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Sinibaldi

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    Tale of Med Evac and Insurance Companies

    in Cruise/Travel Insurance

    Posted

    A few weeks ago we promised to post some info about our real life evac adventure and dealing with insurance companies (I used to work for the government in medical insurance). Back in April, DW sustained a serious lower leg injury while we were in Vietnam. The injury was initially treated on the Golden Princess, but when things did not go well she had some minor surgery in Osaka, Japan (about 5 days after her injury). This led to a decision to medically evacuate home (2 days later from Tokyo) and leave our cruise 28 days early :(.

     

    Our philosophy, for decades, has been to NOT purchase trip insurance because of our extensive travel schedule (sometimes as much as 7 months a year out of the country). Instead we have an Annual GeoBlue Global Trek Policy to cover medical and evacuation. We also use a high-end Chase Sapphire credit card which carries $10,000 (under some circumstances this amount can be higher) of cancellation (for cause), interruption insurance, and $500,000 or evacuation coverage.

     

    Over the years we estimate that we have saved more then $100,000 by NOT purchasing trip insurance. The money saved is because we avoided paying for that insurance. GeoBlue costs us about $450 a year which provides $250,000 or medical coverage and $500,000 of medical evacuation coverage. We have no interest in "cancel for any reason" and also believe that self-insurance often makes more financial sense for those willing to accept some risk (that would be me).

     

    After DW's medical adventure we were able to quickly get reimbursed for all of our medical expenses (less a $50 deductable) from GeoBlue who quickly paid for our medical expenses on the ship and in Osaka at a local hospital. Her medical evacuation was able to be accomplished on a commercial flight...where she had to fly Business Class in order to keep her leg elevated. GeoBlue agreed to pay for the Business Class ticket (they even made the airline reservations) which cost them about $10,000. They would only pay for my economy class (I decided to pay for Business Class out of my pocket to stay close to DW). GeoBlue treated us very well, were actively involved in decision making (via phone calls with myself and the ship's physician) and processed our claim within 2 weeks.

     

    We also filed a claim with Chase to recover the unused portion or our cruise (which exceeded $10,000) and our unused return air fare from Vancouver (the ending point of the booked cruise) to PHL. It took 2 months of "negotiation" with Chase in order to meet all their documentation requirements. In the end they agreed to pay the full $10,000 (for unused cruise) but denied the airline ticket reimbursement (about $1000). The air was a real nightmare because it can be difficult dealing with airlines, EZAIR, insurance, etc. In the end we did get AA to give us a credit for the unused air...although they actually have refused to tell us how much credit we have (another long story). Whether we ever get and use that airline credit is questionable.

     

    To sum up, we were very pleased with GeoBlue and also satisfied with Chase (although they made my life miserable for nearly 2 months). My warning to any traveler is to make sure you document everything (in writing), contact your insurance company immediately when you have a real problem, and insist on the most detailed medical documentation. In the case of Princess, getting detailed medical records (of DW's treatment aboard) meant paying extra money (I think it was about $50 which turned out to be reimbursable by Geoblue). The best time to get detailed medical records is BEFORE leaving the ship...so its wise to make the request from the Medical Center as discharge.

     

    Tip: The stress of a major emergency can impact decision making. One needs to take a deep breath and carefully review your options and act accordingly. In our case that meant refusing medical treatment at a Vietnamese hospital, following the ship's physician advice to seek first class treatment in Japan, and listen to the Japanese surgeon about getting DW home ASAP.

     

    Tip 2: When dealing with your insurance companies always keep your cool, be willing to compromise when necessary, and understand they they have their job to do which means they want lots of documentation. We know of too many cases where folks get frustrated and threaten insurance companies and cruise lines with lawsuits. In most cases this is a very bad decision because those companies will simply shift your case to their legal office which then makes your life more miserable. Most of the time using "charm" and understanding will get you a better result (it worked well for us).

     

    Hank

     

    Thanks... excellent info! Hope the wife is ok now.

    MSC DIVINA Drinks on Us

    in MSC Cruises

    Posted

    As I stated on another thread. I had a very tasty Moscato on the Divina last October. It was Poggio. Best wine I’ve ever had, but I must add that I’m not a big wine drinker. Of course taste is very subjective. What I enjoy others may think it’s pond swill.

     

     

    Sent from my iPad using Forums

    Great thanks! So that was included with the Drinks on Us package?
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