Must cancel cruise leaving tomorrow , no insurance

[Coral]

Their website addresses that. Yes, you have to be stable, and if necessary they'll have a nurse accompanying the patient. I think their website does a pretty good job of going over the possibilities.

 

Just wanted to make sure people are aware of the possibilities. They may be stuck in a foreign country and may have to pay medical bills there. MedJet Assist is not a replacement for travel insurance.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Coral

[Treven]

And I have Medicare. The original US version of socialized medicine.

 

I am assuming that is what was meant by "socialist".

As another old fart, so do I.

[cruisincdns]

Well, don't forget, MedJet Assist will fly you back to your "home hospital" only after you've been admitted to a foreign horsepital. I guess you can be admitted, then while you're getting settled, you can be on the phone to MedJet, saying, "get me the hell out of here"!;:D or something to that effect.

Of course one of the great perks of this is that the spouse is flown back at no charge as well.

 

MedJet's policy clearly states you have to be admitted as an "in-patient" in a hospital (not just visiting the ER) more than 150 miles from your place of residence as noted on your MedJet policy, not solely in a "foreign" hospital.

 

So, say you live in Las Vegas and have an annual policy with MedJet and you take the family, say, to Disneyland in Anaheim and you wind up admitted as an "in-patient", not just a visit to the ER, you can be flown back to Las Vegas if you want/have to under the MedJet policy.

 

Paul

[MrPantsOz]

My best friend had an accident while traveling overseas. She required emergency care in a foreign hospital, flights/accom for immediate family, medivac home etc etc. A rep from the insurance company was by the families side from the moment they heard about the accident (both where it happened and back home in the UK) making sure everything that needed to be done was done. All this was covered for the approx £30 she paid for her insurance policy. Sadly she passed away shortly after being returned home but the medical bills added up to nearly £500,000 , bills that would have been passed to her grieving family if she had not had insurance. She was 26 and in great health. Please, don't ever travel without insurance.

[CruzVinnieCruz]

I don't worry about losing the cost of the cruise. I can afford that. I worry about being out of the country and having a very large emergency vac or medical bill. I can't afford that. My health insurance doesn't cover well outside of the US.

 

 

I understand that and my company covers the med vac and health costs for me free of charge through a travel assistance program.

 

Some larger companies that have their employees travel internationally frequently have travel assistance programs included and their employees do not realize that it is benefit.

 

Take care,

Vinnie

[jacketwatch]

Even if you booked through Princess instead of a TA (and that's a completely separate debate), you could have used a different insurance company that might not have been so restrictive in payment options. There are lots of tools for comparing, e.g., https://tripinsurancestore.com/ and http://www.insuremytrip.com/ that you might consider next time. Glad this trip was short enough self-insuring didn't hurt too badly.

 

I'm in complete agreement here. Also can call Allianz too for their rates.

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I always get the no excuse insurance. Have had to use it twice. Once when my cat was dying (which my TA wasn't sure that would be covered but it was) and the other time was during my mom's health decline. After those two experiences, it reinforced my idea that the insurance is so worth it.

It's the same thing as any insurance. You have it in hopes that it will never be used.

[janetcbl]

My DW and I agree with you medi jet for a foreign Country cruise makes a lot a sense. I wouldn't want treatment in a Country that has socialist medicine. I would rather fly back to the US, and let our Doctors treat us.

 

This statement is nonsense. I was a tour guide for 18 years, mainly in the Scandinavian countries, and the medical care there was equal to or better than the USA. Problems ranged from broken bones, to heart problems to psych....in every instance care was prompt and outstanding. Charges were even reasonable ( US citizens are not covered by Sacanidavian "Socialized Medicine") so often the insurance policy deductible wan't exceeded. I am a also a nurse so have an idea what constitutes good medical care.

[SoBaycruiser]

We carried insurance for years when we both had elderly parents and needed it for trip interruption or cancellation. Since we tend to take longer cruises now, I did not think the insurance was cheap. This year we have booked two trips without insurance because we felt we are in good health and could self insure for a last minute cancelled trip. Also our medical does cover some international expenses. However the discussion here has me rethinking the need for medical evacuation insurance. Can anyone suggest a good yearly plan in the US. I've seen the links to insurance comparison sites. But has anyone had a good experience with a particular company and would recommend it?

[basor]

Just a note, we live in Oregon and they do not allow the purchase of an annual comprehensive travel insurance policy.....

 

We can purchase an annual policy for evacuation but not for medical, so we must purchase single trip policies to receive both medical coverage and evacuation (besides cancellation and interruption coverage).

 

It is much more expensive but we do not travel outside the US without purchasing travel insurance. Last January we spent 3 weeks cruising around Southern South America, including 1 week in Antarctica - talk about an expensive medical evacuation......glad we were covered and glad we did not need to use it!!

 

Every US state and world wide Country have different insurance regulations, so always good to check .

[broberts]

My DW and I agree with you medi jet for a foreign Country cruise makes a lot a sense. I wouldn't want treatment in a Country that has socialist medicine. I would rather fly back to the US, and let our Doctors treat us.

Very few countries have "socialist medicine". A great many countries do have universal health care. The two are often incorrectly conflated. That said, there is no objective data that suggests either of those approaches to paying for medical care cause worse outcomes.

[pusywillow]

Very few countries have "socialist medicine". A great many countries do have universal health care. The two are often incorrectly conflated. That said, there is no objective data that suggests either of those approaches to paying for medical care cause worse outcomes.

