Travel medical insurance newbie questions

[Coyote Chris]

Like many, I was shocked at the US Couple kidnapped by the Mexican hospital. As I am going on a cruise past Mexico in January, I need something like an FAQ here.  I have medicare and a secondary policy but it would appear they are useless.  I do have a CC with a high limit.  So I need travel medical insurance.

1.  Any reccommendations on a provider with a policy that includes LifeFlight back to the US?

2.  Any idea about how much insurance to carry?  It would appear that Mexican Hospitals charge what ever they want.

3.  I really dont know enough to even ask the right questions so any help would be appreciated.

[Coyote Chris]

BTW, I do carry the HAL Platinum coverage to $10,000 with re-patriation policy and help with emergency expenses, what ever that means.

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/pre-post-travel-cruise/cancellation-protection-plan.html

[klfrodo]

www.tripinsurancestore.com

click on the FAQ section and 95% of your questions will be answered.

 

The hospital in Mexico did NOT hold anyone hostage. You really think they should medically treat tourists for free? Those people were stupid for traveling without travel insurance. If they’re not stupid, then they took a risk and lost. Even if you do have travel insurance, you still have to pay up front.

[Coyote Chris]

12 hours ago, klfrodo said:

www.tripinsurancestore.com

click on the FAQ section and 95% of your questions will be answered.

 

The hospital in Mexico did NOT hold anyone hostage. You really think they should medically treat tourists for free? Those people were stupid for traveling without travel insurance. If they’re not stupid, then they took a risk and lost. Even if you do have travel insurance, you still have to pay up front.

You would be wrong. Holding people against their will (unless they are prisoners) is called kidnapping.  We can argue over the ransom. $1,000 a stitch in Mexico would be called ransom, as someone else pointed out in the other thread.  US citizens go to Mexico all the time for dental and medical treatment because of the low cost of said treatment.  In the US, in an emergency, the Hospitals would easily charge $15,000 for three days. But the people who needed the treatment, be they US or Mexican citizens, would not be held prisoner due to the costs of the procedure.

1. Were these particular people stupid? Yes.

2. Should the US embassy have bailed them out and garnished their wages? Yes

3.  Should the state dept issue a warning and advise Americans not to go to this port until the Mexican Govt sees that fair and just compensation be charged? Yes.

 

And that takes us back to my question about travel medical insurance. There are two questions here.  One, what steps need to be taken to avoid being held hostage (this is not the first time this has happened, by the way)  and two, who is selling a policy that will pay the $15,000 (eventually) .

 

(If I am wrong in my assessment of the existing situation, then ask yourself this. Why doesnt the Mexican Govt, that controls health care there, offer a "length of cruise or visit" health care travel policy for emergency treatment? It would bring in many millions after all. Maybe soaking people at $1,000 a stitch is more lucrative for the country?)

 

Until the State Dept does a full scale investigation of these soakings and issue warnings and bans, we need real world advice on proven travel insurance.

[klfrodo]

Quite a bit of misinformation.

 

The individual in Mexico was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, and Diabetes. He went into a diabetic coma. This is life threatening. They saved his life. All they wanted was $14,000. Very cheap compared to a major US hospital where a stay in the ICU is about $10,000 a day.

What would, could, or may have happened in the US is moot. They were in Mexico. They are under Mexican law. The rules and laws governing healthcare in the US stop at the border.

 

Now, we say we want our US State Department (Embassy) to start a program where they will pay our medical bills outside the US and also start up a collections and revenue department to collect money due via wage garnishment. Dang, we can't even agree on a National Healthcare program inside our own borders, but we want one for when we travel.  I'm confused.

 

There are stories within this forum, Hank being one, who experienced major medical hospitalizations and evacuations in countries outside the US. Hank's was in Japan. They required payment before his wife was discharged, so those mean ole Mexicans aren't the only people who require payment.

 

So, to answer your questions.

1. what steps need to be taken to avoid being held hostage . Call your travel insurance company, explain to them the situation and ask for guidance. Have a credit card on your person with a high limit.

2. who is selling a policy that will pay the $15,000 . Depends on what you are asking. ALL travel insurance policies are after the fact reimbursement. SOME will make a small advance to the facility if included in the policy. However, let's be clear,,, since the dude in Mexico went into a diabetic coma, there's a good chance he knew he had diabetes. If his policy DID NOT cover pre-existing conditions, then the travel insurance company could deny the claim.

[Coyote Chris]

20 hours ago, klfrodo said:

Quite a bit of misinformation.

 

The individual in Mexico was diagnosed with Pancreatitis, and Diabetes. He went into a diabetic coma. This is life threatening. They saved his life. All they wanted was $14,000. Very cheap compared to a major US hospital where a stay in the ICU is about $10,000 a day.

