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

[BC Todd]

Read my OP...It seems most hospitals still require thousands of dollars up front.

 

Not what I expected when I bought travel insurance, but live and learn...

[klfrodo]

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

 

Hospitals outside the US are not going to bill an insurance carrier like they do here in the States. Actually, here in the States, hospitals only bill the insurance carrier as a courtesy to the patient. Let your insurance not pay in time,,,, who does the hospital say is responsible?

 

Now,,,SOME travel insurance carriers do have in network agreements in SOME countries. That is your responsibility as a consumer to research. MOST travel insurance carriers will provide a hospital with a guarantee letter or funding of the initial amount,,,,however,,,, it is still the travelers responsibility to pay for the services,,,, and then file for reimbursement.

[BC Todd]

Hospitals outside the US are not going to bill an insurance carrier like they do here in the States. Actually, here in the States, hospitals only bill the insurance carrier as a courtesy to the patient. Let your insurance not pay in time,,,, who does the hospital say is responsible?

 

Now,,,SOME travel insurance carriers do have in network agreements in SOME countries. That is your responsibility as a consumer to research. MOST travel insurance carriers will provide a hospital with a guarantee letter or funding of the initial amount,,,,however,,,, it is still the travelers responsibility to pay for the services,,,, and then file for reimbursement.

I understand all that. I just wonder about people without the resources to pay up front. What would happen to someone in say, Cozumel, that needed emergency hospital service but did not have required deposit??? Would they be left to bleed to death at the door of the hospital???

Now, I remember the day that I lived on the "economic edge". There is no way I would have the resources to come up with $5,000 on the spot! Thankfully I now have the resources but still think that many would be short of funds if asked for $5,000 prior to treatment.

 

CC Members...Please ensure you travel with the required cushion. I really would hate to hear of people dying over a few thousand dollars.

[maggieworkman]

Read my OP...It seems most hospitals still require thousands of dollars up front.

 

Not what I expected when I bought travel insurance, but live and learn...

 

I read your OP, but you didn't specify whether the insurance was primary or secondary.

 

Maggie

[Virga]

Wow. I have pitiful credit following my marriage/divorce - it's actually getting better these days, but the only credit card I have has a very low limit, and I really only use it solely to improve my credit. Otherwise, I always have a few weeks pay in the bank (even today, after paying all the monthly bills) and I have a decent bit of money in not-terribly-liquid places.

 

Should I really not cruise? Or rather, do people think I am taking an unreasonable risk doing so? I always book travel insurance, but I'd have a hard time with some of those up front costs. $1500 I could swing, but the $9000 one person mentioned? Plus the other expenses that wouldn't end up reimbursed? I don't have anyone that can send me that kind of money.

 

Guess I shouldn't be cruising... Something to think about, though I think I'll keep running this particular risk.

[wimsiecruise]

When I was working for an Honorary Consulate for Brazil, I had to visit a Brazilian national who, while visiting Canada, was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. His travel insurance refused to pay because he had a pre-existing condition prior to leaving Brazil. I had to make arrangements with the hospital to have him released on the proviso that he sign an agreement to pay in installments, which was pretty fair as he and his family did not have the $2,000 + per diem for his hospital stay (multiply that by almost a week and the total, including the specialist and meds, X-rays, etc. came to more than $14,000.00). Meanwhile, while we were crusading to help this gentleman, others at the hospital (social workers and Accounting, I think), were working behind the scenes to help and someone mentioned that we should contact Visa. Apparently the entire trip was paid for on the patient's Visa Card (airline, hotel, excursion, everything). Sure enough, Visa came through and paid most of the hospital bill ! (I never knew that)! The insurance company paid a small portion of the bill after my boss, a lawyer in Brazil, phoned them and read them the riot act. Canadian hospitals have a bad rap, but I tell you true, this hospital went the extra mile to help a stranded and very sick foreigner. So, I think that, if you are in a serious medical situation abroad, anywhere...you have options, including Consulates, Embassies, Honorary Consulates, Airline companies (Air Canada returned the body of a suicide I had to deal with, free of charge, because the family could not afford it). And last, but not least, your Visa Card !

[PDXJAS]

Wow. I have pitiful credit following my marriage/divorce - it's actually getting better these days, but the only credit card I have has a very low limit, and I really only use it solely to improve my credit. Otherwise, I always have a few weeks pay in the bank (even today, after paying all the monthly bills) and I have a decent bit of money in not-terribly-liquid places.

