do you use private med. insurance onboard?

[dololie]

A friend of mine thought it was a waste of money for travel insurance. She thought with her and her husband in there 30's did not need it her health insurance covered them. She did not think her husband 32 years old would have a massive heart attack and die on the ship. She maxed out all her credit cards to get his body home.

[CrazyCanuckCruzer]

Really debating on the trip insurance. so if we are unable to go- we loose our money we paid down- i get that. my bigger concern is what if kids get sick and need to see the ship doctor. if we dont have trip insurance, how do we pay for this? credit card? or do they bill your Humana or whatever health insurance? and if we need to be evacuated from the ship via helicoptor??? i dont know... im debating within myself wether or not we should do the insurance. tell me your experiences please? if this were a land vacation i wouldnt even bother with it at all.

 

When we booked our first cruise in 2005, out TA suggested we get travel insurance but the decision was entirely up to by DH and I. We thought the cost for complete travel and maximum medical was a lot ($235 CDN each) but we decided to get it anyways after I bitched about the cost. We had booked a one-night hotel stay once we got off the cruise. Near the end of our cruise, I developed acute bronchitis but I’m used to this so I just treated myself with over the counter meds until I could get home and see my doctor. Once at our hotel, I fell on some cobbled stones, injuring the left side of my rib cage, but figured it was just bruised. In the early evening, the pain got worse every time I coughed from the bronchitis, so we called the insurance company and were told that we were covered for the maximum. Off to the hospital emergency room we went. We were treated like VIPs! They did a cat scan to make see what was going on with my rib cage and to ensure my internal organs were not punctured by broken ribs and such. All was good, except for severe bruising. The docs also checked and treated me for the bronchitis, then gave me prescriptions for the cough and rib pain. By the time we left, I was so buzzed from the meds that when I was asked how we intended to pay, we mentioned the travel insurance but the info was back at our hotel. We just said to send the bill to our home. And off we went.

Two weeks after returning home, the bills (yes, plural) started coming in. And they did not seem to stop. Of course, all were sent to the insurance company. But they had to contact my doctors to make sure I had not been treated for bronchitis or bruised ribs within three months of the start of the cruise. There was apparently a lot of back and forth so it took forever. So long in fact that the hospital and labs started threatening so send collection agencies after us! The insurance company ended up paying the full amount but it was the end of May 2006 by the time this happened – 7.5 months. Lesson learned? Always bring your insurance papers with you when you get medical treatment. Do we still get travel insurance when we cruise? You can bet your sweet ass we do!!! And I no longer bitch at the cost. That $235 CDN saved us from having to take out a second mortgage on our home!

[ShermanDYAC]

You made a blanket statement that medical insurance does not cover you outside the US.

 

I said check with your insurance to know if it will cover and than one can make the best personal decision.

 

No you said I was wrong. I may have been wrong about your insurance but not mine.

 

I also recently did a paper for school and part of it was whether or not insurance companies paid for these type of things. The majority was no. So I did not just make this up STU!

[katiel53]

I know our insurance doesn't cover us out of the country, so we always get the insurance. I did have to use it once and had to pay upfront, but was re-imbursed for the doctor visit and meds.

 

Even if you have medical insurance, can you afford or would you be willing to lose all your cruise money if someone else in your family, ie parent, became seriously ill and you had to cancel? That's why we started buying cruise insurance. My parents were getting up in age and we didn't want to be out a couple or three K, so we felt it was worth it to buy insurance.

 

I know we have paid almost enough to have paid for another cruise in insurance alone, but the peace of mind is worth it.

[maggieworkman]

Other things to consider when buying insurance:

1. Do you want primary or secondary insurance

2. Pre-existing condition waiver? If you don't have the pre-existing condition waiver, the travel insurance will need to check with your doctor to make sure you were not treated for that symptom/illness within the past 3/6/9 months (depends on insurance). For some travel insurances, if you purchase within 10/14/30 days of putting the deposit on your cruise, the pre-existing condition clause is waived. You can also purchase the waiver, I believe, but it increases the cost. As the previous poster mentioned, it can take time for the travel insurance company to check about the pre-existing condition and can extend the time before you are reimbursed.