What would, could, or may have happened in the US is moot. They were in Mexico. They are under Mexican law. The rules and laws governing healthcare in the US stop at the border.

 

Now, we say we want our US State Department (Embassy) to start a program where they will pay our medical bills outside the US and also start up a collections and revenue department to collect money due via wage garnishment. Dang, we can't even agree on a National Healthcare program inside our own borders, but we want one for when we travel.  I'm confused.

 

There are stories within this forum, Hank being one, who experienced major medical hospitalizations and evacuations in countries outside the US. Hank's was in Japan. They required payment before his wife was discharged, so those mean ole Mexicans aren't the only people who require payment.

 

So, to answer your questions.

1. what steps need to be taken to avoid being held hostage . Call your travel insurance company, explain to them the situation and ask for guidance. Have a credit card on your person with a high limit.

2. who is selling a policy that will pay the $15,000 . Depends on what you are asking. ALL travel insurance policies are after the fact reimbursement. SOME will make a small advance to the facility if included in the policy. However, let's be clear,,, since the dude in Mexico went into a diabetic coma, there's a good chance he knew he had diabetes. If his policy DID NOT cover pre-existing conditions, then the travel insurance company could deny the claim.

(Yes, Mexico and Japan are not unique. Canada is in the mix as well as others I am sure. That is why we are talking about travel medical insurance. 

Visitor medical insurance Canada

Travel medical insurance coverage is strongly recommended by the US consulate for US citizens visiting Canada. US citizens must be aware that domestic US health insurance plans do not cover the insured outside the United States. US medicare program also does not provide coverage for hospital or health care outside the USA. Since Canada has socialized healthcare, the healthcare system in Canada can refuse to pay for non Canadians health treatment. In this context travel medical insurance is useful to pay medical bills in case of hospitalization, evacuation, repatriation, accidental death and dismemberment.)

 

At any rate, Thank you for bringing this back on topic. Though it is tempting to talk about debtors prisons.

So back to my ORIGINAL questions.

1. Reccommendations for reputible travel med insurance companies.

2.  I have found out that HAL Platinum insurance, which I obtain for all my cruises, does have $10,000 coverage plus life flight, if I read the HAL website correctly. I am having my personal cruise consultant look into this. 

This is interesting. "Two Americans were killed and five (sic. really 11)  others were injured in a bus accident as they traveled in Belize on Wednesday as part of a Carnival Cruise Line trip."  This is what the US Embassy in Belize says:

https://bz.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/doctors/

Edited November 29, 2019 by Coyote Chris

[klfrodo]

1 hour ago, Coyote Chris said:

At any rate, Thank you for bringing this back on topic. Though it is tempting to talk about debtors prisons.

So back to my ORIGINAL questions.

1. Reccommendations for reputible travel med insurance companies.

 

 

My Opinion Only

Cruise line insurance (to include HAL) are woefully low on Medical coverage. Their $10,000 coverage still wouldn't have gotten those folks out of Mexico even if HAL paid the full $10K).     The only good thing I can think of about cruise line insurance is that 1) you pay the same price no matter your age and 2) usually includes a Cancel For Any reason rider.

 

Most of us recommend a few places to check out 3rd party policies. These are insurance brokers. On line, you can compare 8 or 9 policies that they sell to find the one the best meets your needs. If you call them they work hard to get you in the right direction. If you find yourself in trouble and need assistance, they are only a phone call away.

My recommendation is Steve at

https://tripinsurancestore.com/

(With Steve's help, and since you are also a Washington State resident, I usually go with TravelSafe Classic for Washington. $100K medical and $1M for evac),=. I buy thru Steve's business. I know that he knows the business. I also know that if disaster strikes, I can call and he will help guide me through the process.

 

Another broker who gets rave reviews on this site is

https://www.insuremytrip.com/

 

Good luck

Edited November 29, 2019 by klfrodo

[GeezerCouple]

We also and *strongly* recommend https://tripinsurancestore.com/ 

 

In our case, we've purchased coverage through them with Travel Insured, and we can say first hand that they DO pay their claims, and without lots of nonsensical delays.  They do, obviously, require proper documentation, but we've never felt they were unreasonable; they have the right to prevent fraud, etc.

 

But I'd really recommend that you CALL them rather than rely upon the online summaries.  There can be lots of "fine print" that cannot be included in summaries.

Additionally, and especially if you are somewhat new to travel insurance or certain issues, they can answer your questions.  And we found that some question/answers generated more questions from us, especially early on... of the "Well, what if X happens?  Or if Y happens??"

