MEDICAL ONLY insurance coverage questions.

[cello56]

I always buy out of country medical insurance for each time we cruise. I'm looking at an annual policy that would cover us for 56 days of cruising over the next 12 months. The price is excellent - $390 for two people, ages 62 and 60, with a $50 deductible.

 

Here is my question, and I know that I am asking for your personal opinions.

 

Is $250,000 in medical coverage, and $500,000 in evacuation enough? This is the highest amount of coverage I can find in an annual policy.

 

Thank you for your input, it is sincerely appreciated.

[Ourusualbeach]

I would not travel with that small an amount. You should keep looking. I know here in Canada I can buy an annual 5,000,000 policy.

[Havingfun2010]

I always buy out of country medical insurance for each time we cruise. I'm looking at an annual policy that would cover us for 56 days of cruising over the next 12 months. The price is excellent - $390 for two people, ages 62 and 60, with a $50 deductible.

 

Here is my question, and I know that I am asking for your personal opinions.

 

Is $250,000 in medical coverage, and $500,000 in evacuation enough? This is the highest amount of coverage I can find in an annual policy.

 

Thank you for your input, it is sincerely appreciated.

 

It depends. First, the question is do you have medical insurance already? Next is how does it cover out of network? Example, the insurance you are talking about is secondary insurance. It pays after you submit a claim to your insurance company. In my case, I'm covered as out of network. What that means, they will pay their normal rates and most likely only 80%. That means that I have 20% or more to pay out. The annual policy I have pays the difference. Also, most insurance policies today also have max payouts. Also, the secondary is usually only for emergency care, not regular visits.

 

My medical is $50K, and evacuation is 500K. In my case, the 50K, is more than enough.

[papaflamingo]

I always buy out of country medical insurance for each time we cruise. I'm looking at an annual policy that would cover us for 56 days of cruising over the next 12 months. The price is excellent - $390 for two people, ages 62 and 60, with a $50 deductible.

 

Here is my question, and I know that I am asking for your personal opinions.

 

Is $250,000 in medical coverage, and $500,000 in evacuation enough? This is the highest amount of coverage I can find in an annual policy.

 

Thank you for your input, it is sincerely appreciated.

Pretty impossible to answer. I'll make a comment. We are doing a long cruise to the South Pacific, New Zealand, and Australia. I found a cruise cancellation policy that includes $100,000 Medical and $1,000,000 Emergency Evacuation. I am on Medicare and TRICARE for LIFE. Tricare covers me outside the U.S. for "reasonable and customary" costs. I am pretty healthy, no medical issues at this time. Do I have enough? Hope so. But considering we could be at a small and relatively inaccessible island (Nuka Hiva comes to mind), that might require an emergency evac to a hospital, I felt that $1,000,000 evac policy was worth it. So, where are you traveling to? If you are only in major first world nations, you may not need as much as small islands in the Pacific. How healthy are you? Do you have any policy that covers you? I would think as a secondary policy, $250,000 would be plenty. As your ONLY insurance, well...depends.

One thing you might want to look at, depending on where you plan to go, is 2 policies, one medical and one evac. For example you can get MedJet for around $270 per year. Might be worth considering.

[SRF]

Hard to say. With something serious, you can run through a LOT of money in medical bills. And realize, that some countries use non-citizens to fund their health care, with very hefty fees (Canada).

 

Med Evac is not cheap. Halifax to DC was $29,000 for my Mother.

 

As others have said, do you have any primary insurance that covers you at all?

 

One thing I have found, you can buy cruise insurance and not cover the cruise cost, just get coverage for all the other things. Last 9 night cruise, it was about $40.

[Starry Eyes]

It depends. First, the question is do you have medical insurance already? Next is how does it cover out of network? Example, the insurance you are talking about is secondary insurance. It pays after you submit a claim to your insurance company. In my case, I'm covered as out of network. What that means, they will pay their normal rates and most likely only 80%. That means that I have 20% or more to pay out. The annual policy I have pays the difference. Also, most insurance policies today also have max payouts. Also, the secondary is usually only for emergency care, not regular visits.

 

My medical is $50K, and evacuation is 500K. In my case, the 50K, is more than enough.

I assume you have checked your own policy carefully, but for others reading this thread, certainly check for “out of network” coverage. But also check to see if your domestic insurance offers international coverage. If you lack international coverage and become ill in a another country, having out of network domestic coverage won’t matter.

 

The other thing to remember about that 80% out of network coverage is that typically it means 80% of what your insurance wants to call “usual and customary,” which may be much lower than the local providers actually bill you. So you may end up owning that difference (“balance billing”) plus your 20%. Stay healthy!

