Seniors travel insurance - your recommendations?

[rkmw]

Budget direct cover domestic cruises but you have to put down Australian waters https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/travel-insurance-savings.html?LinkId=10610&dsid=PPC|c117|ag3834|budget%20direct%20travel%20insurance|e|c&adid=45762698030&&&gclid=Cj0KEQiA4LCyBRCY0N7Oy-mSgNIBEiQAyg39ti18LsFj-YedJanJLCwzMEOEI0gpdn7OcG8LVRACDXcaAta78P8HAQ&gclsrc=aw.ds&dclid=CIia5vXamskCFRSAvQodkk0Pvg

[Russell21]

Wouldn't Medicare work for you in Australian coastal waters? Of course there's the expensive ship's surgery to deal with. I take a fistful of medication on our cruises to deal with minor bugs.

 

Anna

 

Medicare will not cover you on a cruise ship in coastal waters. Once you are landed then they will cover you, but will not cover any expenses from the ship.

[Kinkacruiser]

Medicare will not cover you on a cruise ship in coastal waters. Once you are landed then they will cover you, but will not cover any expenses from the ship.

 

Yes, I'm aware of that Russell as I mentioned the costs involved with the ship's doctor's surgery. Thanks for the heads up :) and enjoy your cruise.

 

Bob - Thanks for the note re Budget Direct for Australian coastal cruises

 

Cheers,

Anna

Edited November 18, 2015 by Kinkacruiser

[Aus Traveller]

On a cruise we were on recently to New Guinea a woman passenger who had a heart attack had to be medivaced from the ship when we were north east of Cairns. We met her husband when we were disembarking. I casually remarked about travel insurance and he told us that they had insurance, but when he checked with them, they told him it did not cover passengers on cruise ships. It was in the fine print in the policy that he bought on the internet. I asked him the name of the company. He told us, but I was so stunned I cannot remember the name :(. It was not a name I was familiar with.

 

The good news was that they are Queensland residents and the medivac was regarded as an ambulance trip and therefore free.:) They still had to pay the $7,000 for on-board medical costs for 36 hours intensive care. I think they got out of that pretty lightly. Medivac costs can be $80,000 or so. We were disembarking a few days after his wife was taken to hospital in Cairns and she was recovering well.:)

[cruisine21]

On one of our cruises a passenger we spoke to had previously had a heart attack. He said the insurance to cover it was too expensive.?I think he mentioned $1000 extra so he chose not to get cover for it..

[jland]

Hi Don,

 

You mentioned Probus travel insurance charge $370. Is that per trip? I have looked at the pds and although the amount insured is low, it is the only insurance in Australia which would cover my husband. Today we received an email to say the USA travel insurance we use will no longer cover Australians.

 

It is hopeless finding travel insurance which will cover heart failure.

 

Thank you for your help, take care.

[Aussieflyer]

Wouldn't Medicare work for you in Australian coastal waters? Of course there's the expensive ship's surgery to deal with. I take a fistful of medication on our cruises to deal with minor bugs.

 

Anna

 

As Russell21 has said, no Medicare cover for domestic cruises, unless you consult a doctor on land at a port.

[maxmia]

Probus is great for pre-existing heart etc. conditions. Their cover has an excess, and is governed by age. You must be a member of a Probus Club, but they have a great membership. I would recommend that any retiree join their local club. My DH has previous open heart surgery, and a cancer operation, all within the last 10 years, he is 89 years old. We have no problem getting insurance for him, we did a 35 day cruise, including Hawaii, and it cost us around $1600 for the 2 of us. We were previously covered by our CC, but once you turn 80 they cover everything except medical. but charge quite a bit extra for pre-existing. You can check it out if you Google Probus South Pacific, travel insurance.

[joybook]

Another vote for InsureandGo. While we have not had to make a claim as yet I have found them good to deal with and with reasonable prices (I have a pre-existing). Will certainly use them again. Forget about Covermore if you are going within a million miles of the USA.:)

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Wouldn't Medicare work for you in Australian coastal waters? Of course there's the expensive ship's surgery to deal with. I take a fistful of medication on our cruises to deal with minor bugs.

 

Anna

 

They will patch you up on board and do their very best. When we were on Dawn Princess a passenger slipped on the wet deck and got a bad break in her upper arm. The ships doctors X rayed it and gave her pain relief but at the next port she went straight to Hobart Hospital for treatment.

[Kinkacruiser]

They will patch you up on board and do their very best. When we were on Dawn Princess a passenger slipped on the wet deck and got a bad break in her upper arm. The ships doctors X rayed it and gave her pain relief but at the next port she went straight to Hobart Hospital for treatment.

 

One of the benefits doing an Australian cruise, David. Thanks for that.

[Aussieflyer]

They will patch you up on board and do their very best. When we were on Dawn Princess a passenger slipped on the wet deck and got a bad break in her upper arm. The ships doctors X rayed it and gave her pain relief but at the next port she went straight to Hobart Hospital for treatment.

 

However, I would expect that the passenger was liable for the x ray and pain relief provided by the ship. The ship would not be expected to provide any medical services for nothing. The cost of setting the arm etc of course would be covered as it was on land.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

However, I would expect that the passenger was liable for the x ray and pain relief provided by the ship. The ship would not be expected to provide any medical services for nothing. The cost of setting the arm etc of course would be covered as it was on land.

 

Too right she was.....from memory I think it was close to a thousand dollars for the XRay and consultation on board plus she was given pain relief drugs .

As Hobart was the last call before the end of the cruise the Hospital gave her stronger medicine and referred her on to her own hospital when she got home in 2 days. I think they were going to rebreak it and then set it, but at least she would be handy for them to keep an eye on her as it set.

 

We had 2 breaks on that cruise , another passenger was coming down the curved stairs to the Lido deck, missed her footing and broke her ankle.

 

Dont leave home without insurance.

[Aussieflyer]

If the break wasn't painful the bill certainly was! Hope she had travel insurance.

 

It seems to have been an accident prone cruise.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Aussieflyer