Medical Insurance on a cruise

[caribbeancats]

Anyone know where to purchase health insurance for a cruise? I have been informed that my health insurance will not cover us if we are outside the U.S.

'til Mariner of the Seas
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[Andee]

Go to [url="http://www.insuremytrip.com"]www.insuremytrip.com[/url]
You enter the coverage you are looking for, and they provide information on multiple insurance companies. There is a feature I find useful that allows you to do a side by side comparison of several companies.

[CaptData]

Also get trip insurance in case you have to cancel. You should buy insurance within a stated time limit to include pre-exiting problems, diabetic ect. Include all the money you would need to spend including travelling days there and back.

Hopfully a Hawiian Cruise

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Navigator of the Seas Western Crib 08/03
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[caribbeancats]

Thanks for the info. We always get the cruise ins. but thought that our health ins would cover us wherever.

'til Mariner of the Seas
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[kitty9]

Health insurance carriers in the US rarely, if ever, cover expenses when you're out of the country. And, if you have one of those nasty HMO's, they may not cover you inside the US because you're out of their coverage area.

Always, always get health coverage when you travel. I had to go to the medical center on my recent cruise and Travel Guard will reimburse the cost. If you should get really sick and need to be evacuated off the ship, the cost of that alone can go as high as $30,000.

Darcie

[pennstategal]

I wanted to add..sailed on Century a few years back and got bronchitis. Needed a breathing treatment and anti biotics. Bill was just over $700, my health insurance did cover it all! I was thrilled, it was United Health Care (at that time) and they had me fill out a foreign claim. But, I would check in advance as the other poster mentioned. I had not checked, nor did I have the travellers insurance, just got lucky!
PennStateGal

[tlocarnini]

Can you get trip insurance only? My medical insurance will cover us anywhere in the world (at least that is what I was told when I called).

[kitty9]

You can get travel insurance only, but I would get it in writing from your insurance company that they will cover you when out of the country and I would get it in writing that they will cover a $30,000 emergency evacuation if they should have to helicopter you off the ship. I negotiated health insurance for our 6000 member teacher union with major nationwide health carriers and none of them would pay for evacuation and none of them cover for out of the country charges. This included Blue Cross and Aetna among others.

Darcie

[fodorspeter]

Why are you so non-trusting. Our medical insurance covers everything out of the country also. My company is self-insured as are most of the Fortune top 500 companies. If you feel you must justify buying travel insurance, fine; but don't pour water over everybody elses' parade.

If you health insurance covers you, I would advise not buying trip insurance. We've cruised eleven times now and have saved enough not buying insurance that we can afford to completely miss the next one. My favorite question for those contemplating cruise insurance is to ask if they insure their trips to DisneyWorld or skiing in Colorado or fishing in Alaska? The answer is probably not.

Insurance (in my opinion) is for things you can't afford to lose - like your life, your automobile, your house - in other words, catastophes. Not a $2500 cruise.

Peter

[cruisead]

Peter, I think you are missing a couple of important points with your message. There are quite a few people here that understand that losing $2500 is a huge thing. Maybe you can afford to throw that money away if you miss your cruise, but there are lots of us who save for years to afford a cruise and if we have to cancel the day before the cruise for something like a death in the family or a car accident where one party is injured, then losing $2500 is a huge deal. Trip insurance, and not trip health insurance, insures that if something catastrophic happens to you right before your cruise, and you have to cancel, you won't lose that money. But to imply that losing $2500 isn't that big a deal to everyone, is just plain nasty to those who have to work hard to afford maybe one cruise in 5 years. If you don't mind losing your money if you have to cancel your cruise if a loved one died or if you should come down with an illness two days before your cruise departs, that's entirely up to you, but everyone here has a right to know and understand exactly what trip (not medical) insurance covers.

Tracie

[fodorspeter]

Tracie, to each their own. My major point here is that some people think that because its a cruise, you should insure. I don't see the big difference between a cruise and some of the other vacation alternatives that people wouldn't even think about insuring - like a $2500 trip to Aspen or a $2500 fishing trip to Alaska. Most people have a $1000 deductible on their automobiles and $1000 family deductible on their health insurance. Sometimes, for those kind of dollar amounts, its better to just "self insure".

Yes, you'll read some horror stories on these boards about people who have had to cancel their cruises; but you don't hear from the hundreds of thousands that don't. The last statistics that I remember is that roughly 65,000 people takes cruises every week out of United States ports! I'd be shocked if a couple hundred had to use their cruise trip insurance. Pretty good odds to me.
And to the insurance companies which is why the rates are so low.