 

Couldn't agree with you more.

 

Sue

[capriccio]

My DW and I agree with you medi jet for a foreign Country cruise makes a lot a sense. I wouldn't want treatment in a Country that has socialist medicine. I would rather fly back to the US, and let our Doctors treat us.

 

If you are ill or injured enough that the medical staff on board the ship can't help, you are going to be grateful for any medical care that will stabilize your condition enough for medjet assist to be able to transport you.

[avcruz]

Wow, I've never heard of this branch of medicine before. Does the doctor treat you by showing you photos of Charles Fourier and Olaf Palme?

 

 

Like!

[Treven]

We carried insurance for years when we both had elderly parents and needed it for trip interruption or cancellation. Since we tend to take longer cruises now, I did not think the insurance was cheap. This year we have booked two trips without insurance because we felt we are in good health and could self insure for a last minute cancelled trip. Also our medical does cover some international expenses. However the discussion here has me rethinking the need for medical evacuation insurance. Can anyone suggest a good yearly plan in the US. I've seen the links to insurance comparison sites. But has anyone had a good experience with a particular company and would recommend it?

I highly suggest and recommend MedJet Assist for your medical evacuation insurance. Check out their website to see if what they offer would suit your needs.

[SoBaycruiser]

I highly suggest and recommend MedJet Assist for your medical evacuation insurance. Check out their website to see if what they offer would suit your needs.

 

 

Thanks!

[rob2102]

I had the same issue, all I got back was my govt fees and future cruise deposit. The kept the other 5000.00. I am a elite status passenger. About 15 cruises. I never bought the insurance, but sure in crap do now.

 

Good luck.

[KiwiFunCruiser]

I have been there done that also with an airline ticket a longtime ago and yes it does hurt. Hope your next venture goes off ok.

[hmorrow]

Insurance .... I actually saved lots of money not taking out insurance for over 30 years....we have cruised well over 50 time all over... we just started to taking out health and emergency evacuation insurance about 3 years ago, since we are in good health, but are aging now 68 and 85 years old. We have bought an annual plan now with Travel Guard.

 

In 30 year, had only insect bite and ear infection once... We are very healthy at home too.

 

WE self insured our travel expenses... if we lost it, so be it. We often book and cx, change our minds... so buying insurance did not make a lot of sense of us.

 

We also change our minds and have been able to change the dates of travel on the ins policy.

We have done this at least 2 times....

Just FYI

Helaine

[kayelbee]

I believe that insurance differs between the US and UK. I have not heard of a 'cancel for any reason' policy being offered in the UK. Travel Insurance sold in the UK usually covers medical and property (eg theft) As far as I am aware unable to travel leading to cancellation is for medical reasons to yourself or a close relative or travel company ceasing trading.

My annual worldwide cover, medical and property, is £200 for both myself and my husband. I travel frequently and believe this offers great value for money (if that can be said about insurance)

I have no problem it doesn't have a 'cancel for any reason' clause as I believe this keeps the costs down as people wont do speculative bookings.

[ontheweb]

We also change our minds and have been able to change the dates of travel on the ins policy.

We have done this at least 2 times....

Just FYI

Helaine

 

Once we had a river cruise planned and paid for that ended up being chartered. We ended up taking a land vacation at the same general time, though for less days. It was less expensive an outlay (obviously meals were not included) than the river cruise. Not only was our insurance transferred, but because the insured amount was less, we received a credit on our credit card for the difference in the cost of the insurance.

[rpcv77]

Regardless of how many cruises one has taken without insurance or how healthy one is, a medical emergency can happen to anyone at anytime. Each of us has to decide if we are willing to forfeit the cost of a cruise or deal with exorbitant medical costs should something happen before/during a cruise. To say, "I have saved xxxx dollars by not purchasing insurance" is looking in the rear view mirror and simply good luck (assuming you take reasonable care with your health and lifestyle). It could just as easily go the other way. We all need to decide how much risk we're willing to accept.

[Treven]

Regardless of how many cruises one has taken without insurance or how healthy one is, a medical emergency can happen to anyone at anytime. Each of us has to decide if we are willing to forfeit the cost of a cruise or deal with exorbitant medical costs should something happen before/during a cruise. To say, "I have saved xxxx dollars by not purchasing insurance" is looking in the rear view mirror and simply good luck (assuming you take reasonable care with your health and lifestyle). It could just as easily go the other way. We all need to decide how much risk we're willing to accept.

Plus it only takes one cancellation, medical or whatever, without insurance and lose pretty much the entire cost of the cruise, to change/correct that way of thinking. I and other posters on this thread can attest to that.

[cheeseclan]

lovethiscruisingthing,

 

What do you mean by no excuse policy? My dog is also not doing well and my husband is thinking of staying home with the dog since we have cancel for any reason with Princess. I am curious what you have that covered it, was it the cancel for any reason? Therefore you got credit back to use later, correct?

 

Thanks

[texasnana]

So sorry the OP had to cancel. But I never travel with out insurance. There are there benefits that pay for flights, lost bags, medical etc. I buy if for if we get sick on the ship or have to airlifted. Plus my health insurance will not pay out of country and my husband policy and medicare does not pay either. We buy from an outside company. We had to cancel once and got all our money for the cruise,air fare and hotel expenses back.

 

Next cruise you might want to buy insurance for if you do have to cancel.