3. Insurance providing "deposit" to hospital to allow you to be admitted/treated??? Others may be able to explain this with proper terms, but some of the hospitals in ports will require a large payment up front before treatment. Some of the insurances will provide this guarantee to the hospital. I know I checked to make sure the one I purchased did this after I read a couple horror stories here on Cruise Critic.

 

I am not an insurance expert but I try to read all of the threads about insurance because I am a bit paranoid and want to be covered. (I know others have a higher tolerance for risk than I do.) I have learned something on each thread and I feel more and more confident with each trip that I am purchasing the right insurance for me and my family at the time of purchase.

 

Maggie

[Magic City Cruiser]

Wrong? I have had BCBS and my policy did not cover outside US. Because yours does, does not make me wrong. Most insurance companies do not cover outside USA. If yours does, that's great but I'd still opt for insurance in case of medivac or other expenses people have discussed.

 

I humbly agree, yes, "wrong". Just because your BCBS did NOT cover outside of US, doesn't make this poster wrong :).

I also have BCBS and yes, it covers me outside of the US, TO THE PORTS WHERE I AM TRAVELING. Your ports may be different. I also went to the BSBS website and printed out the MD's and Hospital info in the ports that I will be visiting so I will be more prepared in the event of an emergency.

I also evaluated travel ins. vs BSBS and all of the travel insurance I looked at also had that one was reimbursed AFTER you filed the claim. However, BCBS can make an emergency payment when necessary. It's a big ole "if" depending on your circumstances and location. The funny thing is, I read a whole lot of travel insurance "reviews" and researched quite a bit on CC and have yet to find anyone that actually had to USE the travel insurance in a medical emergency. However, ALL the reviews started out with how GREAT the insurance was and how ECONOMICAL and how they would NEVER travel without it...even though they had never used it!

Looking at travel insurance or private insurance, there are still a whole lot of unanswered questions regarding what will actually happen when you have a medical emergency.

I just think to say "Oh, if you can't afford travel insurance you can't afford to cruise" is a little much, in my humble opinion, when it's so difficult to determine what will happen when you actually need it!

[maggieworkman]

I humbly agree, yes, "wrong". Just because your BCBS did NOT cover outside of US, doesn't make this poster wrong :).

I also have BCBS and yes, it covers me outside of the US, TO THE PORTS WHERE I AM TRAVELING. Your ports may be different. I also went to the BSBS website and printed out the MD's and Hospital info in the ports that I will be visiting so I will be more prepared in the event of an emergency.

I also evaluated travel ins. vs BSBS and all of the travel insurance I looked at also had that one was reimbursed AFTER you filed the claim. However, BCBS can make an emergency payment when necessary. It's a big ole "if" depending on your circumstances and location. The funny thing is, I read a whole lot of travel insurance "reviews" and researched quite a bit on CC and have yet to find anyone that actually had to USE the travel insurance in a medical emergency. However, ALL the reviews started out with how GREAT the insurance was and how ECONOMICAL and how they would NEVER travel without it...even though they had never used it!

Looking at travel insurance or private insurance, there are still a whole lot of unanswered questions regarding what will actually happen when you have a medical emergency.

I just think to say "Oh, if you can't afford travel insurance you can't afford to cruise" is a little much, in my humble opinion, when it's so difficult to determine what will happen when you actually need it!

 

There are several examples here on Cruise Critic where people actually used their travel insurance. A couple that stand out are the lady whose daughter had appendix issues and they were left in a Belize hospital and someone in Nassau - I can't remember the specifics but maybe the husband had a heart attack.

 

This thread has a few examples:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1571391&highlight=appendix&page=4

 

I think it may have been the Belize hospital example where they had to guarantee some money up front to be treated??? I tried to search for the original thread but couldn't find it. That was the example that made me research whether my travel insurance had the upfront payment option.