Peter

[imsulin]

I think the point is more medical coverage than cancellation coverage. You seem to be one of the lucky ones whose medical insurance will cover you anywhere. Many of us don't have that option, and are covered under whatever provider our company contracts with. Mine will cover us anywhere in the US, but only has 50% coverage outside the country. We always buy Travelguard, as it is very affordable for us. And, BTW, our car insurance deductible is $50.00, and Homeowner's is $250.00. Must be nice to be among the Fortune 500, but from the looks of it, we have taken twice as many cruises as you.

[fideauxdon]

Hi, Peter:
Here's someone who has been there. I had to interrupt one trip three days into a 21 day trip last year, and cancel a cruise, both because of unexpected family deaths. Total cost of insurance was about $250. Total insurance reimbursement was around $4000. I now insure all of my trips, including non-ctuise travel. One claim that you can't submit because you didn't get insurance will wipe out a lifetime of savings.

[fodorspeter]

I know I'll get criticized, but I'm sorry; $4000 is not a lifetime of savings. Yes, its a lot of money - and it would hurt to have to lose it - but its not worth the $250 if you're going to cruise alot. Now, insuring your $200,000 house for $1,000 a year - thats worth it. Why - because that is a lifetime of savings. If you lost that in your 40's, you don't have enough working life left to recover. To me, thats what insurance is for. Could you insure literally everything you have or spend over $200 - sure; the actuarials would love you. It's all odds.

I think alot of cruisers take out insurance because it part of the checklist used by TA's. They, of course, get a percentage of the total cruise cost and if that includes insurance, they get more commission. People figure that because someone is asking if they want it - most people must buy it - and there must be a reason to worry if they don't.

Like I said, after 11 cruises, I can afford to flush the next cruise cost down the toilet and still break even. Yes - I promise not to answer another post on this particular thread; but I get so upset with the "sheep mentality".

Peter

[cruisead]

You've made it very clear that you have lots of money and that losing $4K is no big deal for you. But let me clue you into something. For a lot of people, $4K is a lifetime of savings especially for someone who might be a one income family earning maybe $30K a year, paying off a mortgage, sending kids to school plus all the bills that come with family life. And don't even start to say that people like that have no business cruising in the first place if they cannot afford to lose that money (with some of your comments, I felt that one would be coming soon) And BTW, these are people who don't live in $200K homes. I cannot believe how uncaring and inconsiderate some people can be when they cannot comprehend someone who cannot afford to lose even one thousand dollars. Perhaps a trip into the real world of middle income America would be a good next trip for you. Fine, you can lost whatever amount of money you want, we get that you can afford that, but do not ever call persons who cannot lose their cruise fare "sheep" because they insure their trips. For many of us, it's just economic common sense.

Tracie

[cmason]

Well I agree in some respect, that insurance is for the catastrophic events in your life. And perhaps trip insurance compares very poorly to other insurance policies. I am paying just over $100 for trip insurance. I am not buying it to get my $2500 back, nor am I buying it for medical coverage, though that is a benefit. [B]I am buying it so I do not need to have any worries on my vacation.[/B]

For a small additional fee, I know that no matter what happens in the next 6 months, I am going to get to go on a cruise vacation. If someone in my family dies, or I get sick or the plane is delayed or I get caught in traffic.... doesn't matter: I don't have to worry. I either go on my cruise in November, or I go on a different date when things work out better. I have the assurance and flexibility to enjoy my vacation.

This is worth the extra fee to me, and I conciously and knowingly pay it. Is it duplicate health insurance? Probably, who cares? Is it unnecessary? Most likely. Do I feel better having it? You bet!

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...left until Navigator of the Seas 11/13/04

[imsulin]

Very well said, Tracie! (and thank you) Perhaps fodorspeter would have a better idea of the reality by having to fork over $30,000 - $50,000 just for air evacuation. On the other hand, that might not even make a small dent into his fortune (500).

I'm not one to casually throw away $4,000. If TAs make commission by selling trip insurance, what's wrong with that? Don't car salesmen make commission by selling extended warranty plans? Don't appliance salesmen make commission by selling the same thing? Doesn't your car insurance/house insurance salesman try to sell extra coverage plans and riders? They make commission on that, too. It's called doing business.