Travel Insurance

[laurieem]

I would recommend getting travel insurance and USE it if you’re injured on a cruise or excursion. I was badly injured on an RCI cruise and the extent of my injuries  wasn’t discovered by ER or ship DR. Spent a week in agony when I could have airlifted out, gotten appropriate medical care and a full refund of my trip. Buy it and use it if you have anything remotely serious.  Sometimes medical care is different than what we get in our home countries. Wasted $$$ on the cruise. Oh, also don’t let them make you fill out any incident reports while you’re in shock and have had no treatment.  Bad idea. 

Edited March 18, 2019 by laurieem

[6rugrats]

Sorry to read about this awful experience.

I agree, no one should travel without a good travel insurance policy.

[john watson]

If you visit the doctor on board the ship generally you get charged at the time, usually having to sign and it gets added to your cruise account. Then you make a claim once you get home.  This would typically only be a couple of hundred dollars and not worth disclosing to your insurance company at the time of the event.  If you have serious strife amounting to a huge cost it is prudent to involve your insurance company immediately the incident occurs either through the cruise line or direct as large amounts of money could be involved.  Helicopter evacuation from the ship would be organised by the cruise line in conjunction with your insurers.  It is a big risk to cruise without sufficient valid insurance for the region you are cruising when you sail.

 

Regards John

Edited March 18, 2019 by john watson

[laurieem]

Oh I had  the insurance. Ship Dr made it sound like I’d be sore a couple of days so we stayed.  I had to get an ambulance from ship to ER. ER Dr was no better, missed two of three fractures and a broken sacrum, said I was fine for ship travel. Hah. If you have the insurance use it and get qualified medical help is all I’m saying. 

[brillohead]

Only you know what you feel like / how bad the pain is.  

If you feel like something is wrong -- more wrong than the doctors seem to think -- SPEAK UP!   What is sore for one person can be debilitating for another.  I've had patients with huge chest tubes who barely even noticed the tube was there, and others who couldn't move without major assistance.  

Advocate for yourself, or have someone (family or friend) there who can speak up for you.  

I hope you're feeling better now.

[SRF]

16 hours ago, john watson said:

If you visit the doctor on board the ship generally you get charged at the time, usually having to sign and it gets added to your cruise account. Then you make a claim once you get home.  This would typically only be a couple of hundred dollars and not worth disclosing to your insurance company at the time of the event.  If you have serious strife amounting to a huge cost it is prudent to involve your insurance company immediately the incident occurs either through the cruise line or direct as large amounts of money could be involved.  Helicopter evacuation from the ship would be organised by the cruise line in conjunction with your insurers.  It is a big risk to cruise without sufficient valid insurance for the region you are cruising when you sail.

 

Regards John

 

Why would you not claim against your insurance????

 

It is not like car insurance where they raise your rates.

 

And if you purchased cruise insurance, it is not your normal insurance anyway.

 

And if you did not purchase trip insurance, this presupposes that your health insurance will cover you for treatment outside the US.  Many (especially MediCare) do NOT.

[resjes]

I did not get the insurance thru the cruise company as it wasn't substantial. I opted for insurance thru AXA - it was $165.00 and it is an "A" rated insurance company. It refunds the whole trip, covers trip interruptions or delays, it covers up to a $1,000,000.00 for emergency medical evac or repatriation. It also includes things such as lost baggage and non-medical emergency evac.

[John Bull]

18 hours ago, john watson said:

If you visit the doctor on board the ship generally you get charged at the time, usually having to sign and it gets added to your cruise account. Then you make a claim once you get home.  This would typically only be a couple of hundred dollars and not worth disclosing to your insurance company at the time of the event. 

 

If you have serious strife amounting to a huge cost it is prudent to involve your insurance company immediately the incident occurs either through the cruise line or direct as large amounts of money could be involved.  Helicopter evacuation from the ship would be organised by the cruise line in conjunction with your insurers.  It is a big risk to cruise without sufficient valid insurance for the region you are cruising when you sail.

