Why Insurance?

[MileHighAko]

A few years ago I was asked to contribute to a friends fundraiser when their mother fell on the gangway and broke her hip while boarding the ship in a distant port. They took her to the hospital, ship sailed with out her (of course of course) and she was stuck trying to figure out how to get back home vs. long hospital stay in foreign country, etc. where regular health insurance only goes so far. The fundraiser was to pay for air ambulance costs to get her back into the USA and back to a home hospital. If she had had trip insurance, it would have gone a long way in helping the situation.

Edited December 19, 2021 by MileHighAko
clarify fundraiser

[Babr]

4 minutes ago, MileHighAko said:

A few years ago I was asked to contribute to a friends fundraiser when their mother fell on the gangway and broke her hip while boarding the ship in a distant port. They took her to the hospital, ship sailed with out her (of course of course) and she was stuck trying to figure out how to get back home vs. long hospital stay in foreign country, etc. where regular health insurance only goes so far. The fundraiser was to pay for air ambulance costs to get her back into the USA and back to a home hospital. If she had had trip insurance, it would have gone a long way in helping the situation.

True because a comprehensive policy would have helped with the medical expenses as well as covering the cost of getting her home via air ambulance.

[donaldsc]

38 minutes ago, MileHighAko said:

A few years ago I was asked to contribute to a friends fundraiser when their mother fell on the gangway and broke her hip while boarding the ship in a distant port. They took her to the hospital, ship sailed with out her (of course of course) and she was stuck trying to figure out how to get back home vs. long hospital stay in foreign country, etc. where regular health insurance only goes so far. The fundraiser was to pay for air ambulance costs to get her back into the USA and back to a home hospital. If she had had trip insurance, it would have gone a long way in helping the situation.

 

Are you sure about that?  I may be wrong but my understanding is that health insurance which includes evacuation just gets you to the nearest "appropriate" medical facility.  Not to your home hospital or the hospital of your choice.

 

I got this from an InsureMyTrip site - 

 

"Deciding on a Medical Facility

Basic evacuation plans will stipulate that you can be evacuated to the nearest “hospital of excellence.” The transport provider would determine where you’d be taken, based on geography and the capabilities of any hospital in the area. While you would likely receive excellent care at these facilities, some travelers are more comfortable having the ability to choose their own care facilities.

If you are one of those travelers, you may want to look into a plan that offers the “hospital of choice” benefit. This coverage is an option that allows you to stipulate where you’d like to be taken in the event that you have a medical emergency while you’re traveling and need to be evacuated for better care. Hospital of choice coverage takes the “hospital of excellence” a step further and allows you to decide in advance where you would like to go should you need advanced medical care."

 

I saw the same basic statement in a post from the CEO of MedJet.  MedJet will get you home once you are stabilized but it is basically a transportation add on to your other travel insurance which covers your local medical care.

 

DON

Edited December 19, 2021 by donaldsc

[Babr]

1 hour ago, donaldsc said:

 

Are you sure about that?  I may be wrong but my understanding is that health insurance which includes evacuation just gets you to the nearest "appropriate" medical facility.  Not to your home hospital or the hospital of your choice.

 

I got this from an InsureMyTrip site - 

 

"Deciding on a Medical Facility

Basic evacuation plans will stipulate that you can be evacuated to the nearest “hospital of excellence.” The transport provider would determine where you’d be taken, based on geography and the capabilities of any hospital in the area. While you would likely receive excellent care at these facilities, some travelers are more comfortable having the ability to choose their own care facilities.

If you are one of those travelers, you may want to look into a plan that offers the “hospital of choice” benefit. This coverage is an option that allows you to stipulate where you’d like to be taken in the event that you have a medical emergency while you’re traveling and need to be evacuated for better care. Hospital of choice coverage takes the “hospital of excellence” a step further and allows you to decide in advance where you would like to go should you need advanced medical care."

 

I saw the same basic statement in a post from the CEO of MedJet.  MedJet will get you home once you are stabilized but it is basically a transportation add on to your other travel insurance which covers your local medical care.

 

DON

You point out an important distinction. The basic plans will take you to the nearest facility capable of handling your case. If you need a higher level of care, you can still be moved to another hospital; but it may not be one of your choice, for instance from a hospital in the Caribbean to a larger, better equipped and staffed hospital in Miami. Once you have recovered enough to travel, you’ll be flown home by commercial air.

