Medical Coverage

[Typhoon1]

Go to Insure my Trip, and build a plan that will suit what you need.

 

It's a great site, that deals with all the reputable insurers.

[big green]

TriCare or TriWest Healthcare Alliance covers us wherever we are in the World even onboard the ships.

 

We do have to pay up front though, which is why we ALWAYS buy Travel Insurance as soon as we book our cruise.

 

If you or anyone else needs the info for TriCare let me know and I'll post it for you.

 

Joanie

 

Joanie this is our first cruise now that my wife is on medicare and tricare for life--

I have tricare standard --from thE TRICARE INTNET sites it look as if there are numbers to call in Guam and Australia for assistance--we will be in the south Pacific--we bought an extra policy-- for the cruise with medivac etc, medical--but I am interested in the tricare stuff.

 

Thanks

 

Bg

[sail7seas]

Go to Insure my Trip, and build a plan that will suit what you need.

 

It's a great site, that deals with all the reputable insurers.

 

 

Yes, many of us have read that site extensively.

I also value a recommendation from someone who had a serious claim and was satisfied with how it was handled.

 

[MightyQuinn]

Do you mind sharing with us the insurance company that did so well by you? I'd like to look into using them for our future cruises..... just in case.

I have an annual comprehensive travel policy with Manulife. It's Canadian so I'm not sure if it's available in the US.

[sail7seas]

Thanks, Mighty Quinn.

 

I'll be investigating to see if they have a like product in U.S.

[kruskat]

Does anyone have experience with HAL insurance? Is it good? My family is traveling to Alaska with elderly parents that have not been that well.

 

Many thanks for any information.

 

Kat

[Hlitner]

Does anyone have experience with HAL insurance? Is it good? My family is traveling to Alaska with elderly parents that have not been that well.

 

Many thanks for any information.

 

Kat

 

We cannot speak to HAs policy but your elderly parents will definitely need to buy health insurance that cover pre-exisiting conditions. Some policies cover this and many do not! Some companies will only cover pre-exisiting conditions if the policy is purchased within a few days of booking the trip. If your parents are on Medicare they would have coverage while they are in Alaska (or when they are within 6 hours of arrival or departure from a US port).

 

Hank

[hypercafe]

I use a site called "Squaremouth.com" It compares many companies based on the info you put in and you buy from the insurance company through them. I find it great to compare. The HAL plan does not offer enough medical and evacuation coverage for me.

[vbmom87]

Does anyone have experience with HAL insurance? Is it good? My family is traveling to Alaska with elderly parents that have not been that well.

 

Many thanks for any information.

 

Kat

 

Others have reported that the HAL insurance only includes $10,000 for medical. That is nothing!!! If this is true, I would look elsewhere. Besides, I don't believe in buying my insurance through my travel provider.

 

I like the website for the the trip insurance store. I found it the most valuable when I compared it to others.

[Hlitner]

We just reviewed the Holland America Platinum trip cancellation/health policy. To put it bluntly, this policy is totally AFWFUL. For those looking for a trip cancellation policy it might be OK....but for medical is is near worthless. The problem is that it caps medical coverage at $10,000 which is not nearly enough. In fact, if folks are so ill that they must leave the ship it is unlikely that $10,000 would come close to covering the expenses of a hospitalization. Most experts would tell you that even $50,000 of medical coverage is the bare minimum and we personally would not consider a policy that provided less then $100,000. As an example, our HTH policy (which covers all trips up to 70 days (per trip) throughout the year) provides $250,000 in medical coverage and costs us less then $350 a year (and that is the cost for a married couple).

 

To us, the problem with most cruise line insurance programs is that they emphasize coverage for Trip Cancellation issues rather then medical. Your liability for Trip Cancellation is limited by the cost of your trip (which you can afford or you would not have booked the trip) but your medical liability is virtually unlimited. One should consider the true cost of medical. Say for example you take a bad fall on a ship (all too common) and fracture your femur (break your leg). This could easily involve surgery and 10 days in the hospital. Because its a fracture you may also need specialized medical evacuation to get you home. The cost of just this fracture would easily exceed $50,000 (for just the hosptial and physicians) and the cruise line's only action would be to kick you off the ship at the nearest port and arrange transportation to a hospital.

 

Hank

[sail7seas]

We do not insure the price of our cruises but are sure to have medical and evacuation/repatriation coverage. Presumably we can afford to lose the price of the cruise or would not have booked it. For about our last 60+ cruises, we have 'self-insured' and are not tens of thousands ahead in unpaid premiums.

 

Sure, we'd hate to lose the price of the cruise but, to date, we have never had to cancel during penalty phase so even if we have to cancel one now, we'd still be way far ahead.

 

The real risk for loss of a great deal of $$ is in medical and evacuation. We would not travel out of the country that coverage.

 

IMO, people need to pay attention to the low $10,000 of medical coverage that HAL offers. Their coverage is not travel insurance IMO. It is cancellation coverage.

[tangerinebunny]

A few years ago my husband and I booked an Alaska cruise on Celebrity. And about two weeks before our cruise, he was diagnosed with a detached retina.

 

The surgery went well, but his doctor said that he couldn't fly to Seattle. (It was a matter of air pressure.)

 

Both Southwest and Celebrity gave us complete refunds on our trip because we had a letter from the physician.

 

If we had to choose between medical + evacuation insurance and cruise coverage, we'd go with medical, even though our secondary carrier, BC/BS does cover us outside the USA.

