Evacuation costs

[lakelorain]

I'm in California and can't find anything about an annual policy on the AAA site. Do you have a link you could share?

 

My link would be irrelevant because you are in a different state. I found it on my AAA site under insurance services.

[Iamthesea]

The Coast Guard or other Rescue Agency.

 

For example: If you are cruising in Europe and are in English waters and have a medical emergency either the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force or their Coast Guard will send a helicopter to evacuate you from the ship to a hospital. After you are at the hospital and you are stabilized, AirMed will arrange for an air ambulance to come and arrange your transfer to the airport near the hospital you are in, then onto their air ambulance then to the airport near the hospital where you want to go and from the airport to the receiving hospital.

 

 

Another example:

 

You live in Arkansas and have a heart attack and end up in the hospital. You decide that you want your heart procedure performed at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston. AirMed will transport you from the hospital you are in to the airport to their air ambulance to Houston to the hospital.

 

What I mean is who is responsible to pay for that med. evacuation from the ship? The patient or the insurance, if said insurance is AirMed.

 

Thanks lake...going to go take a look. ;)

 

UPDATE: The AAA website said this...

 

AAA Insurance Agency offers many health related products for individuals and families, including:

 

Long-Term Care Insurance

Major Medical

Individual and Family Health Insurance

Medicare Supplement

Travel & International Medical Insurance

 

Have an agent contact me about Health Insurance Products

 

No info on the website. :(

Edited January 3, 2014 by Iamthesea

[MS52]

I am not looking for trip cancellation insurance (at this point we're self insured)How ?????

 

We have never gotten cancelation insurance only medical/evacuation. We do about 2-3 trips a year times about 12 years that we've been traveling. So about 25 trips times $xxx not paid in insurance. I consider us self insured. I have saved the above premiums. If I missed a trip and lost the money, would I be upset? Heck, yes! But I'm ahead of the game at this point.

 

Having said that, we cruise in 8 days with my sister. Right now, I'm on hold (for 40 minutes so far) because my sister went into the hospital today and it doesn't look like she will be able to go. She ALWAYS buys insurance and it looks like she either chose not to or forgot for this trip. I told her husband that I would call and check on canceling/refund. I don't see it listed on her reservation. Unless it's included in her cruise fare - which I don't think it is - she's sol. :(

[SPacificbound]

We buy CSA Custom Luxe and Medjet Assist. We are not concerned with trip loss cost, just medical and medical evacuation.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

My link would be irrelevant because you are in a different state. I found it on my AAA site under insurance services.

 

Thanks......I don't find anything on the AAA website for CA so guess what you purchased isn't offered here.

[kteachcruiser52]

Trip insurance with a medical evac plan included is what will cover a helicopter evacuation from a cruise ship to a hospital. We had travel insurance when my husband was evacuated from the ship in Haiti to the hospital in Dominican Republic. This was paid for by the travel insurance and they also covered my flight from NJ to DR and then both our flights from DR to PA. I have no idea how much the evacuation costed as we never saw a bill but I do know we had $100,000 coverage. We always make sure we have a good amount for the medical evacuation because if you are not near the US, the Coast Guard will not evacuate you. You also need to remember that most foreign countries to not accept our personal medical insurance, so if you have travel insurance your hospital stay is guaranteed upto the maximum medical expense coverage you have. If you do not have travel insurance and you have a hospital bill it must be paid before you are discharged. If you have travel insurance and your bill is also more than your coverage that must also be paid before discharge.

 

Wow After reading this I am confused. I bought Roam Right on squaremouth and I thought it covered evacuation from the ship to the nearest hospital that could deal with your problem and then a decision was made if you needed to be transferred to US.

I did look at the Moose policy which I believe is similar to the Elks policy someone else was talking about and was concerned by wording and I called to talk to them. They do not provide evacuation from the cruise ship. I guess I should have called Squaremouth, too. it also has secondary medical coverage, but will guarantee the hospital your maximum amount so you don't have to pay upfront before being dismissed from a foreign hospital.

