medical air lifting

[double bogey]

It seems the last few cruises we have taken someone, passenger or crew was getting air lifted to a hospital, during table talk someone mentioned an insurance policy to take in the event you ever needed that service as it would cost $30,000.00 just wondering does anyone have info on insurance company or coverage to get?

[Toto2Kansas]

I know Pam holds this yearly policy for medical evac, hopefully she will see this and respond as I can not remember the name of the policy she holds. Keep checking back, I am sure she will see this question. ;)

[dforeigner]

It seems the last few cruises we have taken someone, passenger or crew was getting air lifted to a hospital, during table talk someone mentioned an insurance policy to take in the event you ever needed that service as it would cost $30,000.00 just wondering does anyone have info on insurance company or coverage to get?

 

It depends how much you travel outside the US. Some get the yearly coverage while others get it per trip.

 

Two good places to look for travel insurance are:

 

http://www.squaremouth.com/

 

http://www.insuremytrip.com/

 

You need to pay attention as to what it is that they cover as different policies, even within the same company, may differ.

 

Now for MEDEVAC insurance (usually air evacuation only):

 

http://www.travelassistnetwork.com/aboutus.aspx

 

http://www.angelmedflight.com/

 

http://www.medjetassist.com/

 

Hope this helps!

[Coral]

I know Pam holds this yearly policy for medical evac, hopefully she will see this and respond as I can not remember the name of the policy she holds. Keep checking back, I am sure she will see this question. ;)

 

Not Pam, but you are probably referring to MedJet Assist. We buy this also but it will not evacuate you from a ship. What it's primary function is to "fly you home to a nearby hospital." So if you are away from home and hospitalized, you can get home and be seen by your own doctors.

 

If on a ship, you still need an insurance policy to get you off the ship to a hospital. Many travel insurance policies cover this. I like Access America but many policies include this option (Princess's travel insurance, TravelGuard, etc..).

[Pam in CA]

http://www.medjetassist.com/

This is the one we have and used.

 

Not Pam, but you are probably referring to MedJet Assist. We buy this also but it will not evacuate you from a ship. What it's primary function is to "fly you home to a nearby hospital." So if you are away from home and hospitalized, you can get home and be seen by your own doctors.

 

If on a ship, you still need an insurance policy to get you off the ship to a hospital. Many travel insurance policies cover this. I like Access America but many policies include this option (Princess's travel insurance, TravelGuard, etc..).

Coral is correct. MedJet Assist will fly you in a private plane with medical personnel onboard, if needed, from anywhere in the world to any hospital you choose as long as you are 150 miles from home. If you have a medical emergency onboard the ship, you still need to get to shore. The Princess insurance, and I'm sure, other insurance carriers will get you to the nearest "approved" medical center. However, that could be 3,000 miles from home, which was our case (FLL vs. CA.) My BIL was already in an approved medical center and as he was in ICU for a month, he couldn't fly commercially, which Princess would have paid for.

 

When we needed them, MedJet Assist was fabulous. They responded immediately and within four hours, had a plane ready and all the paperwork done. If we chose, we could have gone on the plane with him.

 

One thing to consider when deciding on which insurance to take, make sure you read the fine print. Once you get to a hospital, if you have a traveling companion, many insurance policies will cover only 5 days of companion expenses. In our case, my BIL was in FLL for a month. The Princess insurance covered both my sister's and my expenses up to the full cost of our cruise. They also assisted us by finding a hotel near the hospital and getting us a special rate; the hotel also had a free shuttle to/from the hospital so we didn't have to rent a car. They called daily to find out how we were and how we were doing, and whether there was anything we needed. As my sister said when she heard that other insurance policies would have covered only a fraction of her costs and none of mine, "What? I'm supposed to leave him here?"

 

I can't say enough about our experience with the Princess insurance (other than when they said they weren't going to fly him home from FLL after they said they would; they later recanted and said they would) and MedJet Assist. It made a horrible situation bearable.

[Astro Flyer]

We are not Medicare eligible but received a written reply from our health plan that they would provide a medavac from the ship. It would also pay for emergency care anywhere in the world.

 

Since this is primary with most trip insurance the medical coverage isn't often beneficial for us. We get it primarily for the trip cancellation/interuption coverage & benefits in case of death or anything else not covered.

[Toto2Kansas]

Medicare does not pay for anything onboard a ship, and Medjet assist is not associated with Medicare in any way.

[more cruises]

I can't say it often enough - READ THE FINE PRINT! Some policies say they will fly you to the closest hospital that can provide appropriate care - so that could still be in a foreign country. Some say they will get you to American soil but that could still be far, far from home.

 

Pay attention to policy coverage amounts. The standard $25,000 that most cruiseline policies cover won't get you very far. I always choose my policies based on medivac and medical amts.

 

MedJet Assist sounds like a great deal (Rudy Maxa recommends it) but it's not available in my state - Washington.

 

I like to use tripinsurancestore.com It's very easy to compare policies and coverage on this site.

 

Let's hope you never need it.

[Pam in CA]

Medicare does not pay for anything onboard a ship, and Medjet assist is not associated with Medicare in any way.

Correct. Medicare coverage is in the U.S. only and will not pay a dime for anything onboard. On the other hand, your supplemental insurance probably will. Double-check that. In our case, there was a $8,000 bill for the Medical Center. Medicare paid $0, Anthem BC paid $6,000, Princess insurance paid $2,000.

[Coral]

 

Pay attention to policy coverage amounts. The standard $25,000 that most cruiseline policies cover won't get you very far. I always choose my policies based on medivac and medical amts.

 

 

I agree. Princess's medical insurance has a very low medical limit on medical coverage (I just checked and it is $20K). My mom had surgery earlier this year in the US and spent 3 nights in the hospital and the cost was $50K (plus the doctors so closer to $60K). Unless you have a 3rd party policy that covers you outside of the US, I can not recommend Princess's insurance. For seniors with Medicare, Medicare doesn't cover them outside of the US so medical coverage amounts are very important.

[Astro Flyer]

Medicare does not pay for anything onboard a ship, and Medjet assist is not associated with Medicare in any way.

Thanks for confirming that Medicare does not cover onboard...is it also true they don't cover anything when outside of the US?

 

Until then most of the lower priced trip insurance plans are secondary to my primary healthcare plan & may be good for other non-Medicare age travelers to check to see what their medical benefits are when traveling away from home.

[Pam in CA]

We are not Medicare eligible but received a written reply from our health plan that they would provide a medavac from the ship. It would also pay for emergency care anywhere in the world.

 

Since this is primary with most trip insurance the medical coverage isn't often beneficial for us. We get it primarily for the trip cancellation/interuption coverage & benefits in case of death or anything else not covered.

Yes, but if you're "anywhere in the world," will it pay for companion costs? Will it pay for transportation home? Or, will it pay for transportation if medical personnel are needed? You could be in a situation where you can't fly commerically. Will it pay for transportation home for a companion? Just some food for thought.

[Astro Flyer]

Yes, but if you're "anywhere in the world," will it pay for companion costs? Will it pay for transportation home? Or, will it pay for transportation if medical personnel are needed? You could be in a situation where you can't fly commerically. Will it pay for transportation home for a companion? Just some food for thought.

Excellent points...thanks :)

 

For those situations we always purchase trip insurance for those situations when traveling outside of the US.

[double bogey]

thank you all................ very helpful info