 

 

Maggie

[arby70]

My health insurance also covers me outside of the country too, but I always buy travel insurance. Always. If you don't, you are gambling that nothing will happen and all it takes is one instance of evacuation or illness/family emergency prior to the cruise, and you will be glad you bought the insurance. It makes my cruise more enjoyable knowing that we are covered for almost any problem. Even lost luggage.

 

Ultimately though, it is your decision.

[LHP]

Remember too, when your insurance says they will provide transport to the nearest medical facility that facility may be in downtown podunk Guatamala. Do you really want to go there for a life saving operation and the two week recovery period?

 

It is my understanding that even travel insurance transports you to the nearest facility that will handle the issue that you have.

 

I am not sure a lot of folks know this.

[Sargent_Schultz]

Remember too, when your insurance says they will provide transport to the nearest medical facility that facility may be in downtown podunk Guatamala. Do you really want to go there for a life saving operation and the two week recovery period?

 

Actually, Japan built a very nice hospital in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. ;)

[Lydia B.]

My employee provided coverage does not cover out of the US.

But keep this in mind, the travel insurance also covers if a close family member gets sick and you have to cancel last minute.

My Mom had to have open heard surgery and the travel insurance paid for charges to change flights.

Also filed a claim as I stupidly left two complete outfits in the drawers on ship and the travel insurance policy covered that loss. So travel insurance does cover a few things that your typical health insurance would not. Lydia of Ohio

[ShermanDYAC]

I humbly agree, yes, "wrong". Just because your BCBS did NOT cover outside of US, doesn't make this poster wrong :).

I also have BCBS and yes, it covers me outside of the US, TO THE PORTS WHERE I AM TRAVELING. Your ports may be different. I also went to the BSBS website and printed out the MD's and Hospital info in the ports that I will be visiting so I will be more prepared in the event of an emergency.

I also evaluated travel ins. vs BSBS and all of the travel insurance I looked at also had that one was reimbursed AFTER you filed the claim. However, BCBS can make an emergency payment when necessary. It's a big ole "if" depending on your circumstances and location. The funny thing is, I read a whole lot of travel insurance "reviews" and researched quite a bit on CC and have yet to find anyone that actually had to USE the travel insurance in a medical emergency. However, ALL the reviews started out with how GREAT the insurance was and how ECONOMICAL and how they would NEVER travel without it...even though they had never used it!

Looking at travel insurance or private insurance, there are still a whole lot of unanswered questions regarding what will actually happen when you have a medical emergency.

I just think to say "Oh, if you can't afford travel insurance you can't afford to cruise" is a little much, in my humble opinion, when it's so difficult to determine what will happen when you actually need it!

 

When he said I was wrong, he did not clarify what portion of my post was supposedly wrong. In essence saying the entire thing was incorrect which it was not.

 

And again the majority of insurances do NOT cover outside of the US. Is this really a chance anyone here is willing to take?

[GB Chicago]

I have worked for a major health insurance company my entire career so hopefully this will be helpful advice.

 

1). Insurance benefits not only vary by the carrier (BC, Aetna, UHC etc) but also by the employer group. So lets say you work for a big company like United Airlines or Marriott, they pick what benefits you have in and out of the country so you can also call your HR department and ask.

 

2). Even if your benefit plan has out of the country coverage any services you receive on the ship will fall under your out of network benefit level. Typically Carnival physicians are not part of any network. They bill your sail and sign card and you can submit to your insurance carrier (health plan and/or travel insurance) when you get home. Believe me I know - sister with kidney stones a few cruises ago.

 

3). Some benefit plans have out of the country benefits with some assistance. Call the 800 number on the back of your ID card and ask for help. They may contract with an international vendor who can look for an in network provider, assist in currency conversions, appointments, etc.

 

Hope this helps! Any other questions just send me a message and I would be glad to help.

[Archie796]

First off I want to say that even though my medical insurance covers us out of the country, we still buy insurance mainly for all of the other factors outside of the medical bill.