[gxchan]

Thanks to the OP for opening up this discussion and big thanks to Jake the Great and all others who have provided such valuable info. I always buy med/evac insurance and hoped for the best. Now I have a better understanding of what potential costs might be, how it works, etc.

[Mom.to.2]

This is copied from the terms & conditions page for AirMed. Does anyone know if all/most evacuation insurance (though travel insurance) has the same conditions? Both the originating and receiving hospital must be reasonably accessible by ground ambulance to transport the member to and from an airfield capable of accommodating an AirMed or one of its authorized affiliates aircraft. The cost associated with transportation from ships, isolated areas or islands to an airport accessible to AirMed aircraft is not covered and will be the responsibility of the member. Your membership does not include helicopter evacuation.

 

We have USAA and they offer trip insurance through a company called Travel Insured International. Their most basic plan would be around $70 for the three of us and the evac part of that plan covers $10,000 max for treatment and up to $100,000 for evac to "nearest treatment suitable to US standards or back to the US". The policy also covers trip cancelation / delay / etc, but my main concern is the high $$ amount for any evacs!

 

I am considering insurance. Does that sound like a decent price or should I shop around some more?

 

I'm just a lay person, but I would say this coverage is NOT sufficient. $10,000 max for treatment might be surpassed in the blink of an eye.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Mom.to.2

[Iamthesea]

We buy CSA Custom Luxe and Medjet Assist. We are not concerned with trip loss cost, just medical and medical evacuation.

 

:confused: We also buy CSA Luxe, which has excellent coverage for medical and evacuation, so why buy both?

[lakelorain]

Thanks......I don't find anything on the AAA website for CA so guess what you purchased isn't offered here.

 

Contact your AAA travel group. I had to deal with a travel agent there to get the insurance.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Contact your AAA travel group. I had to deal with a travel agent there to get the insurance.

 

Thanks....I'll try that. :)

[SPacificbound]

:confused: We also buy CSA Luxe, which has excellent coverage for medical and evacuation, so why buy both?

 

We keep the Medjet annually, the CSA Luxe for term of trip as needed.

[Iamthesea]

I still don't understand why you buy both. :confused: The CSA Luxe provides so much in medical and med vac., already.

 

The whole purpose of me following this thread and looking at these annual plans was to be able to only buy trip cancellation insurance and then have the annual medical and evacuation plan. Hence saving money. CSA Luxe is not cheap, especially when we purchase it at final payment to cover pre-existing conditions.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Iamthesea

[SPacificbound]

I still don't understand why you buy both. :confused: The CSA Luxe provides so much in medical and med vac., already.

 

The whole purpose of me following this thread and looking at these annual plans was to be able to only buy trip cancellation insurance and then have the annual medical and evacuation plan. Hence saving money. CSA Luxe is not cheap, especially when we purchase it at final payment to cover pre-existing conditions.

 

No where was I advising what you or anyone else should do. I was simply stating what we do. We have no interest in trip cancellation insurance, we consider ourselves self insured for trip costs. We travel quite a lot, therefore we keep the annual Medjet since it is good for any trip where you are at least 150 miles from home. The CSA Luxe is an addition that we buy for certain time periods depending on where we will be. Yes it is redundant to have both, but that is what WE do. Personal choice, not something anyone else needs to "understand".

[pcur]

No where was I advising what you or anyone else should do. I was simply stating what we do. We have no interest in trip cancellation insurance, we consider ourselves self insured for trip costs. We travel quite a lot, therefore we keep the annual Medjet since it is good for any trip where you are at least 150 miles from home. The CSA Luxe is an addition that we buy for certain time periods depending on where we will be. Yes it is redundant to have both, but that is what WE do. Personal choice, not something anyone else needs to "understand".

 

I agree. Whenever I post on threads about travel insurance I always encourage people to check their current health and insurance coverage. Many people don't realize they have coverage with their credit card companies, etc.

 

It's not one size fits all, and people need to figure out (like the OP) where the gaps are. We only need interruption and cancellation coverage, usually, but I added the AirMed evacuation as an annual policy because of the potential out of pocket expense otherwise. We are traveling a lot this year, so it makes sense to add some coverage. Other years, not so much.