Travel Insurance comes through

[tanny18]

Hi, Just want to let everyone know that travel insurance is not only for when you have to cancel a trip, get delayed, lost luggage, etc. It's also if you need medical attention. When we were in Trabzon in June going to the Monastery, Allan fell and hurt his shoulder. Long story short, went to ship's doctor who sent us to the hospitabl for an x-ray. Wonderful hospital, we were treated as if we were important!!! The entire bill came to about $342 complete....filed claim with secondary insurnace (Medicare does not cover trips that do not original in US) and then filed the balance with Travel Insured -- they paid our deductible from secondary and paid everything else less $50!! All within 10 days of filing the claim. This was not a tremendous amount of money, but it could have been a lot more and I'm sure Travel Insured would have paid. Arlene;)

[Leonid]

Since I'm on Medicare and DW will soon be, we always purchase trip insurance that's the prmary payer. Don't want to ever go through the trouble of having to go through my Medicare Advantage plan only to be told that they don't cover the problem,

[Benita]

Primary is good, unless you have personal insurance with high deductibles and copays. Then, secondary might be better. If it is secondary and the bill goes to your deductible with your personal insurance, the travel insurance will pay it and you will have the bonus of meeting your deductible with your personal insurance. Of course, for those of you who are past 65 and get Medicare, primary is better, because, as Leonid wrote, you don't have to submit it to medicare and get the denial to then submit to the travel insurance company.

[billie5]

My Medicare supplemental policy DOES pay medical costs outside the United States. That is one reason I am not too much concerned about travel insurance to pay medical. Now evacuation insurance, that is a different matter.

 

Bill

[Benita]

You can buy an annual evacuation policy from AARP as well as different organizations. You can also find policies just for evacuation on http://www.insuremytrip.com Certain credit cards, like the Platinum AMEX card, also covers emergency evacuation.

[ClaudiaF]

have mentionesd this before..but additionally for those in the know..please check out this site:

 

http://www.medjetassist.com

have carried this coverage for 3 years now..have not had to use it..but for the small price for 2 people for about 300 a year this coveage for evac to any hospital of your choice..any hospital of your choice ( repeating) anywhere in the world, should you have a medical problem when you are over 150 MILes away from home ..

just another precaution ..

this would have been the first time we probably would have had to use it as my hubby got critically ill a few days before we were supposed to be jumping on Silverseas in London a couple weeks ago..and has been hospitalized at home for almost a month..

which leads me to my next post..

[Leonid]

My Medicare supplemental policy DOES pay medical costs outside the United States. That is one reason I am not too much concerned about travel insurance to pay medical. Now evacuation insurance, that is a different matter.

 

Bill

 

A Medicare supplemental policy, or Medigap, is entirely different than my Medicare Advantage (MA) plan...that's not to say some MA plans don't cover out of country medical problems.

The trip insurance we buy is all inclusive so there is no need for a medivac policy.

[ClaudiaF]

but medivac w/ travel insurance only means to nearest hospital..not always great if you are in some remote area of the world and you can be treated there adequately. ( their wording not mine)

Has happened to us and we were only in Puerto Rico where my husband got sick the day we were to leave the cruise..wound up in hospital there for 11 days...talk about a hotel bill from hell ( for my stay until he recovered to fly home)

[mountain grandma]

have mentionesd this before..but additionally for those in the know..please check out this site:

 

http://www.medjetassist.com

have carried this coverage for 3 years now..have not had to use it..but for the small price for 2 people for about 300 a year this coveage for evac to any hospital of your choice..any hospital of your choice ( repeating) anywhere in the world, should you have a medical problem when you are over 150 MILes away from home ..

just another precaution ..

this would have been the first time we probably would have had to use it as my hubby got critically ill a few days before we were supposed to be jumping on Silverseas in London a couple weeks ago..and has been hospitalized at home for almost a month..

which leads me to my next post..

 

We have purchased Medjet Assist for several years also and, to us, they are worth their weight in gold. Fortunately, we also have never needed them but it is nice to know their service is there. They are the ones that AARP uses.

 

Claudia, sorry to hear about your husband . Will you now be re-joining O's Northern Knights cruise again? Hope so :).

 

Billie

[Benita]

but medivac w/ travel insurance only means to nearest hospital..not always great if you are in some remote area of the world and you can be treated there adequately. ( their wording not mine)

Has happened to us and we were only in Puerto Rico where my husband got sick the day we were to leave the cruise..wound up in hospital there for 11 days...talk about a hotel bill from hell ( for my stay until he recovered to fly home)

 

If you have travel insurance, it should cover you for trip delay as your return home was delayed by the hospitalization. You should have been covered for your hotel and extra charges (planes changes, etc) for an amount equal to either 100% or !50% of the trip's cost, depending on the policy you chose.

[billie5]

Claudia, I agree completely with the medjetassist suggestion. We've bought the annual family plan for the last few years, and, in fact, it is the only insurance we bought, since I've always assumed that if we could afford to take a cruise, we could also afford to not take it (ie, lose our payments).

