Couple on RCCL cruise put of the ship and stranded in Bahamas.

[nelblu]

8 hours ago, shippmates said:

What would make a person think just because a person is on Medicare they are unhealthy.  I am on Medicare and am very healthy.  With speaking with passengers on ships, I am amazed at the number of passengers do not know that Medicare does not cover you out of the continental United States.  Why do people not do some research or ask there travel agent questions.

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance plan "F" covers 80% outside the US.

[cruisinfanatic]

2 hours ago, emdia43 said:

What is dumb abut it? 

Everyone 65 and over has it. No one that age is healthy?

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I think you can be on Medicare based on age/income.  I don't think it has much to do with health.  

 

The cruise lines don't require a passport because the government doesn't.  Seems pretty simple to me.  

Medicare is insurance you receive at the age of 65 and Medicaid is based on income. It is possible to have both if you qualify. One is the primary and the other as a supplement. The problem is that these two passengers are inexperienced travelers and had no idea that medicare isn't accepted out of the U.S. as insurance. Honestly I only know this because I learned from Cruise Critic. I don't have either health insurance since I'm not old enough and still working.   I know my plan will cover international travel however, I still opt for travel insurance.

 

After reading many threads on passports, the cruise lines would be out of business if passports were required. U.S. citizens are so reluctant to purchase them especially for children.  I don't travel much but I wouldn't be without one. It's an extra form of ID and after reading this article I'm glad we all have them.

[flamingos]

11 hours ago, matj2000 said:

I wouldn't exactly call a 3 day cruise a "dream vacation"......

 

If you have never traveled anywhere and don't have a lot of spare cash, it is.  😞

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, nelblu said:

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance plan "F" covers 80% outside the US.

Is it accepted by foreign institutions or do you have to pay and file a claim when you get home?

[Joseph2017China]

There is no blanket rule for accepting risk.  For example, I have medical insurance that will cover "emergencies" anywhere in the world.  It won't cover a routine visit, but it would cover a bowel obstruction.  Hospitals in foreign countries do not have to take care of you.  However, if you do have insurance, it is possible, they can work with them to secure a payment. 

 

I do have "secondary" annual travel insurance, mostly because they will cover what my primary will not.  Plus, they will help with negotiations for treatment.  A big plus. 

 

I fully understand why people who never leave the country, going on a dream trip, even for 3 days, would not want to add an additional $300 or more for passports, and another $200 for insurance.  It's a risk that failed. 

 

Passport card is a "passport".  We all know you can't fly.  They can hire a tour guild however to take them back to the USA on a small boat.  It takes about 2 hours.  Not ideal, but I know people in Florida that travel back and forth all the time on their fishing boat. 

 

The passport book only cost $30.00 and with processing maybe $50.00.  You will already have proof of citizenship with it, so all you need now is make the application for an emergency transit with it.  It is much faster than not having anything.  You still should have the book. 

[Zach1213]

11 hours ago, matj2000 said:

I wouldn't exactly call a 3 day cruise a "dream vacation"......

 

Not a dream vacation to you, or to me, and we are extremely lucky. I know several people who would call a three-day cruise a dream vacation because they have never been able to afford even that.

Edited December 19, 2018 by Zach1213

[BecciBoo]

1 hour ago, Joseph2017China said:

 

 

The passport book only cost $30.00 and with processing maybe $50.00.  You will already have proof of citizenship with it, so all you need now is make the application for an emergency transit with it.  It is much faster than not having anything.  You still should have the book. 

I'd like to know where you got that price.  The Passport card cost us that much and we had the book previously.  Unfortunately, they had raised the price for a passport book to $120 per adult.  So we got the cards.  We usually cruise the Western Gulf itins.  Next Sept. we have Symphony so we purchased the cruise coverage.  But I'd sure like the price you got for the book, it hasn't been that cheap in a couple decades........the last book we got back in 2007 cost us $99 a piece.  

