NJ Couple Forced Off Allure of Seas ... medical

[ShillyShally]

52 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

So... Knowing they had pre-existing medical conditions, I suggest the cost of travel insurance would be huge.... possibly more than the cost of the cruise. The couple in question therefore decided not to take insurance and just risk it. Bad choice.

 

Just a theory...

Not if they took the cruiseline insurance - that's a one price fits all, then you can get just a medivac policy too - there are ways to make it not cost prohibitive.  I'm sure there are a lot of details left out as they didn't lend to the shock value of the article!

[Balsam12]

2 minutes ago, ShillyShally said:

Not if they took the cruiseline insurance - that's a one price fits all, then you can get just a medivac policy too - there are ways to make it not cost prohibitive.  I'm sure there are a lot of details left out as they didn't lend to the shock value of the article!

OK... Not sure how travel insurance works in the US. Most things related to medical are really screwed up there, so I guess insurance probably is as well.

 

In the rest of the world, the higher risk you are, the more you pay for insurance. Example: my mother has had heart bypass surgery. Travel insurance for her costs more than the trip.

 

If you are saying a US insurance company doesn't charge extra for people with pre-existing medical conditions, I'm going to call rubbish.

 

 

[SRF]

15 hours ago, later said:

Taken off the ship and royal wanted them to go to the local hospital which they chose not to do.

 

royal aranged transport back to Miami. 

 

Bad situation and the word kicked off the ship seems strange.  It was a medical concern that could not be handled by the medical staff on the ship.

 

Yeap, they got assistance getting home from the cruise line.

 

THEY opted to not go to a local hospital.

 

You have a patient with internal bleeding, that you do not have the equipment, drugs, personnel to treat, and they expect to be allowed to stay on board for 2 days????????

[ShillyShally]

5 minutes ago, Balsam12 said:

OK... Not sure how travel insurance works in the US. Most things related to medical are really screwed up there, so I guess insurance probably is as well.

 

In the rest of the world, the higher risk you are, the more you pay for insurance. Example: my mother has had heart bypass surgery. Travel insurance for her costs more than the trip.

 

If you are saying a US insurance company doesn't charge extra for people with pre-existing medical conditions, I'm going to call rubbish.

 

 

In the US, and no idea how/if this works for anyone outside the US, any passenger booking with the cruiseline can take their insurance at one cost per person - it's pointed out in numerous threads that is an advantage to older passengers who may otherwise pay a premium.  Now I don't know the ins/outs on what it would cover for pre-existing conditions but for those who expect to be fine barring anything crazy it's fine - and could be paired with a specific policy to cover getting home if needed BUT that one may come at a premium.  For these passengers and her condition, she should have had far more locked down coverage but it sounds like they rolled the dice and now want someone else to pay!

 

[SRF]

13 hours ago, 40yearcruiser said:

I agree that especially at their age some type of trip insurance is a priority, BUT the fact is that you must have enough cash or a high enough limit on the credit card(s) you travel with to cover an emergency evacuation. Trip insurance doesn't pay until after the fact and an airline won't fly you without payment for the tickets in advance. Most foreign hospitals also want immediate payment for services. So even if you have insurance it is wise to be prepared to have funds available to pay for medical services when rendered and then wait for reimbursement from the insurance, sometimes at a much later date. I sympathize with their situation and understand that it was a very frightening time for them and they may have misstated just what the ship doctor said. I can't believe that the staff of RCI didn't offer to arrange transportation for her to the nearest hospital. Often I have seen an ambulance waiting on the dock when the ship arrives in port to take off an ill passenger. The best news is that she recovered.

 

Not true.

 

When my mother was "thrown off the ship" due to a ruptured aneurysm, we contacted the insurance company (insured through the cruise line), and they got involved, and paid the hospital directly, arranged for the med evac flight, and even negotiated the med evac flight cost to be fully covered by the insurance.

 

Yes, the basic thing is, pay and they will reimburse, but they can get involved.  Of course, you have to contact THEM for assistance.

 

And realize, I am JOKING about the "thrown off the ship."  My Dad and I left the ship with her, and my wife stayed aboard to deal with the luggage and such.

[amybk27]

I was on the Allure in February of last year.  My father fell on the ship and was on blood thinners causing hematomas to form as well as a nasty gash needing 16 stitches.  The medical staff stitched him up, but recommended and arranged for my father to visit a doctor once we reached our next port, St. Thomas.  I cannot imagine they just kicked them off, or used those words.  The doctors on board were very helpful, but the safety of the patient comes first.  If they cannot help them properly on board, they need to get them to a place that can.  Knowing my father has some health issues, we bought insurance and since St. Thomas is  U.S. Virgin Island, his medical insurance extended there as well.  It was a bad call on their part.    