 

Should I really not cruise? Or rather, do people think I am taking an unreasonable risk doing so? I always book travel insurance, but I'd have a hard time with some of those up front costs. $1500 I could swing, but the $9000 one person mentioned? Plus the other expenses that wouldn't end up reimbursed? I don't have anyone that can send me that kind of money.

 

Guess I shouldn't be cruising... Something to think about, though I think I'll keep running this particular risk.

I am the same as you,but my new husband had his wages garnished over a hospital bill that we thought the insurance had taken care of. Our mistake. Really bad insurance company too for it did take them 15 months to pay a bill once before. This was after we booked our honeymoon cruise. Money is tight for us and we will be traveling with cash. And travel insurance. Pray nothing happens to us ~ People who live paycheck to paycheck

[boaterette]

Kind of makes you take seriously the warning about not renting scooters. Unless of course you have the money to pay for the hospital bill. Not that everybody crashes but there does seem to be a lot of accidents on them. Do any of you think the cruiselines should tell people about the cost of getting hurt in foreign countries. I think it should be mentioned in the shore talks.

[CRZCRAZY]

While they don't go into the actual costs, Every cruise I've been on has warned the passengers on what not to do in port. Not only is there the cost of care, but get into an accident (even if you're not at fault) and get tied up for hours with the local police. You've now missed the ship because a local hit your rented vehicle.

Another consideration in other countries is the level of care may not be the same. We had a group at Dunn's River Falls, and a girl in our group fell and broke her leg. The ambulance picked her up. She said the sheet on the gurney looked like it hadn't been changed in years withold blood stains, etc. They drove her around for a while and couldn't decide where to take her, till finally she told them to stop and got out. She got a taxi to take her back to the ship and acted drunk to hide the obvious limp till she got back on ship and after we set sail she went down below for medical help. It was broke, they treated her and said if security knew she had a broken leg (had she not acted drunk) they might have denied her boarding till she went to a hospital.

I've seen cases of someone injured on a Carnival sponsored excursion that was treated differently. Why I don't know, but had she actually made it to the hospital and missed the ship, without a decent credit card it would have been very hard to get transport to the next port.

[halos]

Kind of makes you take seriously the warning about not renting scooters. Unless of course you have the money to pay for the hospital bill. Not that everybody crashes but there does seem to be a lot of accidents on them. Do any of you think the cruiselines should tell people about the cost of getting hurt in foreign countries. I think it should be mentioned in the shore talks.

 

 

I agree that minimizing your risks are essential if you are cruising 'on the financial edge'.

Obviously, some things just happen, but why up the chances???

[vacruizer]

While they don't go into the actual costs, Every cruise I've been on has warned the passengers on what not to do in port. Not only is there the cost of care, but get into an accident (even if you're not at fault) and get tied up for hours with the local police. You've now missed the ship because a local hit your rented vehicle.

Another consideration in other countries is the level of care may not be the same. We had a group at Dunn's River Falls, and a girl in our group fell and broke her leg. The ambulance picked her up. She said the sheet on the gurney looked like it hadn't been changed in years withold blood stains, etc. They drove her around for a while and couldn't decide where to take her, till finally she told them to stop and got out. She got a taxi to take her back to the ship and acted drunk to hide the obvious limp till she got back on ship and after we set sail she went down below for medical help. It was broke, they treated her and said if security knew she had a broken leg (had she not acted drunk) they might have denied her boarding till she went to a hospital.

I've seen cases of someone injured on a Carnival sponsored excursion that was treated differently. Why I don't know, but had she actually made it to the hospital and missed the ship, without a decent credit card it would have been very hard to get transport to the next port.

 

You bring up another good point. All it takes is one traffic accident and you could be held up for hours and miss the ship. I know it isn't uncommon in Mexicio for "intentional" fender benders to happen. The police hold you until you basically pay them bribe money. For those without credit cards and/or a passport, this could be an ugly mess trying to fly to the next port or home.

[asb2164]

I have to agree that you are taking a risk traveling to a foreign country with limited funds I have been going to Mexico for years and I take a high limit CC with me for such occasions.

Also someone also mentioned being detained as a witness over a crime or an accident, I have known about this for years and I was on a local city bus that was in a rather serious accident that had some passengers injured in Acapulco, I told the driver I needed to go to a restaurant as I had diarrhea and I would be right back I walked through the front door and right out the back and walked the beach back to my hotel.