 

The “hospital of choice” benefit is a feature of enhanced comprehensive policies. Companies often offer several levels of coverage  with more benefits at different price points. As explained above, this feature lets you pick the hospital.

Yes, MedJet is basically an add on because it covers only hospital to hospital transfers. The advantage is that it gives you more control of your care; and since it is a membership - not insurance - there are no claims to file.
 

[Scubadoc]

I did check with my health insurance and they cover health issues overseas in the same way as here. BUT they do not cover medical evacuation. The answers on this forum helped me think through that. Even though unlikely that we'd be financially disastrous. So we decided to purchase insurance this time. 

[TriumphGuy]

Another reason for travel insurance not mentioned here (which includes medical) is bankruptcy protection or failure for a carrier to fulfill the contract due to financial insolvency.
How many times have we read about airlines folding up overnight and leaving people stranded? How solvent are the cruise companies these days?

If this virus continues to disrupt commerce for much longer, we will start to see the collapse of segments of the travel and hospitality industries.

[caribill]

11 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I keep going back to the MedJet Assist website...it looks really interesting (and relatively inexpensive) for what you get.  I just have not pulled the trigger...yet.  

 

Until you reach age 75.

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Until you reach age 75.

Sigh, the disadvantage of getting older.

[donaldsc]

8 hours ago, caribill said:

 

Until you reach age 75.

 

Almost all travel policies go up when you reach 75 or 80.  We usually buy an annual travel policy.  I have just turned 80.  The prices are WOW!!!

 

DON

[Jadn13]

On the Sky Princess this past month I saw multiple ambulances meet the ship in ports.

It's worth the extra cost, annual insurance seems like a good investment and usually ends up cheaper than a per trip based cost.

 

 

Edited December 20, 2021 by Jadn13

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

On 12/18/2021 at 10:12 PM, Scubadoc said:

 We sale in January less than 30 days from now. I'm reading a lot about how important insurance is but I just don't get it.    We use frequent flyer miles for our flights. It looks like everything related to Covid would be covered by the princess policies  that seem very generous and complete to me. Am I missing something? My own health insurance would cover most problems. If you buy insurance is it just to protect you against getting some other illness or death in the family or something like that that causes u to miss the whole cruise?   That seems to me to be pretty low risk and maybe not worth the cost of insurance since we are healthy and have no seriously ill family members. But maybe I'm not thinking through this well. Open to thoughts 

I have travel insurance with my charge card Bank of America. I had to use it once when we cancelled due to health. The cruise line does give you some refund. Usually the port and tax plus anything extra you purchased less the basic cruise cost. We got that refund with the insurance within two weeks. No problem at all.. Glad we had the converge. You must check with your medical insurance company if you are covered while our of the country.

[Dothan1952]

We missed an Alaska cruise years ago due to a huge auto accident that stopped traffic on the interstate on the way to the airport for several hours. Luckily we had cruise insurance that covered the trip. Also learned our lesson, always fly out a day early if possible-its worth the expense  for peace of mind plus your well rested on embarkation day. 

[Fat Albert]

On 12/19/2021 at 1:05 PM, Babr said:

Please note that insurance does not cover air/sea rescue when that service is provided by the nearest Coast Guard equivalent or military trained for such maneuvers. There is no cost, but the ship must be within range with acceptable weather and sea conditions.

 

In some instances, such as remote or exotic locations, a private rescue company may be called upon.

The US Coast Guard does Helicopter transport from Ship to Base. These helicopters are too big for Hospital helicopter pads. The patient is transferred from Coast Guard Helicopter when they return to their home base. The civilian airlift helicopter coordinates with USCG to transport civilians from emergency sea rescues to the nearest hospital for treatment.  The cost of this transportation is the responsibility of the patient.  

[Babr]

52 minutes ago, Fat Albert said:

The US Coast Guard does Helicopter transport from Ship to Base. These helicopters are too big for Hospital helicopter pads. The patient is transferred from Coast Guard Helicopter when they return to their home base. The civilian airlift helicopter coordinates with USCG to transport civilians from emergency sea rescues to the nearest hospital for treatment.  The cost of this transportation is the responsibility of the patient.  

Thanks for the clarity. I meant that the patient does not pay for the air/sea part of the evacuation but that he is responsible for any private services. Travel insurance is in effect once the patient is handed off. I suppose it didn’t come across that way.