 

Regards John

 

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Why would you not claim against your insurance????.

 

SRF - that's not what John is suggesting.

So pleased to see I'm not the only one who sometimes mis-reads a post from time to time 

 

JB 

[laurieem]

21 hours ago, 6rugrats said:

Sorry to read about this awful experience.

I agree, no one should travel without a good travel insurance policy.

Ok, this was meant as a cautionary tale for new cruisers. Had I known,  or been properly  advised as to how hurt I was, and not been in shock, Inwould have used it and evacuated. I am now making international claims with my insurance so I can claim against travel insurance (how it works with travel insurance). I may have a permanent injury now. It may have been better had I gotten treatment in the states sooner.  Just recommending using it if there is the injury is worse than a boo boo. It’s hard to advocate for yourself when you’re in shock and pain. 

[mjkacmom]

Hmm, if the ER doctor didn’t realize the extent of the injuries, who would order a medical evacuation? 

[laurieem]

10 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Hmm, if the ER doctor didn’t realize the extent of the injuries, who would order a medical evacuation? 

Hmmmm  well the expectation is he should know how bad it normally hurts at the least 

[john watson]

4 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

SRF - that's not what John is suggesting.

So pleased to see I'm not the only one who sometimes mis-reads a post from time to time 

 

JB 

 

 I am simply pointing out that a small claim is easiest to deal with by paying up front at the time and later when you get home you make a claim from the Insurance company using the documentary evidence you were given by the doctors.

 

A friend of mine had serious strife on a cruise.  She was asked to pay something like 5000 Euros and had a credit card to facilitate payment. Under these circumstances you really need prior approval from your insurance company before paying out major amounts.  This is a totally different kettle of fish.

 

Lol John

 

 

[mjkacmom]

15 hours ago, laurieem said:

Hmmmm  well the expectation is he should know how bad it normally hurts at the least 

So a doctor is going to order a medical evacuation costing tens of thousands of dollars because a patient asks?! It doesn’t work that way.

[SRF]

20 hours ago, John Bull said:

SRF - that's not what John is suggesting.

So pleased to see I'm not the only one who sometimes mis-reads a post from time to time 

 

JB 

 

I see, it was not exactly clear.

 

But yes, is the treatment costs are substantial, contact the insurance company, they may get involved and deal with billing and payment directly with the hospital/doctor.

[SRF]

3 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

So a doctor is going to order a medical evacuation costing tens of thousands of dollars because a patient asks?! It doesn’t work that way.

 

If you have MedJet Assist, it is not even up to the doctor.

 

If you are hospitalized, at least 150 miles away from your home, you will be medievaced to your choice of destination, at YOUR request.

 

Also, the doctor does not care what the med evac will cost.  If you request it, most will be happy to let you go.

[mjkacmom]

29 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

If you have MedJet Assist, it is not even up to the doctor.

 

If you are hospitalized, at least 150 miles away from your home, you will be medievaced to your choice of destination, at YOUR request.

 

Also, the doctor does not care what the med evac will cost.  If you request it, most will be happy to let you go.

But the OP was released from the hospital. Are you saying that you can go to the hospital with a stomach ache, the doctor determines you are fine and releases you, that you can insist on a airlift home?

[SRF]

No, you have to be admitted.

 

Request the transport before the release you.

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

No, you have to be admitted.

 

Request the transport before the release you.

But it sounds like the OP wasn’t admitted. If you go to the hospital with stomach pain, and the diagnosis is gas, I can’t imagine that insurance would agree to pay to have you airlifted. It appears the OP was misdiagnosed, but insurance wouldn’t know that.

[SRF]

Yeah, that can be an issue.

 

Not much you can do except keep insisting it is more and try to get them to admit you.

 

But same thing can happen here in the US.  Go to emergency with abdominal pain, diagnosed as gas, sent home, appendix ruptures.