[Nashna]

There is outstanding medical care in Playa del Carmen and Cancun.  There was no reason for them to put her life in danger.  My husband had total kidney failure due to an undiagnosed case of Celiac Disease.  The Hospiten treated him with incredible care.  They had state of the art medical equipment and English speaking doctors and nurses (wearing immaculate white uniforms.)  They literally saved his life and restored his kidneys.  The Hospiten is a Spanish owned chain of hospitals located throughout the World which has been created to treat tourists.  My husband's condition was critical because we feared going to a Mexican hospital.  Our fear could have cost him his life.  Yes, you do pay in advance for the service.  Our US Medical insurance and trip insurance reimbursed us for everything - including the ambulance ride.

[ShillyShally]

12 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Not true.

 

When my mother was "thrown off the ship" due to a ruptured aneurysm, we contacted the insurance company (insured through the cruise line), and they got involved, and paid the hospital directly, arranged for the med evac flight, and even negotiated the med evac flight cost to be fully covered by the insurance.

 

Yes, the basic thing is, pay and they will reimburse, but they can get involved.  Of course, you have to contact THEM for assistance.

 

And realize, I am JOKING about the "thrown off the ship."  My Dad and I left the ship with her, and my wife stayed aboard to deal with the luggage and such.

I hope your mother is ok!!  Thank you for your insights, this is great to know but what a memorable trip you had!

[The Sunset Glow]

One other tidbit I got from the article....They are 79 and 82 years old with serious pre-existing medical conditions and wrote an impromptu will while on the flight home - so they had no will either. They seem like they are really ill prepared for travelling and should really stay close to home.

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

16 hours ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Only legitimate point I saw is med staff appears to have waited until close to sailaway from Costa Maya before deciding to put them ashore, leaving little time to pack and plan trip home.      

maybe, because Allure staff thought the couple would seek medical care at a local hospital instead of planning a lengthy trip home.

[momofmab]

Unless I was unconscious, I would gamble with trying to get back to the US also.  No way I'd want to be treated for a serious condition in Mexico.

 

Since there were only 2 days left, I think in certain situations the policy should be that passengers can sign a waiver of liability to the cruise line, and stay on board to get back to the US.  

 

I've posted on CC before about my dad being put off the ship by NCL in Samana, DR (10+ years ago) because he was diagnosed with pneumonia.  He spent two weeks in an open-air "clinic" before they would release him to travel back to the US.  He had the "Cadillac" of travel insurance policies so cost wasn't an issue, but he didn't feel particularly safe or as well taken care of as he would have in the US.  There were only a couple of days left on his cruise - I think he would taken his chances staying on the cruise, confined to his cabin, and waited to be treated in the US.

 

It's a tough call to make.  I'm sure the cruise lines don't want to deal with life-or-death medical emergencies that may (emotionally) affect other paying passengers.

 

 

Edited February 26, 2019 by momofmab

[cajinyank]

just medical ins is not that expensive. If you just get the medical coverage  not covering the trip itself for someone their age it would around 300 -400 dollars. that's 500000 evac and 500000 medical.

[cajinyank]

I usually don't get trip ins but I always get medical coverage.I figure I can cover the trip cause its already paid for but the medical can get way to expensive.

 

[ShillyShally]

1 hour ago, Nashna said:

There is outstanding medical care in Playa del Carmen and Cancun.  There was no reason for them to put her life in danger.  My husband had total kidney failure due to an undiagnosed case of Celiac Disease.  The Hospiten treated him with incredible care.  They had state of the art medical equipment and English speaking doctors and nurses (wearing immaculate white uniforms.)  They literally saved his life and restored his kidneys.  The Hospiten is a Spanish owned chain of hospitals located throughout the World which has been created to treat tourists.  My husband's condition was critical because we feared going to a Mexican hospital.  Our fear could have cost him his life.  Yes, you do pay in advance for the service.  Our US Medical insurance and trip insurance reimbursed us for everything - including the ambulance ride.

This is really good to know, and I'm sure it's true in many places. 

[NavyCruiser]

Glad we paid $145 / yr for Emergency Assist Plus (EA+) for situations like this.  Peace of mind that Yes, I want to be off the ship & to the local hospital to be treated.  Then have options to fly back home, of our own choosing, not what the cruise line's cheapest option.  We would like to be fully treated at local hospital, then once treated, have EA+ fly direct non-stop back to home, ex: Cancun to Houston, etc.

[atb]

I can understand them being confused about what to do.  But surely there was someone in their group that could have helped them plan better.  I read that they were traveling with a rotary group.