 

I can afford the cruise. I don't have the $1 M in emergency evacuation coverage in my checking account.

[MightyQuinn]

... the cruise line's only action would be to kick you off the ship at the nearest port and arrange transportation to a hospital.

Hank, I realize you wrote this statement in regard to cruise line insurance plans, but I just can't let it go without recounting my experience. If you have a medical emergency at sea, may you be lucky enough to be on a HAL ship, where I can assure you that they do much more than simply "kick you off the ship at the nearest port" regardless of who is your insurance provider.

 

We were cruising in Alaska when I found myself in a life-threatening medical situation literally overnight. HAL medical staff were exceptional in taking all measures to sustain me on-board until I could be evacuated. Since we were in Hubbard Glacier at the time, evacuation wasn't a simple matter of hopping off the ship. HAL coordinated all aspects, from identifying and contacting hospitals on my behalf, arranging medical transport and consulting with the Captain to move the ship as close as possible to nearest land. A HAL nurse accompanied me on the 40-minute tender ride ashore, where I was met by an air ambulance and transported to hospital. The HAL physician made contact with my insurer to authorize and initiate a claim.

 

But it didn't stop there. HAL provided tremendous support and assistance to my DH who disembarked the ship the next day at another port. From there, he had to fly to meet me in hospital. The Guest Relations team and the Front Desk staff assisted with his flights, hotels and those little details that you just never consider. They even provided a steward to assist him with packing our suitcases! The Medical Disembark team in Seattle contacted him and provided expert advice. They also followed-up with phone calls to my hospital room to inquire about my status. We were surprised to be contacted by the HAL Land Division in Alaska, who offered assistance even though we weren't on a land tour. When I was discharged several days later, HAL was there yet again. They made our return flights back home and arranged wheelchair assistance for me with the airlines. We were transferred to the airport courtesy of the HAL Land Division.

 

So all this to say that HAL did so much more than simply "kick you off the ship at the nearest port." I can confidently say that HAL had an impressive team, both on-board and shore-side, who were supportive, compassionate and competent. DH and I were blown away by their service. Without being too dramatic, I have no doubt that their actions helped save my life. Just sayin' ...

[sail7seas]

Makes me soooo happy we have made HAL our cruise line of choice for many years now. Outstanding to read how caring and thorough their care and concern for you.

 

Thank you for sharing with us, MightyQuinn.

 

Stay well!

[kazu]

If anyone thinks they don't need it or FF miles will get them there - think again. Our dearest friend was airbussed home from Europe. It was him, a nurse and a doctor I believe and he was met by ambulance to take him to the hospital. We were taking care of his bills - the bill for the emergency air bus was over $40,000 and that was 10 years ago. I hesitate to think what it would cost now. He was fine when he left. Thank heavens he had the right medical coverage to cover it as well as his private room in the hospital. That experience taught me that insurance is key - even if you don't think you will need it - you just never, ever know;)

[kazu]

[quote name='MightyQuinn']Hank, I realize you wrote this statement in regard to cruise line insurance plans, but I just can't let it go without recounting my experience. If you have a medical emergency at sea, may you be lucky enough to be on a HAL ship, where I can assure you that they do much more than simply "kick you off the ship at the nearest port" regardless of who is your insurance provider.

We were cruising in Alaska when I found myself in a life-threatening medical situation literally overnight. HAL medical staff were exceptional in taking all measures to sustain me on-board until I could be evacuated. Since we were in Hubbard Glacier at the time, evacuation wasn't a simple matter of hopping off the ship. HAL coordinated all aspects, from identifying and contacting hospitals on my behalf, arranging medical transport and consulting with the Captain to move the ship as close as possible to nearest land. A HAL nurse accompanied me on the 40-minute tender ride ashore, where I was met by an air ambulance and transported to hospital. The HAL physician made contact with my insurer to authorize and initiate a claim.

But it didn't stop there. HAL provided tremendous support and assistance to my DH who disembarked the ship the next day at another port. From there, he had to fly to meet me in hospital. The Guest Relations team and the Front Desk staff assisted with his flights, hotels and those little details that you just never consider. They even provided a steward to assist him with packing our suitcases! The Medical Disembark team in Seattle contacted him and provided expert advice. They also followed-up with phone calls to my hospital room to inquire about my status. We were surprised to be contacted by the HAL Land Division in Alaska, who offered assistance even though we weren't on a land tour. When I was discharged several days later, HAL was there yet again. They made our return flights back home and arranged wheelchair assistance for me with the airlines. We were transferred to the airport courtesy of the HAL Land Division.

So all this to say that HAL did so much more than simply "kick you off the ship at the nearest port." I can confidently say that HAL had an impressive team, both on-board and shore-side, who were supportive, compassionate and competent. DH and I were blown away by their service. Without being too dramatic, I have no doubt that their actions helped save my life. Just sayin' ...[/quote]

One of our cc'ers became very sick on our Med cruise on the Ooesterdam - she was well taken care of - stretchers, everything. The stewards packed up their bags and helped them off the ship - They arranged hotels for the husband and were still hoping they could rejoin us.

Her husband reported on our roll call as we were all anxiously waiting to hear - and he reported what excellent care HAl had taken care of them.

Not only that - when they re-booked HaL gave them a free upgrade to a deluxe verandah suite - they really owed them nothing - I personally was very impressed. Every night the stewards gave us an update so we knew she was no longer in danger thank heavens:)

I don't know how it works normally - but what I saw and experienced impressed me very much. The couple was well taken care of and HAL was in touch all the way of the cruise:D