Couple Held In Mexican Hospital Until Bill Paid

[reeinaz]

22 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

Which may or may not help, many travel insurance policies are secondary and are by reimbursement only, so the traveler has to pony up the money first and then wait to get the money back. Some policies will guarantee payment, but it has to clearly state that in the terms and conditions.

I made sure to get a policy with direct pay to the provider just for this reason.

[sparks1093]

25 minutes ago, reeinaz said:

I made sure to get a policy with direct pay to the provider just for this reason.

Unfortunately from some of things that I'm reading from those who purport to know even that isn't foolproof, sometimes the hospital still wants upfront payment.

[coevan]

15 hours ago, cruisingguy007 said:

I guess you've never owed the government money, lucky you. Not a conspiracy in the least. Trust me, been there, done that. I've even had them use this same tactic at the state and local level for a 10 year old ticket that I had all but forgotten about. 

 

 

What do you mean lucky me? A traffic ticket has nothing to do with the IRS and seizures, which take forever. You will get ample notices before you are garnished. 

[sparks1093]

25 minutes ago, coevan said:

 

 

What do you mean lucky me? A traffic ticket has nothing to do with the IRS and seizures, which take forever. You will get ample notices before you are garnished. 

My son owes the money to the Army this year, the IRS will take his refund next spring. It doesn't always take forever.

[GeezerCouple]

43 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Unfortunately from some of things that I'm reading from those who purport to know even that isn't foolproof, sometimes the hospital still wants upfront payment.

 

Possibly worse - and I do NOT know this first hand, so it may/may not be correct - there may be some smaller hospitals that require *cash*.

We may have high limits on several charge cards, but we don't carry thousands (or tens of thousands!) in cash, and ATM advance limits would be of limited help.

Maybe just a hefty cash deposit?

 

GC

[sparks1093]

1 minute ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Possibly worse - and I do NOT know this first hand, so it may/may not be correct - there may be some smaller hospitals that require *cash*.

We may have high limits on several charge cards, but we don't carry thousands (or tens of thousands!) in cash, and ATM advance limits would be of limited help.

Maybe just a hefty cash deposit?

 

GC

I believe that I've read that somewhere now that you mention it and it is indeed a twist. But all we can do is all we can do, we can't prepare for every single eventuality (especially if nothing may happen in the first place).

[pms4104]

6 hours ago, serene56 said:

EVen with travel insurance some countries do not accept that and you pay OOP and get reimbursed so make sure of everything

I would not expect any out of country provider to take trav ins

 

 

[coevan]

6 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

My son owes the money to the Army this year, the IRS will take his refund next spring. It doesn't always take forever.

 

 

Definitely correct,  if you owe money to the IRS and are scheduled for a refund, the owed amount would be deducted from his refund, not seizing his account as some have said. Although the IRS has the right, they will write you many, many times, send certified signature required letters. It's not done on a whim for not paying a medical bill. If you return their calls or mails, they would rather work it out then seize accounts or real estate. 

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, coevan said:

 

 

Definitely correct,  if you owe money to the IRS and are scheduled for a refund, the owed amount would be deducted from his refund, not seizing his account as some have said. Although the IRS has the right, they will write you many, many times, send certified signature required letters. It's not done on a whim for not paying a medical bill. If you return their calls or mails, they would rather work it out then seize accounts or real estate. 

To be clear he owes money to the US government and the IRS will take his refund to satisfy that debt (I am not sure that the IRS has the authority to levy a bank account for something like this). And what started this conversation is a statement that "the government will get theirs" and your reply that it was a conspiracy. The original comment may have been simplistic and overstated to a degree but the underlying premise is accurate- the government is going to get theirs. The fact that they will follow due process is irrelevant, the government will do everything in its power to get theirs.

[pms4104]

Apparently Tyler Perry has stepped up ... paying their Mexican medical charges and transit back home.

 

See?  No need to buy travel insurance ... no reason to take personal responsibility ... soneone will save you from yourself.

[amyotravel]

On 11/23/2019 at 7:02 AM, pms4104 said:

Apparently Tyler Perry has stepped up ... paying their Mexican medical charges and transit back home.

 

See?  No need to buy travel insurance ... no reason to take personal responsibility ... soneone will save you from yourself.

Here is a link.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/tyler-perry-helps-american-couple-210050522.html

[klfrodo]

People like this will end up causing the Gov't to pass a law that requires every US citizen traveling outside the US to be able to show travel insurance since we obviously cannot protect ourselves from irresponsibility.

[sparks1093]

15 hours ago, klfrodo said:

People like this will end up causing the Gov't to pass a law that requires every US citizen traveling outside the US to be able to show travel insurance since we obviously cannot protect ourselves from irresponsibility.

Doubtful, because it only affects them and it isn't something that happens that often.

 

On 11/23/2019 at 9:02 AM, pms4104 said:

Apparently Tyler Perry has stepped up ... paying their Mexican medical charges and transit back home.

 

See?  No need to buy travel insurance ... no reason to take personal responsibility ... soneone will save you from yourself.

I'm glad someone helped them but I wouldn't rely on it as a primary method.

[sparks1093]

On 11/23/2019 at 5:54 AM, sparks1093 said:

To be clear he owes money to the US government and the IRS will take his refund to satisfy that debt (I am not sure that the IRS has the authority to levy a bank account for something like this). And what started this conversation is a statement that "the government will get theirs" and your reply that it was a conspiracy. The original comment may have been simplistic and overstated to a degree but the underlying premise is accurate- the government is going to get theirs. The fact that they will follow due process is irrelevant, the government will do everything in its power to get theirs.

My son just received a letter from the IRS and they are going to garnish his wages for the debt owed to the Army, they aren't going to wait for the refund.

[Coyote Chris]

OK, from what I am hearing here, when I go on a HAL cruise from San Diego down Mexico through the canal, I should have a high CC limit (I do) and get travel medical insurance. What companies do you all like?

[Algebralovr]

On 11/27/2019 at 7:36 PM, Coyote Chris said:

OK, from what I am hearing here, when I go on a HAL cruise from San Diego down Mexico through the canal, I should have a high CC limit (I do) and get travel medical insurance. What companies do you all like?

We get a policy for our cruises from Travel Insured International, through USAA.  If you are not a USAA member, they will sell a policy to you either direct, or through a broker.  

I recommend you contact Trip Insurance Store.com and see what they can do for you.  Steve has been on answering questions, and he is a travel insurance expert.  Depending on your age, it may be more cost effective to purchase through the cruise line, but you don't get the same type of policy.  You won't know until you start looking.  Steve will help. 

[Coyote Chris]

53 minutes ago, Algebralovr said:

We get a policy for our cruises from Travel Insured International, through USAA.  If you are not a USAA member, they will sell a policy to you either direct, or through a broker.  

I recommend you contact Trip Insurance Store.com and see what they can do for you.  Steve has been on answering questions, and he is a travel insurance expert.  Depending on your age, it may be more cost effective to purchase through the cruise line, but you don't get the same type of policy.  You won't know until you start looking.  Steve will help. 

Thank you. Steve was very helpful in getting me the right insurance I needed for my trip. It is important to understand that coverage, Like my Holland America Platinum plan, does not go near far enough to protect a person from massive expenses of serious medical care and life flight. Steve's travelsafe coverage does.