[TeeRick]

Try asking at the travel insurance forum too.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[coconut1]

Hard to say. With something serious, you can run through a LOT of money in medical bills. And realize, that some countries use non-citizens to fund their health care, with very hefty fees (Canada).

 

Med Evac is not cheap. Halifax to DC was $29,000 for my Mother.

 

As others have said, do you have any primary insurance that covers you at all?

 

One thing I have found, you can buy cruise insurance and not cover the cruise cost, just get coverage for all the other things. Last 9 night cruise, it was about $40.

 

 

Where did you buy the insurance to cover costs excluding cruise coverage? Thank you.

[thinfool]

I always buy out of country medical insurance for each time we cruise. I'm looking at an annual policy that would cover us for 56 days of cruising over the next 12 months. The price is excellent - $390 for two people, ages 62 and 60, with a $50 deductible.

 

Here is my question, and I know that I am asking for your personal opinions.

 

Is $250,000 in medical coverage, and $500,000 in evacuation enough? This is the highest amount of coverage I can find in an annual policy.

 

Thank you for your input, it is sincerely appreciated.

 

Naming the coverage you are looking at would be helpful.

[broberts]

... some countries use non-citizens to fund their health care, with very hefty fees (Canada)..

 

Not so. Fees charged by most Canadian providers to out of coverage patients are for the most part lower than those charged in the US for similar care.

[cello56]

GeoBlue Trekker Choice is the plan we are looking at.

[TeeRick]

We always do GeoBlue every year which covers med emergencies for all trips (land and sea).

[SRF]

Where did you buy the insurance to cover costs excluding cruise coverage? Thank you.

 

Travel Insured.

[SRF]

Not so. Fees charged by most Canadian providers to out of coverage patients are for the most part lower than those charged in the US for similar care.

 

My experience is not so.

[thinfool]

GeoBlue Trekker Choice is the plan we are looking at.

Thanks for that.

 

We also use GeoBlue...I had a long phone conversation with them before signing up the first time...about 3 years ago. This is what I learned....

In spite of what the website says, there is no deductible.

GeoBlue is primary coverage

You must have health coverage at home to qualify for their policy

Medicare (not Medicaid) qualifies for this requirement

You can specify when to start the annual coverage. IOW, if your first travel begins on October 15, 2018, you can buy your policy now, but it will not begin coverage until the date you set (say October 14).

GeoBlue has an app for your smartphone to help in locating their in-network physicians and verifying coverage.

 

IMO, the coverage limits you are considering would be adequate for us. In fact, I think that is the coverage that we use.

[MaritimeR&R]

Geoblue no longer covers NY and Washington State residents. Looking for alternatives for annual policy.

[molly361]

Where did you buy the insurance to cover costs excluding cruise coverage? Thank you.

 

If you go to insuremytrip.com or one of the others that compare plans and enter 0 in the field for the cost of the trip it will list policies for just medical and evac no cruise cancellation or delay coverage

[molly361]

If you go with the Geoblue Trekker Essential (lower cost option) that app $250 covers

 

50,000 medical

250,000 evac

 

but if I am reading it right that it total for the year, not per trip.

 

I then priced other policies for just evac and medical and came up with policies between 60-70 for each trip for the same type of coverage

[rt1092]

If you go with the Geoblue Trekker Essential (lower cost option) that app $250 covers

 

50,000 medical

250,000 evac

 

but if I am reading it right that it total for the year, not per trip.

 

I then priced other policies for just evac and medical and came up with policies between 60-70 for each trip for the same type of coverage

We use this policy and have been happy with it so far. It covers trips to the infirmaries on the ships as well.

[AlanF65]

United Health Care Safe Trip has annual coverage, I am looking at that plan as they would be both primary and secondary for me.

[retiredgram]

Geoblue no longer covers NY and Washington State residents. Looking for alternatives for annual policy.

Does not cover Maryland residents . Would love to know of an alternative plan also.

[torpeedo]

United Health Care Safe Trip has annual coverage, I am looking at that plan as they would be both primary and secondary for me.

 

But only covers a limited amount of $50,000 for 70-79 and nothing after that. DH is 83. I get more coverage with the annual policy with Geoblue.

[SRF]

If you go with the Geoblue Trekker Essential (lower cost option) that app $250 covers

 

50,000 medical

250,000 evac

 

but if I am reading it right that it total for the year, not per trip.

 

I then priced other policies for just evac and medical and came up with policies between 60-70 for each trip for the same type of coverage

 

Those numbers are low.

 

I go through USAA, and they have an agreement with Travel Insured to write the travel coverage. They are $100,000 for medical and $1,000,000 for med evac. $150,000 for non-medical emergency evacuation