometimes you need an attorney to interpret the above conditions? She told me she did not want to be treated in a "third world" country. Not sure about all that but I am assuming she was more comfortable being treated at home. This was a drag for her. Point is, sometimes insurance policies are very difficult for the layman to understand.

[/left]

Suse ... my point was that the injured passenger can't simply decide to go home for medical treatment. The travel insuranace compnay needs to be notified immediately and, depending on the terms of the contract, the insurance gurus may be the ones to make the arrangements if they determine evac is called for. In essence ... when woes arise, call the insurance company immediately.

[suse]

Suse ... my point was that the injured passenger can't simply decide to go home for medical treatment. The travel insuranace compnay needs to be notified immediately and, depending on the terms of the contract, the insurance gurus may be the ones to make the arrangements if they determine evac is called for. In essence ... when woes arise, call the insurance company immediately.

Thanks for that info. I suppose there is a certain panic that arises when bad stuff is happening.

[fann1sh]

Is anyone familiar with all three of these travel insurance protections and, if so, how would you compare them?

 

 

 

Each of these companies will have multiple policies.

 

Sorry, but there 's no shortcut. If you want to feel confident, you have to read, research and compare all by yourself. A lot of work.

[Typhoon1]

The policy was obviously missing the medical evacuation coverage.

 

The policy we take usually provides up to 1,000,000 in Med Evac coverage.

[galipemi]

It may have been missing the coverage or simply have required pre authorization. I work in travel insurance and many of the more expensive benefits do have a bolded caveat - this benefit is subject to the pre-authorization of *********

 

It's just to make sure that some of the "stupid" stuff doesn't get paid out. We literally had someone who wanted an air ambulance from the dominican republic to canada because he broke his big toe.

 

Seriously:eek:

 

Most medical policies won't evac you unless the standard of care is sub par (good luck proving that) or it is medically necessary in the treating physician's opinion. Even then, some doctors will write a note for anything. My sprained wrist doesn't require a medical upgrade to first class, but I can find a doctor who says it does. Still doesn't mean the insurance will cover it. It's not even close to reasonable. That's why so many assistance companies have medical staff on hand to review medical documents.

[SusieKay]

As a medical professional, I can assure you a broken leg is usually not a life threatening medical emergency, unless one has some additional underlying health problems. Setting a broken bone properly should be able to be achieved in even a third world country. It is so important to be aware of what one is purchasing in travel insurance, and the limits of coverage. Even if one has purchased evacuation coverage, it is still up to the local physician, after consult with your insurance company, to determine if that is necessary . I do not think patients can just decide on their own they want to be evacuated for whatever reason, even if they have the coverage.

[imsulin]

but don't you think that sometimes you need an attorney to interpret the above conditions? She told me she did not want to be treated in a "third world" country. Not sure about all that but I am assuming she was more comfortable being treated at home. This was a drag for her. Point is, sometimes insurance policies are very difficult for the layman to understand.

[/left]

 

No - no attorney needed. The basic coverages of trip insurance are pretty clearly stated, including pre-existing medical conditions. What did she mean about "not wanting to be treated in a third world country"? Anyone would be more comfortable being treated at home, where their health insurance would pay! Exactly what country did she refer to as "third world"? ....where she was treated? TIA.