 

I just checked the gov, site, $110 for renewal plus $35 for first time passports.  You were way off!  Cards are still $30

Edited December 19, 2018 by BecciBoo

[orville99]

2 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Everyone 65 and over has it. No one that age is healthy?

While everyone in the U.S. is eligible for Medicare, if you are still employed and have insurance through your employer, or are married to someone who is still employed and you are covered under their insurance, there is no requirement to get Medicare. I didn't apply for Part A (hospital) until I finally retired at age 70, and won't have to apply for Part B (Dr. visits, etc.) until my wife retires next year.

[Joseph2017China]

6 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

I'd like to know where you got that price.  The Passport card cost us that much and we had the book previously.  Unfortunately, they had raised the price for a passport book to $120 per adult.  So we got the cards.  We usually cruise the Western Gulf itins.  Next Sept. we have Symphony so we purchased the cruise coverage.  But I'd sure like the price you got for the book, it hasn't been that cheap in a couple decades........the last book we got back in 2007 cost us $99 a piece.

Go to Travel.state.gov for a price list.  The passport card for first time applicants is $30.00.  My error is that the execution fee is $35.00 and not $20.00.  Renewals is $30.00.   If you get both at the same time, you only pay the execution fee once so you save $35.00.

 

Since I just renewed my card, I had the prices already.  Yes, I have both, but renewal times are different. 

[BecciBoo]

8 minutes ago, Joseph2017China said:

Go to Travel.state.gov for a price list.  The passport card for first time applicants is $30.00.  My error is that the execution fee is $35.00 and not $20.00.  Renewals is $30.00.   If you get both at the same time, you only pay the execution fee once so you save $35.00.

 

Since I just renewed my card, I had the prices already.  Yes, I have both, but renewal times are different. 

But I quoted you in your original post you said the BOOK was $30.  You must've meant the card.  And I was quoting the US.gov site pricing.

[emdia43]

2 hours ago, cruisinfanatic said:

Everyone 65 and over has it. No one that age is healthy?

Neither of them is over 65, they are both on Medicare because of chronic illness - on disability. All the more reason to have coverage while traveling.  

[clean1owner]

4 hours ago, fla gang said:

There are a lot of people out there that save a long time to be able to take a cruise, and either can't afford insurance and a passport or just decide to roll the dice, hoping nothing will happen. I never had a passport when I was in my early years cruising, and only took my birth certificate, but now won't cruise without my passport and travel insurance. We have had to cancel before and we were glad we had insurance. Can't imagine getting stranded at a hospital in a foreign country with no way to get home and no insurance to reimburse me for charges.

 

 

Likewise here. I cruised 25 years with Birth Certificate and Drivers License only. Now I don't leave home without my passport.

[Iamcruzin]

39 minutes ago, orville99 said:

While everyone in the U.S. is eligible for Medicare, if you are still employed and have insurance through your employer, or are married to someone who is still employed and you are covered under their insurance, there is no requirement to get Medicare. I didn't apply for Part A (hospital) until I finally retired at age 70, and won't have to apply for Part B (Dr. visits, etc.) until my wife retires next year.

When it comes to health insurance regulations vary from State to State.  When I reach the age of 65 medicare becomes my primary insurance and my employer plan becomes the secondary. Someone that I work with didn't know this and when he filed a claim through the company health plan it was denied because he didn't sign up for medicare when he turned 65.

[gerif]

7 minutes ago, clean1owner said:

 

 

Likewise here. I cruised 25 years with Birth Certificate and Drivers License only. Now I don't leave home without my passport.

Got my first passport in preparation for my first cruise 27 years ago but didn’t take insurance then (actually never thought about it). Now, insurance is a must and always have my passport. 

[vickiw0318]

Per hhs.gov, Medicare is available to people age 65 or older, younger people with disabilities and people with end stage renal disease.  I believe the qualification for those with disabilities is that they have been receiving SSDI payments for 24 months.  All Americans age 65 or older are enrolled in Medicare Part A.  You can delay enrolling in Part B if you are enrolled in a group health plan.

