Travel Insurance – a lesson learned

[Jade13]

This is very much our experience. Travel insurance companies only pay out about 12 cents for every dollar of premium. We have taken over twenty five cruises without insurance. We did have to cancel one cruise on short notice, and forfeited a little over four thousand dollars. That is about half of what we would have spent to ensure all those cruises. So especially for frequent cruisers who book the cheap seats, self insuring seems to be the only way to cruise.

 

Do you have medical insurance that you can use out of the country, so your only loss would be the cruise cost?

[sail7seas]

Do you have medical insurance that you can use out of the country, so your only loss would be the cruise cost?

 

 

You are exactly on point, Jade.

As someone who self-insures the price of our cruises, we always are sure we have medical evacuation coverage and medical that pays out of U.S.

 

The premims for those two issues are very low..... VERY much lower than when including the pricey cost of our "S" Cabins, pre and post cruise hotel and air. We are willing to eat those costs in the event of cancellation but not willing to risk paying for medical evac from sea or high medical in a location outside the U.S. What we pay for that coverage is less than the price of many of our dinners out on a Saturday night.

[mabert]

Where can we insure exclusively for the medical and medivac outside the country? One poster suggested American Express.

 

Thank you

[Hawaiidan]

I would suggest going to an insurance company directly and not through a third party sunch as American express, ( who is only going to take a slice of the pie and raise the cost.)

Getting medical evac insurance would seem like a good idea IF you are a high risk person, or suspect you are. Otherwise you need to think it through

I have medical insurance ( Kaiser) that pays for treatment in any country where I need it... so thats a non issue. Some countries like New Zealand and UK will treat a visitor with their national health plan. Check that out.

 

One needs too, conduct a bit of risk analysis.. are you healthy and fit with no prior problems? Is the region your going to noted for high incidents of strife. Is the time of the year likely to cause problems. are you going to take a lot of risky activites?

Think it through and come up with your own profile... and for most of us it will clearly indicate self insure is the way to go.

If you have some airling miles stashed... you have the resource to get free flights back home or changes.. all at no cost

 

Selling insurance to travlers who are made to worry over what are historicaly small risks is a huge profit center. Remember the old flight insurance and what a rip off that is... Well howdy to trip insurance.... Fear is the product the travel folks are selling and they know, as pointed out that the profit margin is around 90%.....:eek: It is in their own selfish best interest to scare you good!!!

 

In 30 years, I have never had a problem or known anyone who has. In the process I have saved amd merged my self insurance with my travel savings account and have $$$$$$$$$ quite a resource for any event.

[sail7seas]

Hawaiidan

Cool Cruiser Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: Kailua-Kona Hawaii

Posts: 289

 

do a search

 

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I would suggest going to an insurance company directly and not through a third party sunch as American express, ( who is only going to take a slice of the pie and raise the cost.)

Getting medical evac insurance would seem like a good idea IF you are a high risk person, or suspect you are. Otherwise you need to think it through

I have medical insurance ( Kaiser) that pays for treatment in any country where I need it... so thats a non issue. Some countries like New Zealand and UK will treat a visitor with their national health plan. Check that out.

 

One needs too, conduct a bit of risk analysis.. are you healthy and fit with no prior problems? Is the region your going to noted for high incidents of strife. Is the time of the year likely to cause problems. are you going to take a lot of risky activites?

Think it through and come up with your own profile... and for most of us it will clearly indicate self insure is the way to go.

If you have some airling miles stashed... you have the resource to get free flights back home or changes.. all at no cost

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Where can we insure exclusively for the medical and medivac outside the country? One poster suggested American Express.

 

Thank you

 

Everyone is high risk for an accident. You may be very healthy but no one has a guarantee you won't (hopefully not) fall and have a severe broken bone requiring immediate surgery or whatever other kind of accident. Medical evacuation could bankrupt some families.

 

I won't directly recommend any particular company but would suggest you look at insuremytrip.com. Perhaps read policy from Travelex called Travel Max or comparables from TravelGuard and other companies. There are posters here who write both of these policies,,,,,, and others.

 

We also have an annual policy from MedJetAssist.com. The very good upside to this annual policy is they almost always will take you to hospital of your choice whereas most take you where they and their doctors elect. The down side is MedJetAssist does not evacuate you from a ship. They would take you from first port. In the most extreme circumstance, I would inquire if it were possible to be evacuated under coverage from my Travel policy to nearest port and then transfer to MedJetAssist once reaching shore. All that would depend upon condition we were in, what hospital the travel company was taking us to etc

 

At least it provides us with options.

[Nancyquilts]

Do look at insuremytrip.com. We have evacuation insurance for the period of a whole year that is less than $200 for both of us. Cheap peace of mind (assuming we never need it).

[sail7seas]

I believe it is possible AmEx Platinum memeberships include such coverage but I have not fully investigated it.

[Hawaiidan]

Un the US and Canadian Waters including all island like samoa, etc Hawaii is done my the military and is no cost through the RCC.

The military of Australia, UK and many other other countries also do this

US ships ( Navy) also operate rescue services for US citizens world wide and can transfer you to full military hospitals at no charge.

 

As an example a passenger on a ship 2000 miles out of Hawaii had a sever injury. The USAF rcc launched a aircraft and 2 para rescuers parachuted in the sea and were picked up by the ship in the middle of the night A CH53 long range helo was deployed to an island near the ship. refueling in flight form an air tanker. There they received an air drop of a field hospital and set it up. They then picked up the sick passenger and flew him to the MASH they set up and stabilized him and performed surg. Then they flew him ( again refueling in flight over 1500 miles) to Honnolulu to recover.

2 c130 aircraft one a tanker, a 6 person medical team. and all their equipment 2 para-rescue jumpers and a a CH53 heavy helo....

There was no charge.

 

Stuff like this happens all the time.... in the pacific and atlantic by the RCC internationla forces People hurt of Somalia were flown to a US Navy Carrier operating in the area or a Cruiser both of which have full cutting edge hospitals that no cruise line has or staffs.

 

Your chances of really needing a $100K evac policy therefor almost non-existant... and the insurance companies know that in most cases of injury or illness the good old military will be for them world wide.... free to citizens and taxpayers at no cost.