[sammee]

Bleeding ulcers don't happen overnight. My husband had a close call with one. He had it for at least a month, that I could backtrack. He kept lit to himself. He'd blame  his "gas pains" on what he ate, and he fells better an hour later, all kinds of BS. ANd he was only in his 30s. Seniors pulling this crap, they gambled and they lost.

[MandyMooToo]

3 hours ago, Balsam12 said:

Not sure how travel insurance works in the US. Most things related to medical are really screwed up there, so I guess insurance probably is as well.

 

Really?  Kind of a blanket statement for someone that doesn't live in the US, but okay.  My husband has cancer, was diagnosed over five years ago so it is preexisting, and we purchase insurance before each cruise that typically costs us less than $200 and covers into the mid 6 figures which includes medical evacs (and other things but those are the basics).  Not trying to argue with you but statements such as these come off as rude.

 

 

 

[Don'tNeedAName]

3 hours ago, The Sunset Glow said:

wrote an impromptu will while on the flight home - so they had no will either

 

 

 

Later in the article, it actually clarifies: "she wrote a will on a piece of paper despite already having a formal one in place, just so she could explain what had happened in the event of her death."

 

What?  So she could explain what happened?  You don't need to write a "will" to do that.  It sounds like these people are just melodramatic to the extreme.

[Magnetchief]

4 hours ago, Balsam12 said:

 

If you are saying a US insurance company doesn't charge extra for people with pre-existing medical conditions, I'm going to call rubbish.

 

 

 

The biggest issue I have here with US travel insurance is their 'Look back periods, 60 or 120 days'

Where if you make a claim they 'look back' to see if you have visited a DR within those stated periods related to the medical condition.

If so then they don't pay out calling it a pre existing condition.

 

I have a few semi serious medical issues. Normally pretty stable. But I have had to cancle Dr visits till after the cruise if it's within the look back period. 

 

The shorter the look back period the higher the premiums.

 

 

 

 

[Baron Barracuda]

15 minutes ago, Magnetchief said:

 

The biggest issue I have here with US travel insurance is their 'Look back periods, 60 or 120 days'

Where if you make a claim they 'look back' to see if you have visited a DR within those stated periods related to the medical condition.

If so then they don't pay out calling it a pre existing condition.

 

I have a few semi serious medical issues. Normally pretty stable. But I have had to cancle Dr visits till after the cruise if it's within the look back period. 

 

The shorter the look back period the higher the premiums.

 

 

 

 

That's not our experience.  US third party travel insurance pricing is solely a function of age and cost of trip.  Pre-existing conditions don't factor into price and are covered in full so long as policy is purchased shortly after initial deposit.  There has been no look-back on the policies we've purchased.  Lots of good choices available at Insuremytrip.com and tripinsurancestore.com.  Also check out cc's travel insurance forum.

Edited February 26, 2019 by Baron Barracuda

[Btank]

18 hours ago, 40yearcruiser said:

Often I have seen an ambulance waiting on the dock when the ship arrives in port to take off an ill passenger. The best news is that she recovered.

Yeah, it can be worse.  Returning to port on our second cruise, the ship was met by four ambulances... and one unmarked van.  Full disclosure: we cruised through what was left of Hurricane Jose - a little stressful, and not very safe to move around in.  The captain actually made an announcement encouraging everyone to "enjoy the comfort of your cabin"... then turned on the emergency lighting in the hallways.

 

     --bruce T.

[SRF]

4 hours ago, ShillyShally said:

I hope your mother is ok!!  Thank you for your insights, this is great to know but what a memorable trip you had!

 

No, she passed 5 days later.  Actually, SHE was gone the instant it happened.  The body lived on for a few days.

 

But, she was 87, had a full life, and was doing what she enjoying, traveling, drinking some wine, and making trouble. 😄

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

May your memories bring you joy.

[SRF]

5 hours ago, Balsam12 said:

OK... Not sure how travel insurance works in the US. Most things related to medical are really screwed up there, so I guess insurance probably is as well.

 

In the rest of the world, the higher risk you are, the more you pay for insurance. Example: my mother has had heart bypass surgery. Travel insurance for her costs more than the trip.

 

If you are saying a US insurance company doesn't charge extra for people with pre-existing medical conditions, I'm going to call rubbish.

 

If you book the insurance through the cruise line (or airline) they do not underwrite.  So it is one price for anyone.  But the limits are typically lower than for 3rd party insurance.

 

In the case I mentioned with my parents, due to age and cruise cost, 3rd party insurance was going to be several thousand dollars, almost 1/2 the cruise fare.  Through Royal Carib, the insurance was a few hundred dollars.

 

Many people are against the cruise line insurance, as they feel the cruise line will not treat them well, but the insurance is SOLD through the line, they do not INSURE anyone, they sell a policy from some travel insurance company.