 

It is true that Medicare Plan F supplements do afford some foreign travel benefits.  These are, however, subject to a plan maximum.  My Blue Cross max is $50,000.  

 

[2wheelin]

1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:

But I quoted you in your original post you said the BOOK was $30.  You must've meant the card.  And I was quoting the US.gov site pricing.

It was obvious to me that he misspoke in the post stating book instead of card. Couldn't your previous post just have said, "Did you mean the card is $30" rather than being so nasty.

[Charles4515]

3 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Is it accepted by foreign institutions or do you have to pay and file a claim when you get home?

 

You have to pay and file a claim.  

 

Also while it covers emergency medical care it does not cover medical evacuation. So I always get some kind of insurance that covers medical evacuation. 

[BecciBoo]

13 minutes ago, 2wheelin said:

It was obvious to me that he misspoke in the post stating book instead of card. Couldn't your previous post just have said, "Did you mean the card is $30" rather than being so nasty.

And how do you  find my comment in any way nasty?  He didn't

 

Never mind, I see from your snarky previous posts everywhere...........

 

Edited December 19, 2018 by BecciBoo

[orville99]

2 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

When it comes to health insurance regulations vary from State to State.  When I reach the age of 65 medicare becomes my primary insurance and my employer plan becomes the secondary. Someone that I work with didn't know this and when he filed a claim through the company health plan it was denied because he didn't sign up for medicare when he turned 65.

That sounds more like the Medicare carve out for companies with fewer than 20 employees, than a state mandate.

[orville99]

1 hour ago, vickiw0318 said:

 All Americans age 65 or older are enrolled in Medicare Part A.  You can delay enrolling in Part B if you are enrolled in a group health plan.

If you are employed by a company with more than 20 employees that has a qualified group health plan, you can also delay signing up for Part A until you retire.

 

[Shmoo here]

10 hours ago, mugtech said:

Medicare covers me in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.  I don't pay anything extra for said coverage.

Medicare will cover you in any location that's considered "US" (states or territories).

 

Medicare will not cover you for any medical costs onboard the ship, or any other location without additional cost.

 

 

[Ashland]

7 hours ago, momofmab said:

It appears they are not seasoned travelers or at least seasoned cruisers, so it's unlikely that they would have been savvy enough to think of travel insurance (and if money is an issue, they probably would gamble on not needing it for a 3-day cruise).  I think we need to give them a break with all the "I won't even travel to the grocery store without gobs of travel insurance." responses.

 

My father actually was "put off the ship" with pneumonia in Samana DR (he boarded the ship with what he thought was a minor cold which quickly escalated into pneumonia).  He spent 2 weeks in a medical clinic trying to get well enough to travel back to the U.S.  He whiled away the hours counting the bugs crawling across the floor.  He always purchased top level travel insurance so he was covered, including transport back to the U.S.  It was a horrible experience for him having to spend 2 weeks in a filthy clinic, but he was thankful that he didn't have to worry about the costs associated with getting back to the U.S.  They did have to fight however, to get travel coverage for his companion, who stayed with him in the DR.  Because she wasn't sick or injured, the company didn't want to pay at first, but ended up relenting.

 

Bowel obstructions are serious, no doubt - but given that the cruise was only 3 days, I think I would have fought to take my chances on the ship and get back to the U.S. for medical attention, rather than take my chances in the Bahamas.  I feel bad for the couple, who just wanted to have a nice vacation.

 

 

Being transferred off a ship due to a medical situation is not just being "put off the ship". Would it be better to keep that person onboard? I doubt it.

[The Fun Researcher]

Sad that they had such a bad experience, but they allowed themselves to be placed into that position.

 

A little self awareness and planning would have completely changed the situation.

 

Dan

[memoak]

You have to sign up for Part A when you turn 65 (no charge and you can delay Part B until you retire)  I am 68 and still employed full time so my company insurance still covers me and the Medicare only kicks in if I am admitted to a hospital.  My company plan also reimburses me for anything while away from home.  I never take insurance and always always take a passport