Hospital while on a cruise

[lizardhowson]

I'm talking about the average or tight income people who might not have a credit card or a low card limit.....like me.;)

 

I am an "average" retired person.

Just spent a lifetime of diligence in working and managing my finances so I have very favorable credit status. That's how most anyone can get cards with higher credit limits.

[bertram15146]

I know that the OP was asking about the Bahamas, but I thought that I would put in my 2 cents about Grand Turk. My family was on the Splendor back in December and my mother had to disembark in GT due to a medical emergency. The hospital there was very small and not fully staffed (she needed a cardiologist and they had none). She did not have travel insurance for that cruise and had to pay for medical transport back to Ft. Lauderdale to get the care that she needed. Her options at the time were to put it on a credit card or sign a promissory note. Until that was done, they wouldn't even schedule the transport. Over 16 thousand dollars and 12 hours later she made it back to the states.

 

She is doing well now, but because of this I am going to make sure that I spend a little extra money and get the travel insurance no matter where I go.

 

Oh, and BTW...because she didn't have travel insurance, they weren't comfortable keeping her on the ship (I guess in case she needed a medivac and they told us that would be at least $25,000)

[Coopie]

Thanks so much ShakyBeef!

[Tripper10]

Almost all out of country hospitals will require cash (regardless of whether you have insurance) and have YOU collect from the insurance companies later---saves them the expense. That being said, we'd NEVER travel without insurance----a helicopter transport can cost $10,000 on its own.

 

I have made $10,000 + In NOT buying travel insurance. I'm going to risk it or just pay if something happens.

[hbrote]

lizardhowson is 100% correct. You should have cards that allow a large credit limit. We were in Rhodes Greece this past year and my wife broke her ankle. The ship infirmary was great and refereed her out to a hospital in turkey. They were great but you had to pay before your were released. As everyone says, the cruise insurance will reimburse you. We have spent the last six months trying to get everything straightened out with our insurance here in the states. Six months of providing documents six times over. After we threatened to go to the state insurance commissioner they finally settled with us. We filed with the cruise insurance company the very next day and within four weeks we received a check covering all expenses not covered by our primary insurance company. Long story short, no matter what age you are, a broken bone can cost a bunch of money. Think about blood clots, hospital stays etc. I don't care how much you think your saving not buying insurance but I can tell you $10,000 is nothing.

[Coopie]

We always buy the insurance (thru Carnival) and have only had to use it once due to having to cancel after final payment (husband had to have bypass).

 

I have decided to look else where for better coverage, as we are a bit older than when we began cruising and worry about the cost of being flown somewhere. As far as paying up front, we were aware of that. Always have a few credit cards with us. I always check with our insurance company and have been told many times that they will pay for treatment that was given outside of the country as in network. I just have to submit the forms once we return.

 

Since I was so sick and required two immediate surgeries I am concerned about the care I would receive out of the country and how quick. I am very aware anything can happen but after going thru these intestine blockages, which could quite easily have killed me had things been delayed too much I have become very cautious. Some days I am like, oh well, book another one anyway. Five minutes later I am like NOT!

 

Hopefully they will rotate a better ship back up to NY soon and we will go back north again.

[ShakyBeef]

Grandeur of the Seas has a nice 9-Night Canada/NE cruise leaving out of Baltimore.;):)

[splintz]

not in the Bahamas. but i did dislocated my shoulder in cabo san lucas Mexico. it happened in the pool at the hotel i was staying at.

 

before the ambulance came i told my wife to run to the room and get my credit cards, id's and some Mexican currency because i knew they wouldn't take any insurance i would have. and i did not feel like walking back to the hotel after i was fixed up.

 

i was picked up at the hotel by a brand new looking ambulance and taken to what looked like someones house. it was a private medical center. both the ambulance and the medical center i believe catered to tourists at the hotels and not to the locals. the doctor actually had duel citizenship and practiced in Mexico and California. the treatment went well and my arm was put back into place. no issues there. while i was recovering the owner of the ambulance came into the room with a bill for $400 U.S. and i paid with my credit card. the doctor bill was around $3500 U.S. and i paid that with the credit card. i asked the doctor what would happen if i couldn't pay for it and he said that i wouldn't be allowed to leave the country until the debt was paid off.(both the doctor and ambulance owner where very nice and helpful)

 

after i was discharged the owner of the ambulance actually drove me to a pharmacy to get my prescription medication. he then drove me back to the hotel. two days later the doctor actually came to the hotel and examined me again to make sure i was okay.

 

i had travelers insurance. but i just made a claim with my normal health insurance HMO and they covered the whole bill and sent me a check. i lost about $100 due to the insurance using a different currency conversion then what i actually paid. but i was very happy.

[Coopie]

We did the Grandeur for 9 nights several years back and enjoyed it but because we are platinum my husband prefers to go Carnival. If RC was the only way I would go he would gladly go though. I may just go RC since I feel more comfortable going north for now.

 

Where on the Eastern Shore are you from?

[coevan]

I have made $10,000 + In NOT buying travel insurance. I'm going to risk it or just pay if something happens.

 

 

A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

Bertram, the $200 for insurance was probably looking like a good idea.

