** $1,500 Deposit for Hospital Visit??? **

[BC Todd]

While reading someone's trip report they were injured in Naussa while playing in the water. They returned to the ship's medical centre and were directed to a local hospital.

 

They indicated they had insurance but still had to pay the hospital a $1,500 deposit!:eek:

 

Now we are always insured when travelling and I guess we are lucky that a $1,500 deposit would not be the end of the world...but I wonder if that could pose a problem for others...

 

Anyone with experience in this area???

[klmorg]

We didn't have to pay a deposit when DH had a heart attack on our cruise & was transported to Cayman Islands Hospital, but despite having both health insurance AND travel insurance, we were still responsible for paying the CI hospital bill before we left & he was transported to Miami via air ambulance. The hospital bill was over $5000. And we had to settle our S&S bill when we debarked the ship, which included infirmary charges around $4000. And the list goes on & on with what we had to pay for upfront (private flights for the kids from Cayman to Miami, stay in Miami 1 1/2 weeks, etc). I think having to pay upfront & file the claims later is pretty normal for out-of-country medical expenses.

 

I'm pleased to say the between both insurance companies, we were reimbursed for all of our expenses within a couple weeks of filing the claims. Two pieces of advice: Travel Insurance and an Emergency Credit Card. ;)

[boaterette]

I imagine it would. There are a lot of posts on here from people who have stated they they want to know what to do because they don't get there pay check until they are on the ship. Those type of cruisers would be in serious problems if that happened. It seems to me a lot of people cruise who live paycheck to paycheck. Not good.

[richbum]

What would they do if someone was in that situation, where they didn't have the money to pay upfront, but they had cruise insurance and medical insurance?:D

[Unknotted]

I imagine it would. There are a lot of posts on here from people who have stated they they want to know what to do because they don't get there pay check until they are on the ship. Those type of cruisers would be in serious problems if that happened. It seems to me a lot of people cruise who live paycheck to paycheck. Not good.

 

What??? So only rich people should cruise? I beg to differ!!

 

I've been poor before and I can tell you that people who live from paycheck to paycheck usually know how to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Sure, emergencies happen and you are seldom prepared to pay for them when you are broke, but they happen at home too.

 

Don't be dissing people who live paycheck to paycheck!

[klmorg]

What would they do if someone was in that situation, where they didn't have the money to pay upfront, but they had cruise insurance and medical insurance?:D

 

I'm thankful we didn't have to try & figure that out & had a large amount of available credit on our emergency credit card, but I would imagine the options would be to get the money wired to you, or as someone once mentioned before on here, arranging for some sort of promissary note or loan.

[firefly333]

Even if you have insurance, you would still have to pay the bill in a foreign country I would expect and then file for reimbursement.

[halos]

We didn't have to pay a deposit when DH had a heart attack on our cruise & was transported to Cayman Islands Hospital, but despite having both health insurance AND travel insurance, we were still responsible for paying the CI hospital bill before we left & he was transported to Miami via air ambulance. The hospital bill was over $5000. And we had to settle our S&S bill when we debarked the ship, which included infirmary charges around $4000. And the list goes on & on with what we had to pay for upfront (private flights for the kids from Cayman to Miami, stay in Miami 1 1/2 weeks, etc). I think having to pay upfront & file the claims later is pretty normal for out-of-country medical expenses.

 

I'm pleased to say the between both insurance companies, we were reimbursed for all of our expenses within a couple weeks of filing the claims. Two pieces of advice: Travel Insurance and an Emergency Credit Card. ;)

:eek: OMG that must have been so scary!!! I am assuming your DH is OK now????

[firefly333]

There was a thread in general questions where someone's friend was in a hospital in cozumel and didnt have the money to pay the bill, no credit, and the friend was asking who to appeal to as the lady was going to be transferred to some place for the indigent.

 

Finally a church stepped in to air lift her home. No one to go and get her, she was from florida. Im always amazed at people who think bringing some cash to fund their S&S card is enough, without a credit card to back them up.

[melissa]

When I was staying in Nassau at the Atlantis, my daughter's friend and I got really bad food poisoning and had to go to the hospital. We were in ER for a few hours. The bill was over $2,000.00 which we had to put on a credit card. It took several months to get repaid by my insurance company. It was not a good financial experience however they seemed pretty efficient in the hospital.

[halos]

What??? So only rich people should cruise? I beg to differ!!

 

I've been poor before and I can tell you that people who live from paycheck to paycheck usually know how to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Sure, emergencies happen and you are seldom prepared to pay for them when you are broke, but they happen at home too.

 

Don't be dissing people who live paycheck to paycheck!

 

I imagine that if you are living paycheck to paycheck but have enough credit for a major emergency and purchase cruise insurance, then cruising while in that position isn't bad.

 

If you live paycheck to paycheck and don't have enough credit available for a big emergency while abroad, then you are really taking a risk...

So I would then agree with Boaterette.