 

Best wishes to Ron.

 

Bill

[Paulchili]

since I've always assumed that if we could afford to take a cruise, we could also afford to not take it (ie, lose our payments).

 

Bill

 

Yes, but what about medical expenses during your trip - are you covered for those (untill you are able to be "Medjetassisted" home)?

[ClaudiaF]

..you wrote in part..

 

Claudia, sorry to hear about your husband . Will you now be re-joining O's Northern Knights cruise again? Hope so :).

 

Billie

 

 

Oh Billie..thanks for mentioning that one.. will need to check it out.

You may see then!!

[ClaudiaF]

Yes, but what about medical expenses during your trip - are you covered for those (untill you are able to be "Medjetassisted" home)?

 

If you have primary medical insurance your insurance company will usually reimburse you if not cover you ..check into your policy. If you sould get sick on a ship you usually have to pay the ship doctor fees and they give you receipts to send to your medical insurance for reimbursement. Hospitals all over the world have different payment deals. some have wanted payment in advance, cash ( no credit cards), couldn't care about Blue Cross, or Green cross for that matter just cash.. So, It is always a good idea to get travel insurance, which covers the expense of the trip itself, and lost baggage, and unforseen happenings...including being admitted to hospital..they will intervein and handle problems for you, usually. NOw,

medjet assist is just another great thing to have just in case something happens ( can be anywhere in the world when you are 150 miles away from your home..) if you are hospitalized and want to get to your home area hospital and be treated by your own doctors. No excuses, no well you are in a good hospital so stay there until you are well..they "supposedly" set up medical jetting you and your traveling companion home to your hospital of choice. ( Say supposedly as that is what the deal is and we have been fortunate not to have had to use them).

[billie5]

Yes, my usual insurance would cover international medical costs, although, as Claudia says, I would have to lay out the cash first.

 

Bill

[Paulchili]

Yes, my usual insurance would cover international medical costs, although, as Claudia says, I would have to lay out the cash first.

 

Bill

 

It's one thing to pay to set a broken arm in a cast and quite another to pay for a bypass procedure (or some such thing).

Depending on the nature of illness/procedure/operation, length of hospitalization, etc we are talking potentially BIG bucks upfront (in cash). I personally do not want to take that chance and take out trip insurance.

[Benita]

Paul- even with insurance, you still may have to shell out the money first. When my father-in-law was evacuated from a Princess ship, the doctor had already gotten in touch with Access America who said he had to pay everything and keep the receipts and notes- even the bill for the ship's infirmary.This was at the hospital, as well, which was a bit of a problem as he had not notified his credit card company that he would be in Jamaica. The hospital wanted a $2000 up front payment before accepting him in transfer and the credit card company denied it. Luckily, I had my AMEX card - they allowed all the charges. We did get reimbursed, but even with insurance, they wanted us to pay up front, although when I spoke to the agent at Access America, they said they would not ask for advance payment for the Medivac out of the country, should that become necessary.

So, 1. Always bring credit cards on a trip

2. Let the credit card company know you will be away.

[Paulchili]

Paul- even with insurance, you still may have to shell out the money first.

So, 1. Always bring credit cards on a trip

2. Let the credit card company know you will be away.

 

Benita,

thanks for the info. As I have never had to (and hope that I never will have to) avail myself of these types of "services", I did not know the way they work.

Of course, we always take several CC with us (one of them is a Plat Amex, which should cover us in most emergencies).

[ClaudiaF]

Benita,

thanks for the info. As I have never had to (and hope that I never will have to) avail myself of these types of "services", I did not know the way they work.

Of course, we always take several CC with us (one of them is a Plat Amex, which should cover us in most emergencies).

 

When we had the unfortunate hospital experience in Puerto Rico..they would not accept Plat. Am Ex ( or any Am ex)..they demanded cash money and we were not in a position to try to exactly go searching for another hospital.. and they are a US territory but did not accept Blue Cross ( until I had Blue Cross intervene, along with travel insurance company.. so besides Am Ex and some emergency cash,

bring Master and Visa as well.. to Paulchili

also I think you are not understanding what travel insurance is from what you wrote. It would behoove you to get info regarding getting it from your travel agent or go online to insuremytrip.com for all the info

[Paulchili]

When we had the unfortunate hospital experience in Puerto Rico..they would not accept Plat. Am Ex ( or any Am ex)..they demanded cash money and we were not in a position to try to exactly go searching for another hospital.. and they are a US territory but did not accept Blue Cross ( until I had Blue Cross intervene, along with travel insurance company.. so besides Am Ex and some emergency cash,

bring Master and Visa as well.. to Paulchili

also I think you are not understanding what travel insurance is from what you wrote. It would behoove you to get info regarding getting it from your travel agent or go online to insuremytrip.com for all the info

 

Claudia,

Thank you for your input.

I meant that I could get a fairly large cash advance from my Plat. Amex (not to use it in the hospital, per se).

I do get all my insurance at insuremytrip (and I read it very carefully).