 

However, we just threw in a short 3 dayer in June and didn't buy insurance as we purchased the cruise a week before and it's a drive to port. As luck would have it within the first hour of boarding the ship my 4 year old busted his eye on the water slide. (totally his fault, you are supposed to slide down, not climb up). Anyhow, he had to get stitches and the whole time I was thinking, how much is this going to cost me. Which I felt bad for thinking because my little guy was completely freaking out. Anyhow, Carnival was amazing! They didn't charge us a dime and were wonderful with our little guy. I truly feel that we just got lucky and don't think I will risk not having the insurance again. You just never know.

 

 

If you get hurt on the ship, they cover it no charge. That goes for getting hurt on a Carnival excursion off of the ship as well. As long as it is their excursion, you are covered for free on the ship

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Your health insurance will NOT cover you outside the US.

 

Wrong? I have had BCBS and my policy did not cover outside US. Because yours does, does not make me wrong. Most insurance companies do not cover outside USA. If yours does, that's great but I'd still opt for insurance in case of medivac or other expenses people have discussed.

 

Actually, you make the statement that no health insurance will cover anyone out of the country. If your statement would have been "MY health insurances doesn't cover ME outside of the country", you would have made an accurate statement. By stating that no insurance will cover you outside the country, your statement is, in effect, wrong.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

The 2nd day into our 1st cruise my 9 yr old woke up sick and had to see the ship Dr.

He woke up all stuffy and with a sore throat and fever.

The Dr. gave him antiobiotics and other meds (don't remember what the other one was) and the charge went on our s&s card.

Was only $80.00 for the visit and the meds, much cheaper than at home!

We were able to submit the medical bill to our insurance and get a full refund.

That was something we didn't think to check into for our first cruise.

Dumb, i know!

When the dr was checking him out i kept thinkin....oh crap this is gonna cost a fortune, and i was shocked it was so little.

 

So our insurance does cover us anywhere....i didn't know that until that happened.

A lot of them DO.

Call your insurance company and find out what they will cover ahead of time. It might help you decide on the travel insurance.

 

It's amazing what actual costs are when you take insurance out of the middle of the equation.

[Ken076]

Actually, you make the statement that no health insurance will cover anyone out of the country. If your statement would have been "MY health insurances doesn't cover ME outside of the country", you would have made an accurate statement. By stating that no insurance will cover you outside the country, your statement is, in effect, wrong.

 

Gotta agree with Thestapels and Stu and this. In the end, we ALL agree that some Health Insurance covers out of country and some don't. ken

[Ken076]

If you get hurt on the ship, they cover it no charge. That goes for getting hurt on a Carnival excursion off of the ship as well. As long as it is their excursion, you are covered for free on the ship

 

I would not remotely count on this, especially that you are covered on Carnival excursions. ken

[CoachT]

These threads always crack me up. Whether you will be covered or not, ask yourself some basic questions. These are based on actual events my clients and my colleagues have experienced:

 

Can you charge $5000 on your credit card to have an ambulance in Jamaica take you to the hospital before they will even load your injured child from your resort?

 

Can you afford the $27,500 charge for an air ambulance from Cancun to Miami?

 

Do you want to spend your limited pre-cruise vacation in Rome tracking your luggage or let someone else handle the tracking for you?

 

Can you deal with a 9 hour time difference and a language barrier when your father dies on the Spanish Steps while you try to get his remains home? Can you even afford it?

 

Can you afford the hotels, meals and flights home in addition to the medical bills when your spouse has injured his leg and requires a six week hospitalization due to a staph infection during an excursion offered by your resort or cruise?

 

If you answered no to any of those, you should invest in travel insurance. And for those who use one of those comparison websites, you really do get what you pay for.

[HImom]

Insurance is wholly by CONTRACT. You can read what you currently have & what you are considering buying to be SURE you have the coverage you believe you need.

 

Some factors to consider in self-insuring vs. buying insurance:

1. Distance from home

2. Language barriers (if any) with travel

3. General health of individuals involved--those to travel & those remaining home

4. Ability to absorb unexpected financial expenses, whether or not they are reimbursed, including possible ambulance and/or hospitalization

5. Pre-existing conditions of those to be insured and how those will/will not be covered by any plan being considered

6. You CAN purchase independent evacuation insurance if that is the main concern you may have. This would transport covered injured party & travel companion via private jet to medical facility of covered insured's choice.