If you search google you will find many horror stories about vacationers in Mexico and hospital bills, Everyone planning a vacation needs to research this, And remember that US laws do not apply to you in Mexico.

[nbsjcruiser]

Hi everyone. It was my DH who was hurt in Nassau. I had the choice to have him transfered to the public hospital or the private hospital, I chose the private hospital as i knew we had insurance. I was told that the public would treat him for a fee of $40 dollars but there would be hours of waiting. They also informed me that the private hospital would require a credit card. I was told that they will not accept insurance from visitors because they have been stiffed to many times.

 

When we arrived at the hospital they asked for the credit card up front. They took a $1500 deposit and if need be they would just keep charging. We ended up getting some back as the cost was not a high a thought they would be. iIwill tell you we had great service.

 

The break down of services goes like this. Carnival $318, ambulance $300 and hospital $718. I feel it could have been a lot worse if he needed to have surgery. If that had happened we would have to add hotel and food for me plus air fare home.

 

We always travel with travel insurance and a credit card with a high limit just for this reason.

 

Dh is getting better by the day and is looking forward to our cruise in March. I have told him no playing in the waves in March.

[klmorg]

I didn't mean to scare BCTodd or anyone with our story!! The odds are in your favor that everything will be wonderful and you will not need to be concerned with this. It was quite a wake-up call for us, not just the heart attack, but everything else that had to be arranged & paid for. I just remember the infirmary nurse breathing a sigh of relief when she asked if I had travel insurance & telling me that was a very good thing. I had no idea how things worked with out-of-country medical stuff though. Luckily, we did NOT have to pay for the air ambualnce upfront (it was close to $25,000).

 

So don't freak out, just try to be prepared as you just never know. That's what's so good about CC. I have learned so much here myself. This is where I learned about trip insurance and where to shop & compare. BTW... our travel insurance for that cruise was only $41 per person! Quite an investment.

[sbnuggie]

I didn't mean to scare BCTodd or anyone with our story!! The odds are in your favor that everything will be wonderful and you will not need to be concerned with this. It was quite a wake-up call for us, not just the heart attack, but everything else that had to be arranged & paid for. I just remember the infirmary nurse breathing a sigh of relief when she asked if I had travel insurance & telling me that was a very good thing. I had no idea how things worked with out-of-country medical stuff though. Luckily, we did NOT have to pay for the air ambualnce upfront (it was close to $25,000).

 

So don't freak out, just try to be prepared as you just never know. That's what's so good about CC. I have learned so much here myself. This is where I learned about trip insurance and where to shop & compare. BTW... our travel insurance for that cruise was only $41 per person! Quite an investment.

 

I tell ya' I've been on these boards for a few years, mostly lurking researching etc for our past couple of cruises and I think it was about a 2 years or so ago when I happened upon Klmorg's thread about her experience when I was asking about travel insurance. I have that thread saved and I forward it on to everyone who asks me about travel insurance, we even went out and got an "emergency" credit card. Quite an eyeopening experience.

 

Couple that with Ken076's expert guidance on travel insurance I really don't know how anyone travels without it, my family and friends don't that's for sure.

[tulsacubfan]

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!

 

Thanks - I was going to respond, but read yours and couldn't have said it better...

[tulsacubfan]

Wow. I have pitiful credit following my marriage/divorce - it's actually getting better these days, but the only credit card I have has a very low limit, and I really only use it solely to improve my credit. Otherwise, I always have a few weeks pay in the bank (even today, after paying all the monthly bills) and I have a decent bit of money in not-terribly-liquid places.

 

Should I really not cruise? Or rather, do people think I am taking an unreasonable risk doing so? I always book travel insurance, but I'd have a hard time with some of those up front costs. $1500 I could swing, but the $9000 one person mentioned? Plus the other expenses that wouldn't end up reimbursed? I don't have anyone that can send me that kind of money.

 

Guess I shouldn't be cruising... Something to think about, though I think I'll keep running this particular risk.

 

From these posts, sounds like it is not so much cruising, but any type of travel outside of the U.S.! If you (and me) don't have $9,000 cash laying around we shouldn't be leaving the country I guess.

[asb2164]

From these posts, sounds like it is not so much cruising, but any type of travel outside of the U.S.! If you (and me) don't have $9,000 cash laying around we shouldn't be leaving the country I guess.