[DirtyDawg]

Thanks for everyone's response. Really do appreciate the info. The reason for my post is that, long story short, I was in the hospital 3 times last year and had two surgeries. The first two trips and surgery were for a blockage in my large intestine. Had the surgery in Aug. Had a cruise booked for 8 days in Nov. Feeling fine so we went. Two weeks after we returned I was rushed by ambulance to the hospital with a small intestine blockage due to scar tissue from the earlier surgery. Fortunately we were back home. We cruise once or twice a year and now I am scared to death to leave the country. I was in really bad shape and can't imagine what would have happened else where. Now I know anything can happen to anyone ANYWHERE but after all of this I am concerned.

 

I was considering going back north to NE/Canada because I would feel much more comfortable should something happen up there but we don't want to do the Sunshine.

 

One side note,,,we agree about the infirmary. My husband had to use their services on our last trip and things couldn't have gone better. They did a good job.

 

You might want to check with your insurer about whether you will need to pay up front for services in Canada and then get reimbursed. There are also Canadian Insurance companies who sell travel insurance to visitors to Canada who might be more integrated with the various Provincial health care systems. i.e. the hospital may bill the Canadian insurer directly.

Edited February 19, 2016 by DirtyDawg

[Drazil65]

Always passports and always, always travel insurance. Our BCBS here in the states do not cover most out of country medical costs (read your policy very carefully) so I always get the travel insurance for the 3 of us.

 

Keep in mind that 2 things you always want to make sure you get when purchasing travel insurance is that it is "primary" coverage and will always pay first and that the insurance will "pay to admit upfront". Then you will always have the money to be admitted, if you do not have the insurance or a credit card to cover they can take your passport and you will be stuck (at your own expense) there until you or someone forks over the money owed. You also want medical evacuation included so you can get back to the USA in case of serious emergency situation.

 

For our cruise coming up in December the total for travel insurance for the 3 of us (2 adults and a 13 yr old) was $171. Well worth the peace of mind for medical issues plus we have cancellation and interruption insurance on the same policy.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Drazil65

[poz222]

to the OP... Yes, I have been to the hospital in Nassau and it was NOT a good experience! A friend we were cruising with was on a a moped and wrecked and fractured his leg... We were not with them as we went to cabbage beach instead. When we were returning to the ship, his cabin roommates card did the "alarm" and ship security told him to contact guest services when we went to ding in...

 

Guest services informed him that his roommate was at the hospital and needed his documents and money/credit card before they would treat his fracture. So off we went to the hospital. It was gated off with guards... There was no A/c and TONS of people and lots of women's with sick babies waiting... It looked pretty dirty. I waited in the lobby while he delivered the credit cards. From his reports He was in terrible pain and hot and stuck waiting In a hard chair until being able to pay. They did take an x-Ray but they would,not treat till payment. It was all pretty chaotic there... Eventually I went back to the ship. He finally returned with a leg brace, crutches and $3600 charged to his credit cards (and he was also eventually charged $5500 for the wrecked moped even though it was not his fault)!. He said he would NEVER go back to that hospital... From the little I saw, I would not go either!

 

As far as insurance! I have had a couple claims (one over $25,000) that will pay for my insurance costs for the next 10 years or more!! I use insure my trip . Com and compare for my needs!

[ShakyBeef]

We did the Grandeur for 9 nights several years back and enjoyed it but because we are platinum my husband prefers to go Carnival. If RC was the only way I would go he would gladly go though. I may just go RC since I feel more comfortable going north for now.

 

Where on the Eastern Shore are you from?

 

 

You can climb the Crown & Anchor Society ladder pretty quickly by booking Suites on RCI - double points per sailing. And, IMO, their loyalty perks are better than Carnival's.;)

 

I live on the Lower Shore of MD, south of Salisbury. But I'm just a "come here":o:p (moved to the Shore in '99, after vacationing here my whole life) - I'm originally from Laurel, MD. My parents still live there.:)

[wo5m]

I have made $10,000 + In NOT buying travel insurance. I'm going to risk it or just pay if something happens.

 

$10,000?? Wow Considering, I've never paid over $50 a person for insurance, It would take a lot of cruises to reach that number. Granted I've only been on 6 so far.

[RuthlessBoss]

I am an "average" retired person.

Just spent a lifetime of diligence in working and managing my finances so I have very favorable credit status. That's how most anyone can get cards with higher credit limits.

 

Not trying to be sassy, but life sometimes doesn't go as planned/hoped:mad: I'll skip the details as it's not cruise related.

[Flatbush Flyer]

From the mountain resort that I work at to the hospital is 26 miles. Ambulance $6,000, air ambulance $16,000. It is frightening how much things cost.

 

 

Reminds me of an experience I had while working as a ski instructor at Lake Tahoe during my youth. On an exchange program, I visited Kitzbuhel where a medevac helicopter parked outside our ski school had a Red Cross emblem on the sides. Under the horizontal bar of the emblems were the logos for VISA and Master Card. I'll never forget that sight.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[phareous]

When we took our Alaskan cruise we were informed that for many ports, the locals (and any tourists) are flown back to Seattle for treatment.

 

We actually ended up using the ship infirmary several times for some bad sinus infections and because our son got an intestional bug we also ended up in the Fairbanks hospital which wasn't too bad but we used our own insurance and then used the travel insurance when we got back to get reimbursed.

 

I would think if it was something serious and the ship doctor couldn't handle it then you would have the option to be airlifted back to Miami than to be at the mercy of Nassau's hospital?

[Coopie]

I sure hope so, thank you.

[bertram15146]

A fool and his money are soon parted.

 

Bertram, the $200 for insurance was probably looking like a good idea.

 

 

No doubt about that! My poor parents learned the hard way!