7. SOME credit cards & other services provide SOME insurance--be sure to know what IS and IS NOT included by reviewing the policy so you don't duplicate nor are surprised.

8. Cost of premium(s) for policies being covered.

9. Total cost of trip.

 

Hope this list is helpful for discussion and consideration.

 

For H & I, both of us & our family members are in pretty good health and choose to self-insure for our upcoming Alaska cruise, since the ports will be Canada and Alaska. We could absorb unexpected financial expenses. Our insurer DOES cover us out of state & out of country. Our credit card that we charged plane & cruise on does provide some limited insurance. We did carefully consider the various options available, as well as costs vs. benefits of each to us and made what works for US. When we opt to travel further from HI, we may weight these factors differently.

[boaterette]

These threads always crack me up. Whether you will be covered or not, ask yourself some basic questions. These are based on actual events my clients and my colleagues have experienced:

 

Can you charge $5000 on your credit card to have an ambulance in Jamaica take you to the hospital before they will even load your injured child from your resort?

 

Can you afford the $27,500 charge for an air ambulance from Cancun to Miami?

 

Do you want to spend your limited pre-cruise vacation in Rome tracking your luggage or let someone else handle the tracking for you?

 

Can you deal with a 9 hour time difference and a language barrier when your father dies on the Spanish Steps while you try to get his remains home? Can you even afford it?

 

Can you afford the hotels, meals and flights home in addition to the medical bills when your spouse has injured his leg and requires a six week hospitalization due to a staph infection during an excursion offered by your resort or cruise?

 

If you answered no to any of those, you should invest in travel insurance. And for those who use one of those comparison websites, you really do get what you pay for.

 

You do know that with most travel insurance polocies that you still have to pay that upfront and be reimbursed don't you?

[Almost Packed]

check with your life insurance co. as well. through my company, we have travel policy that will med evac us, provide legal counseling, interpreters, etc. etc. etc. i guess they figure that $30k helicopter ride is still cheaper than paying out life insurance if one of us dies. many of the people i work with do not even know this. if we travel more than 100 miles from home, this particular coverage kicks in. it's free...well, i suppose in a roundabout way. but it's worth checking in to.

[Chigirlcruzin]

No you said I was wrong. I may have been wrong about your insurance but not mine.

 

I also recently did a paper for school and part of it was whether or not insurance companies paid for these type of things. The majority was no. So I did not just make this up STU!

 

Wow! Reread your original post. You didn't say most insurance companies don't cover you outside the country, you told the OP he/she will not be covered. You made a blanket statement. Sorry, you are in the wrong.

[CoachT]

You do know that with most travel insurance polocies that you still have to pay that upfront and be reimbursed don't you?

Actually with MOST travel insurance policies you do NOT have to pay those upfront for the examples I listed as the insurance provider offers a guarantee of payment.

[Herfnerd]

Call your insurance company and ask where they cover you. We have BCBS and it will cover me world wide. I pay, get a receipt and am reimbursed upon my return home. They even told me I have transportation coverage to the nearest medical facility, even if the only transportation is helicopter. Best to get the info from the horses mouth, call your insurance company.

 

Eight cruises, have never bought the insurance. Even on my Mediterranean cruise. Because I know I have the health insurance I am willing to gamble on having to cancel. But i gambling $1500, if I ever get to the $17000 mark for a vacation for my wife and I, I will probably reconsider that gamble.:)

 

 

The biggest gamble is medevac transport home. You say BCBS will cover transportation costs to the nearest medical facility. Getting medevaced HOME will cost you $30k plus - I doubt BCBS covers that - it doesn't for me

 

JMHO but paying $76 for the two of us for that piece of mind alone is well worth it. In addtion to being covered for lost/delayed luggage, delayed vacation due to weather, etc......