 

And fwiw, there are many levels between paycheck to paycheck and 'rich'.

[Tapi]

It seems to me a lot of people cruise who live paycheck to paycheck. Not good.

 

The reality in this country is that more than half of the US population DOES live paycheck to paycheck, and many live on credit. Things like 401K, life insurance, health insurance, savings accounts, college funds etc are foreign terms to many.

 

But who the HECK are we to tell them if they should be cruising or not??

[klmorg]

:eek: OMG that must have been so scary!!! I am assuming your DH is OK now????

 

Yes, he's great! Guess I left that little tidbit out. :) It was a very difficult & scary ordeal, but everything worked out in the end. I am thankful our kids were older (early 20's) so they could fly to Miami on their own (for a measly $600) and that we were all there together.

 

I could do a commercial for travel insurance! He was only 47 at the time, average weight & in good health (or so we thought), so we really didn't purchase it for medical reasons at all, it was more in case we had to cancel (kids in college, etc).

[Ken076]

While reading someone's trip report they were injured in Naussa while playing in the water. They returned to the ship's medical centre and were directed to a local hospital.

 

They indicated they had insurance but still had to pay the hospital a $1,500 deposit!:eek:

 

Now we are always insured when travelling and I guess we are lucky that a $1,500 deposit would not be the end of the world...but I wonder if that could pose a problem for others...

 

Anyone with experience in this area???

 

It's not unusual for out-of-country Hospitals to charge an upfront admission guarantee (or for some practioners to charge an upfront treatment guarantee). Several of the Trip Insurance Policies include a $5000 Hospital admission Guarantee and a $1000 or $1500 practioner's guarantee, usually for the initial treatment. Also, several Policies (including CSA) have an out-of-country Provider Network that normally accepts the insurance as payment. The ship's infirmary, on the other hand, bills to your S&S Account and provides paperwork for you to file for reimbursement on return. ken

[KruznKel]

Pay cheque to Pay cheque or not.. for those paying cash what would happen.. not everyone even with a credit card has that expendable limit??? If you dont have a church or family members to help I guess you are crap outta luck until the insuraance money comes thru... that is if you purchased insurance???:eek:

[makeup face]

What??? So only rich people should cruise? I beg to differ!!

 

I've been poor before and I can tell you that people who live from paycheck to paycheck usually know how to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Sure, emergencies happen and you are seldom prepared to pay for them when you are broke, but they happen at home too.

 

Don't be dissing people who live paycheck to paycheck!

 

 

 

Thank You...well said!!!!

[Mike&Shell]

What??? So only rich people should cruise? I beg to differ!!

 

I've been poor before and I can tell you that people who live from paycheck to paycheck usually know how to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Sure, emergencies happen and you are seldom prepared to pay for them when you are broke, but they happen at home too.

 

Don't be dissing people who live paycheck to paycheck!

 

For real...

[Tbay-eh]

No where in this thread does ANYONE suggest that those living pay cheque to pay cheque not cruise just that if something major happened it would not be good. I did not think they were dissing these people just stating the obvious. The one thing about cruising is that it can be very affordable to many people and you can spend as little or as much as you want. It is when something bad happens that people would be behind the eight ball. Having a major credit card with a higher limit would definitely be a plus if you do run into problems.

[vacruizer]

What??? So only rich people should cruise? I beg to differ!!

 

I've been poor before and I can tell you that people who live from paycheck to paycheck usually know how to have a lot of fun without spending a lot of money. Sure, emergencies happen and you are seldom prepared to pay for them when you are broke, but they happen at home too.

 

Don't be dissing people who live paycheck to paycheck!

 

The difference is that here in the U.S., the hospital is required to treat you in an emergency and then they come after you for payment later. In other countries that's not the case - many places refuse to treat you without paying upfront or a large deposit.

 

Travel insurance is great but in general only reimburses after the fact. Nothing wrong with living paycheck to paycheck and still having fun. My vacations then were usually staying at home for a week or a cabin at a nearby state park, though.

[barbgazz]

A friend of ours 35 year old son had a heart attack and died in Cozumel on their last cruise. They had to pay $8,000 before they could have his body flown to the US for burial. They didn't have the money so they had to ask their son-in-law to wire the money to them on the island.

[viaggi_per_mare]

We have dealt out of the country before as well as on the ship with medical. As others have said, you get the money back rather than what people are used to where they bill insurance and you pay the rest. Most countries want a upfront payment and $1500 is cheap. If a country is not able to come after an American for the money after you leave their country (Italy & Spain are two like this), you will be asked for $10,000 and up for medical care. They are better in countries like Germany and England where they have treaties that allow them to come after Americans for collections if they need to. Many Caribbean countries are under English rule so I think they would be the same. Mexico is also able to collect from Americans so their upfront is not too bad.

 

We have military medical insurance as my husband is retired military. That is the only insurance that works like home where you do not have to pay upfront for many of the things but, you still do for some.