Nobody is really saying that you should not travel they are just warning the people who choose to travel with limited funds that sometimes unforeseen problems arise you should be aware of.

[CBussey64]

Okay now I'm thinking I should've purchased travel insurance. Our cruise leaves February 5th and it's been paid off for a couple of months, is it to late to obtain travel insurance? Where should I look? Thanks. Glad everyone's loved ones that were injured, etc are doing well.

[Littlegoo75]

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.

 

If all of those people didn't cruise, the cruise industry would be DEAD. Cruising happens to be one of those kind of vacations that are the most affordable and you can make it a relatively inexpensive vacation (shorter cruises) or a lavish one depending on your budget.

[Littlegoo75]

Oh, and I would never ever cruise without the insurance. It's such a small fee that it's worth it just for the peace of mind...... I've actually had to use it once for a last minute cancellation due to an emergency illness of a family member....it saved us several thousand dollars in losses.

[klmorg]

I tell ya' I've been on these boards for a few years, mostly lurking researching etc for our past couple of cruises and I think it was about a 2 years or so ago when I happened upon Klmorg's thread about her experience when I was asking about travel insurance. I have that thread saved and I forward it on to everyone who asks me about travel insurance, we even went out and got an "emergency" credit card. Quite an eyeopening experience.

 

Couple that with Ken076's expert guidance on travel insurance I really don't know how anyone travels without it, my family and friends don't that's for sure.

 

Oh bless you! I am so glad to hear that; it's always been my intention to try & help people if at all possible with our experience. If I hadn't been here on CC back then, I don't know that I would have thought to purchase travel insurance... after all we were in our mid 40's & in pretty good health. What could possibly go wrong? :eek:

 

Okay now I'm thinking I should've purchased travel insurance. Our cruise leaves February 5th and it's been paid off for a couple of months, is it to late to obtain travel insurance? Where should I look? Thanks. Glad everyone's loved ones that were injured, etc are doing well.

 

It is not too late. We always use insuremytrip dot com to research & shop for travel insurance. Because of the great service we received during our "ordeal", we have stuck with TravelSafe, but there are many good, reasonable ones out there. Just ask Ken, the insurance expert!

 

We now purchase it within 15 or 20 days of booking our cruise, because we are now in the category requiring the clause that covers pre-exisiting conditions (result of the heart attack :o). That usually includes the cancel for any reason clause, too. It's an automatic thing for me... first book the cruise & make the deposit, then purchase the travel insurance right after.

[Ken076]

Okay now I'm thinking I should've purchased travel insurance. Our cruise leaves February 5th and it's been paid off for a couple of months, is it to late to obtain travel insurance? Where should I look? Thanks. Glad everyone's loved ones that were injured, etc are doing well.

 

See below for general Trip Insurance info. Firwst checkout your Homeowners Insurance and your Credit Card Travel Benefits and your Health Insurance for out-of-country coverage. If you're a USAA member, checkout their TravelInsured Policies. If you're traveling with kids checkout TravelInsured and TravelEx who insure kids free w/ adults. If you're beyong 14-21 days from Cruise Deposit, checkout CSA Freestyle prior to Final Payment to get the "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions.

 

The Carnival Berkely Policy provides low Medical coverage, marginal MedEvac coverage and no "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions". The Policy DOES offer Future Cruise CREDIT if your claim is denied as due to a Pre-Existing Condition and now includes cancellation coverage for Hurricane Warning and Job Layoff. If you cancel your Cruise before final Payment, the Carnival Policy premium is refundable. Carnival and Berkely both claim that the Policy also covers your independently purchased AirFare. The Carnival Policy is less expensive than the 3rd party policies if you're age is in the 70’s, as Age is not factored into Carnival Berkely’s premium as it is with 3rd Party Policies.

The 3rd Party Trip Insurance Policies such as CSA, Travel-Ex and Travel-Insured offer much higher coverages and are much less expensive if you're younger. They generally offer "Waiver of Pre-Existing Conditions" (which can expedite the claims process) if you purchase w/in 14-21 days of your Cruise Deposit; CSA allows you to purchase up to Final Payment and retain the Waiver. Otherwise, you can purchase Carnival Berkely Insurance up to 14 days before sailaway, and you can purchase most other policies practically up to sailaway. You MUST be physically fit to travel the day you purchase.