And they may well ask you some questions based upon your questions or answers.

 

Also, the owner, Steve, is also currently answering lots of travel insurance questions right here on CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2441-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom/

 

And he doesn't restrict his answers to questions about "policies that his company sells", although obviously, he may not have the answers to all questions about other policies - but he can suggest things to look for, etc.

They are definitely NOT a "hard sell" operation.  I'll never forget one time that Steve mentioned to me on the phone, "Do you really need extra insurance for this particular trip" (or words to that effect), because he remembered some of our situation (from all of those questions I had asked; he must have a phenomenal memory!).

And indeed, we did *not* need to purchase any coverage for that trip.  Some other company probably would have been all too happy to take our money!

 

And they don't sell policies from some of the insurers who are mentioned here with terrible claims problems.  After all, insurance coverage is only good if appropriate claims are actually paid!

 

Finally, as mentioned above, if you have trouble while traveling, he can answer some questions (he did for us one time I was in hospital overseas, and not sure if or how our particular issue would be covered), or talk with an insurer about any difficulties you might be having.

 

We've found all of TIS folks incredibly helpful by phone in answering questions, even if we weren't quite ready to purchase.  And that experience is what led us to purchase from then the first time... and that first time ended up, unfortunately, being a large claim.  So we were very satisfied with both TIS and with TI.  (Though I wish we had zero experience with Travel Insured, rather than having had several claims, including two large ones, paid promptly.)

 

GC

 

[Coyote Chris]

23 hours ago, klfrodo said:

 

My Opinion Only

Cruise line insurance (to include HAL) are woefully low on Medical coverage. Their $10,000 coverage still wouldn't have gotten those folks out of Mexico even if HAL paid the full $10K).     The only good thing I can think of about cruise line insurance is that 1) you pay the same price no matter your age and 2) usually includes a Cancel For Any reason rider.

 

Most of us recommend a few places to check out 3rd party policies. These are insurance brokers. On line, you can compare 8 or 9 policies that they sell to find the one the best meets your needs. If you call them they work hard to get you in the right direction. If you find yourself in trouble and need assistance, they are only a phone call away.

My recommendation is Steve at

https://tripinsurancestore.com/

(With Steve's help, and since you are also a Washington State resident, I usually go with TravelSafe Classic for Washington. $100K medical and $1M for evac),=. I buy thru Steve's business. I know that he knows the business. I also know that if disaster strikes, I can call and he will help guide me through the process.

 

Another broker who gets rave reviews on this site is

https://www.insuremytrip.com/

 

Good luck

Thank you very much!  I have scanned your information and will act within a week.  Always something to learn.

[Coyote Chris]

23 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

We also and *strongly* recommend https://tripinsurancestore.com/ 

 

In our case, we've purchased coverage through them with Travel Insured, and we can say first hand that they DO pay their claims, and without lots of nonsensical delays.  They do, obviously, require proper documentation, but we've never felt they were unreasonable; they have the right to prevent fraud, etc.

 

But I'd really recommend that you CALL them rather than rely upon the online summaries.  There can be lots of "fine print" that cannot be included in summaries.

Additionally, and especially if you are somewhat new to travel insurance or certain issues, they can answer your questions.  And we found that some question/answers generated more questions from us, especially early on... of the "Well, what if X happens?  Or if Y happens??"

And they may well ask you some questions based upon your questions or answers.

 

Also, the owner, Steve, is also currently answering lots of travel insurance questions right here on CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2441-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom/

 

And he doesn't restrict his answers to questions about "policies that his company sells", although obviously, he may not have the answers to all questions about other policies - but he can suggest things to look for, etc.

They are definitely NOT a "hard sell" operation.  I'll never forget one time that Steve mentioned to me on the phone, "Do you really need extra insurance for this particular trip" (or words to that effect), because he remembered some of our situation (from all of those questions I had asked; he must have a phenomenal memory!).

And indeed, we did *not* need to purchase any coverage for that trip.  Some other company probably would have been all too happy to take our money!

 

And they don't sell policies from some of the insurers who are mentioned here with terrible claims problems.  After all, insurance coverage is only good if appropriate claims are actually paid!

 

Finally, as mentioned above, if you have trouble while traveling, he can answer some questions (he did for us one time I was in hospital overseas, and not sure if or how our particular issue would be covered), or talk with an insurer about any difficulties you might be having.

 

We've found all of TIS folks incredibly helpful by phone in answering questions, even if we weren't quite ready to purchase.  And that experience is what led us to purchase from then the first time... and that first time ended up, unfortunately, being a large claim.  So we were very satisfied with both TIS and with TI.  (Though I wish we had zero experience with Travel Insured, rather than having had several claims, including two large ones, paid promptly.)