Airlift is done by the coast guard and they do not even bill you if you have military insurance. When I broke my hand on a Carnival excursion, I was treated on the ship and there was no up front cost to me I was told because it was a Carnival excursion. (one of the reason we do not use outside vendors) There were no charges on my S & S card and they did bill the military insurance, and there was no cost to us.

We have had to use hospitals in Germany and Italy before, and both countries fully accept military health insurance. Italy does not have the ability to come after Americans who do not pay their medical in Italy and they have government medical for Italians. If you plan to stay more than 2 weeks in Italy, you have to pay into their medical system by the day rate or prove you have insurance that they will accept and it covers at least $20,000 for medical bills. Travel insurance in Italy is reimbursed and you have to have a least $20,000 for medical expenses not to be charged the daily rate to stay over 2 weeks in Italy. This also applies if they take you off the cruiseship and put you in an Italian hospital.

 

Travel insurance is SOMETHING but don't expect not to have to give out a lot of money first to get treatment. Your "rights" do not exist out of the USA, a fact that many Americans have trouble understanding. You do run into hospitals, clinics, and doctors in foreign countries who will take one look at you and say "We don't treat foreigners" You cannot sue, you just have to move on and find a place that will treat you.

 

The words "That's discrimination, I will call a lawyer" is in many countries, their best reason to refuse you care. Another thing no one plans for is dying abroad. It is a good idea to talk to your funeral home that would likely be servicing you to ask whether they would handle the mess of dying abroad and who to call. We haven't had to dealt with this personally but we have traveled with people who have had this nightmare. A little planning and a number to give local authorities to deal with the legal permits to get you home is essential and no one every thinks about it.

[rdler]

That was an interesting response, Viaggi. Certainly stuff to think about if one has the misfortune to get ill, injured or die in a foreign country. I am not entirely certain what the solution is, however.

 

Many folks have posted that pay-check to pay-check people really ought not to cruise. Fire, who knows that I don't like to use credit says I should do so anyway on a cruise, just in case. (Remember, I adore Fire, and it's not bad advice.)

 

Still, I do pay cash only. I do not use a credit card. Generally I have a fair degree of money with me and I am one of those dinosaurs who uses Traveler's Cheques.

 

I have no confidence whatsoever what would happen to me or my minor son if I were to become seriously ill on a cruise. Yes, I have insurance and I do buy cruise insurance. I also have access to wire transfers and thus and such, but they are only good if I am able to communicate and prove who I am. (No, my young son does not know my mother's maiden name, my ssn or my pin number.)

 

I do have an "emergency" credit card and I do carry it. (Firefly would be pleased.) But as I learned last week when I discovered that the future cruise certificate department only accepts credit cards-- not cash or sail and sign cards-- having an emergency credit card doesn't always work either. I had plenty of availability on my credit card. I should, I never use it. But that was my problem. They would not accept a charge from out of the country even with my pin, mother's maiden name and ssn. I hadn't used my card in about 3 years-- although it was active and I had advised them that I would be out of the country. The best I could do was "call back on Monday". Of course that was useless to me, but very enlightening as to what would (or wouldn't) have happened if I was in serious distress.

 

Perhaps other commentators are right. If you live pay-check to pay-check like most Americans (and I'd venture to say, a significant proportion of Carnival's customers), perhaps you should not cruise. If you don't have credit, you shouldn't cruise as folks have advised. If you don't have insurance you shouldn't either, as it won't cover a deposit in advance. If you have an inactive credit card, forget it.

 

I guess cruising is for practically nobody, or at least only those of us of substantial means who maintain our competence and/or are traveling with our personal lawyer.

[billie5]

Many Caribbean countries are under English rule so I think they would be the same.

 

Hmm. I wonder which Caribbean countries are under English rule. (Answer: None, of course) Now, there are some English territories in the Caribbean .......

 

Things have changed. In the 1990's I was visiting in Beijing when I got what turned out to be a nasty kidney stone attack. Not wanting treatment there, I boarded the first flight out from Beijing to Hong Kong, and then told the Hong Kong taxi driver to take me to the nearest British hospital. There I accepted the option of being handed some potent pain killers so I could make a flight early the next morning from Hong Kong to the U.S. West coast, then went again from the airport to the hospital. The charge for the diagnosis and meds in the British hospital: $0. Good old socialized medicine, even though I was not a Brit.

 

Bill

[BC Todd]

Well, seeing that I leave in less than two weeks, I have to say I am now scared...

 

Thanks!...Just kidding, but really...I thought that I would not need cash if I bought travel insurance. Guess the 1-800 numbers they provide are useless.

 

I will ensure we have at least $5,000 in our savings account before we leave. This means I have to move a few things around, but better safe than sorry...

[maggieworkman]

If you have travel insurance that is primary, do you still need to pay the hospital bill before you leave or would the insurance?

 

Thanks,

Maggie