Most Policies are “Secondary” meaning that you have to first file claims with your own Health and/or Homeowners Insurance and be reimbursed/rejected by them, then the 3rd party Policy will pay what your insurance doesn’t pay (up to the limits of the policy). Primary Policies pay everything (up to limits of the Policy) without requiring you to first file and coordinate benefits with your personal policies, which can help expedite the claims process.

“Cancel for Any Reason” coverage is usually offered as an option, usually for additional 50% of the premium . It’s important to read the associated Policy as many policies do not pay 100% and many policies pay LESS the later you cancel. The Princess Berkely Policy and now the Carnival Berkely Policy include75% Cancel for Any Reason Future Cruise CREDIT.

The Carnival Berkely Policy covers Carnival Early Saver cancellation penalties (if you’re cancelling for a covered reason) by Carnival not issuing a Carnival Future Cruise Credit if you’re insured by Carnival Berkely (if you are otherwise insured you may need to ask to not have the future cruise credit issued).

You need to select a Policy at least somewhat based on your own situation/concerns (if traveling with kids, if prior medical conditions, if over age 70, if Military, if concerned about LayOff….:

TravelEx and TravelInsured insure kids free with insured adults.

USAA offers their members discounted (about 9%) Travel-Insured Policies with some expanded coverages.

TravelEX is PRIMARY and includes kids under 16 free and offers a Business/Military upgrade.

CSA Freestyle includes Cancellation for Layoff and for School Year Extension.

Patriot TRIP is PRIMARY coverage and includes Cancellation for Layoff, Cancelled Leave for Military, Fire & Police and Missed Cruise for Flight Delay.

TravelSafe includes Cancel for Hurricane Warning and Cancel for Any Reason (not always 100%).

You can compare Policies and Premiums for your specific age, destination, dates and cruise costs, at the Insurer's sites or at sites such as www.insuremytrip.com and www.buyamericaninsurance.com . Note that some Policies also have a $6 or $8 application Fee added-on.

 

If you're not into Research, checkout CSA Freestyle, and TravelInsured Trip Protector and AIG TravelGuard Premier Protect.

 

FIRST check your personal Health Plan for out-of-country medical and MedEvac coverage, your Homeowners Insurance for Personal Property coverage, and your Credit Card for Trip Cancellation/Interruption, AD&D coverage, and Baggage Loss/Delay coverage and Rental Car DDW coverage!!! For Example:

 

· VISA Signature Card offers $500,000max Common Carrier Accidental Death & dismemberment, $3000max Lost Luggage by common carrier, $300max Luggage Delay by common carrier and Rental Car CDW.

· World MasterCard offers Flight AD&D and Rental Car CDW, minimal Trip Cancellation/Delay and Baggage coverage.

 

· Government Employee’s Blue Cross blue shield (BCBS) includes Out-of-Country Medical Coverage, via an out-of-country Provider Network.

 

ken

[BC Todd]

I didn't mean to scare BCTodd or anyone with our story!! The odds are in your favor that everything will be wonderful and you will not need to be concerned with this. It was quite a wake-up call for us, not just the heart attack, but everything else that had to be arranged & paid for. I just remember the infirmary nurse breathing a sigh of relief when she asked if I had travel insurance & telling me that was a very good thing. I had no idea how things worked with out-of-country medical stuff though. Luckily, we did NOT have to pay for the air ambualnce upfront (it was close to $25,000).

 

So don't freak out, just try to be prepared as you just never know. That's what's so good about CC. I have learned so much here myself. This is where I learned about trip insurance and where to shop & compare. BTW... our travel insurance for that cruise was only $41 per person! Quite an investment.

You really didn't scare me:) I was always under the impression that when the Insurance companies give you a wallet card to call if hospitalized, you were good to go. I mean the inference has to be that they will deal directly with the hospital, not you having to collect after the fact.

 

As I said in an earlier post, hospital up front charges are not a problem for me or my family now, but I do remember the day when it would have been a problem...

 

I think this potential life changing event should get more "play" than it does. I mean who cares if someone wears a ball cap to the MDR. I think that more people should be informed about this SERIOUS financial issue.

 

I'm just saying...

[klmorg]

I think this potential life changing event should get more "play" than it does. I mean who cares if someone wears a ball cap to the MDR. I think that more people should be informed about this SERIOUS financial issue.

 

I'm just saying...

 

Ain't that the truth. Have a great B2B cruise! Very jealous here.