 

GC

 

Excellent!  I will call and find a good time that someone can spend some time with me.  While I always get the HAL platimum insurance, it is now clear that isnt enough.  Thanks a bunch.

[Coyote Chris]

On 11/29/2019 at 11:05 AM, GeezerCouple said:

We also and *strongly* recommend https://tripinsurancestore.com/ 

 

In our case, we've purchased coverage through them with Travel Insured, and we can say first hand that they DO pay their claims, and without lots of nonsensical delays.  They do, obviously, require proper documentation, but we've never felt they were unreasonable; they have the right to prevent fraud, etc.

 

But I'd really recommend that you CALL them rather than rely upon the online summaries.  There can be lots of "fine print" that cannot be included in summaries.

Additionally, and especially if you are somewhat new to travel insurance or certain issues, they can answer your questions.  And we found that some question/answers generated more questions from us, especially early on... of the "Well, what if X happens?  Or if Y happens??"

And they may well ask you some questions based upon your questions or answers.

 

Also, the owner, Steve, is also currently answering lots of travel insurance questions right here on CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2441-qa-cruise-insurance-w-steve-dasseos-of-the-tripinsurancestorecom/

 

And he doesn't restrict his answers to questions about "policies that his company sells", although obviously, he may not have the answers to all questions about other policies - but he can suggest things to look for, etc.

They are definitely NOT a "hard sell" operation.  I'll never forget one time that Steve mentioned to me on the phone, "Do you really need extra insurance for this particular trip" (or words to that effect), because he remembered some of our situation (from all of those questions I had asked; he must have a phenomenal memory!).

And indeed, we did *not* need to purchase any coverage for that trip.  Some other company probably would have been all too happy to take our money!

 

And they don't sell policies from some of the insurers who are mentioned here with terrible claims problems.  After all, insurance coverage is only good if appropriate claims are actually paid!

 

Finally, as mentioned above, if you have trouble while traveling, he can answer some questions (he did for us one time I was in hospital overseas, and not sure if or how our particular issue would be covered), or talk with an insurer about any difficulties you might be having.

 

We've found all of TIS folks incredibly helpful by phone in answering questions, even if we weren't quite ready to purchase.  And that experience is what led us to purchase from then the first time... and that first time ended up, unfortunately, being a large claim.  So we were very satisfied with both TIS and with TI.  (Though I wish we had zero experience with Travel Insured, rather than having had several claims, including two large ones, paid promptly.)

 

GC

 

OK! I Called Steve up at tripinsurancestore.com . He is definately worth talking with first for any newbie. There are so many different situations we travelers are in that he can direct a person to exact plan they need for little cost.

In my case, I am sailing with HAL in January. Alone. I have HAL platinum trip insurance with $10,000 medical and repatriation. I am an active 70 year old with only minor pre-existing conditions. He is sending me via email a plan whose major benefits for me are $100,000 medical and life flight. $54.  For a month.  I think this is very fair and Steve says TravelSafe is a good company.  I am awaiting his email with the particulars.Is this a great forum or what?

[donaldsc]

On 11/27/2019 at 8:04 PM, klfrodo said:

www.tripinsurancestore.com

click on the FAQ section and 95% of your questions will be answered.

 

The hospital in Mexico did NOT hold anyone hostage. You really think they should medically treat tourists for free? Those people were stupid for traveling without travel insurance. If they’re not stupid, then they took a risk and lost. Even if you do have travel insurance, you still have to pay up front.

 

Totally agree.  If they leave the hospital, leave Mexico and then decide not to pay what is owed, what standing would the Mexican government to collect the debt.  The Mexican hospital has probably been stiffed by Americans before so they are responding as expected.  Also, the total hospital bill was only $14,000.  In an American  hospital, it would probably cost you $14,000 just to walk through the door.  If those people could not afford to raise $14,000 to pay the bill, they should not be cruising.

 

DON

[DCP]

I was checking here to see what additional travel medical insurance's are recommended. 

The couple that was brought up in this thread were family friends of our daughter - we even donated to the ***** to get them back home. YES they were held *hostage* when they tried to leave the hospital, the Mexican police Did stop them from leaving the hospital. 

NO, they didn't have travel insurance. 

Yes, the asked if they could sign a promissory note saying they would pay it, they weren't trying to stiff anyone.

So, just so you all know, they were held against their will. This is NOT America, they could do as they wanted. It was terrifying for them. They're very, very lucky that Tyler Perry stepped in and paid the bill for them. I don't know how it would have ended otherwise. 

Long story short - ALWAYS HAVE TRAVEL INSURANCE.