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Is Geoblue Adequate for medical only?


t4jes
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My husband and I (late 30s/early 40s) are taking a short 4 day cruise out of Long Beach. Our trip was very cheap plus we're local, and we paid at least partly with our Sapphire Reserve, so we know we have some coverage with them. We're not looking for insurance on our cruise costs because of this. 

 

However, I've also read up enough to know that you just never know what might happen and if you end up needing to go to  ship doctor, it could end up being a lot. We're pretty much healthy and have no real concerns of anything happening, but also know it's wise to have it. 

 

For those who've used Geoblue or understand trip insurance, is that adequate if we primarily just want medical? 

 

Is there anything else non-medical that we should be thinking about? 

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You know yourselves better than anyone here.

Do you buy specialized insurance or medical for a quick trip to Vegas? (I only ask this because your current medical insurance doesn't cover repatriations)

Does your current medical insurance provider cover for medical outside the US? (No, they won't pay up front, but neither does travel insurance medical. Travel insurance is reimbursement based insurance coverage. You mentioned the ships doctor,,,,, A quick trip to the ships doctor is a heck of a lot less expensive that to visit your local hospital ER or your corner "Doc in A Box".

With the situation you are currently asking about,,, self insuring the cruise portion,,, it's only a 4 day cruise,,, I would probably just risk the medical portion also and self insure the entire trip.

 

However, now to get to the original question. Is Geoblue adequate.

From all experiences I've read here on these boards. Geoblue is a very good company to work with. Especially if you are looking at them for an annual policy because you travel outside the US frequently.

Edited by klfrodo
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  • 2 weeks later...

I am a fan of Geoblue having used this insurance (we buy the annual plan) for many years.  Last year we actually had a medical emergency, while cruising in Asia, and Geoblue quickly reimbursed us for all of our medical costs (from a Japanese hospital and the ship's medical center) and also covered DW's Medical Evacuation (Business Class on a commercial flight).

 

Hank

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 12/15/2018 at 6:56 PM, t4jes said:

My husband and I (late 30s/early 40s) are taking a short 4 day cruise out of Long Beach. Our trip was very cheap plus we're local, and we paid at least partly with our Sapphire Reserve, so we know we have some coverage with them. We're not looking for insurance on our cruise costs because of this. 

 

However, I've also read up enough to know that you just never know what might happen and if you end up needing to go to  ship doctor, it could end up being a lot. We're pretty much healthy and have no real concerns of anything happening, but also know it's wise to have it. 

 

For those who've used Geoblue or understand trip insurance, is that adequate if we primarily just want medical? 

 

Is there anything else non-medical that we should be thinking about? 

 

GeoBlue is the best medical coverage I have found if you don't also want the trip cancellation / interruption coverage. It only covers trips outside the USA. GeoBlue covers pre-existing medical conditions too.

 

As long as you don't need any pre-existing medical conditions coverage for medical, trip cancellation or trip interruption, your Chase card will be good enough coverage.

 

Steve

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 1/15/2019 at 11:52 AM, iamtrustworthy said:

 

GeoBlue is the best medical coverage I have found if you don't also want the trip cancellation / interruption coverage. It only covers trips outside the USA. GeoBlue covers pre-existing medical conditions too.

 

As long as you don't need any pre-existing medical conditions coverage for medical, trip cancellation or trip interruption, your Chase card will be good enough coverage.

 

Steve

 

Your CSR card gives you $2500 medical, drugs and emergency evacuation.

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A couple of people have noted that this policy is great for traveling outside the US. 

 

Keep in mind if your cruise goes to Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands you are not covered in these locations. This is specifically stated in the policy. 

 

Many other insurance companies include medical coverage in these locations. If you want to include PR or USVI in your medical coverage you can purchase medical-only coverage (with no trip cancellation coverage) by specifying $0 trip cost when buying a policy. 

 

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19 hours ago, SG65CB said:

A couple of people have noted that this policy is great for traveling outside the US. 

 

Keep in mind if your cruise goes to Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands you are not covered in these locations. This is specifically stated in the policy. 

 

Many other insurance companies include medical coverage in these locations. If you want to include PR or USVI in your medical coverage you can purchase medical-only coverage (with no trip cancellation coverage) by specifying $0 trip cost when buying a policy. 

 

 

Why would you need insurance for PR or USVI?  Your home medical policy would provide coverage (including Medicare).  Geoblue is outstanding - I've collected claims from them 4 times, always payment in full and fairly quickly.  The $50 deductible on their policy is per year, not per claim.

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Sometimes we think that folks paint these policies with too broad a brush...without looking at details.  For example, the GeoBlue Annual Global Trek policy ((which covers all trips (up to 70 days per trip) throughout an entire year)) provided major medical coverage with a $250,000 limit (dropping to $100,000 at age 70) plus $500,000 in Medical Evacuation!  Compare that to many travel/cruise policies that only give you $10,000 - $25,000 of medical coverage.

 

As to Puerto Rico and the USVI, you are likely already covered by your regular medical insurance (including Medicare).  So if you are paying extra for coverage for those places, and it happens to be a secondary policy, you are likely paying extra for something you will never use.  

 

There is another interesting facet to GeoBlue.  Since their policy includes both medical and medical evacuation there is a built-in incentive for them to get you back to home (or the US) ASAP since that ends their liability for further medical treatment :).  This can really work to a patient's advantage (it did with DW) and it becomes a win-win for both the insurance company and the patient.  In our case we were able to avoid what could have become lengthy medical treatment in Japan by getting DW back to the USA very quickly.  In our particular case the MedjetAssist policy would not have covered evacuation because DW was technically not an impatient and did not need immediate hospitalization upon returning home (although she did need months of expensive medical treatment).  I really like the Medjetassist policy (and have often recommended it here on CC) but it is not perfect.

 

I only mention this stuff to encourage folks to carefully read policies and make sure to read the boring definitions :).  If you are not comfortable trying to interpret a policy try to find a good friend (or even a doctor) to help you with policy language.  A single word or phrase can impact claims in a huge way.

 

Finally, there is no one size fits all when it comes to insurance.  One needs to carefully evaluate their own situation, existing insurance, risk tolerance, etc.  What is good for me might be awful for you...and vice versa :).

 

Hank

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55 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Sometimes we think that folks paint these policies with too broad a brush...without looking at details.  For example, the GeoBlue Annual Global Trek policy ((which covers all trips (up to 70 days per trip) throughout an entire year)) provided major medical coverage with a $250,000 limit (dropping to $100,000 at age 70) plus $500,000 in Medical Evacuation!  Compare that to many travel/cruise policies that only give you $10,000 - $25,000 of medical coverage.

 

As to Puerto Rico and the USVI, you are likely already covered by your regular medical insurance (including Medicare).  So if you are paying extra for coverage for those places, and it happens to be a secondary policy, you are likely paying extra for something you will never use.  

 

There is another interesting facet to GeoBlue.  Since their policy includes both medical and medical evacuation there is a built-in incentive for them to get you back to home (or the US) ASAP since that ends their liability for further medical treatment :).  This can really work to a patient's advantage (it did with DW) and it becomes a win-win for both the insurance company and the patient.  In our case we were able to avoid what could have become lengthy medical treatment in Japan by getting DW back to the USA very quickly.  In our particular case the MedjetAssist policy would not have covered evacuation because DW was technically not an impatient and did not need immediate hospitalization upon returning home (although she did need months of expensive medical treatment).  I really like the Medjetassist policy (and have often recommended it here on CC) but it is not perfect.

 

I only mention this stuff to encourage folks to carefully read policies and make sure to read the boring definitions :).  If you are not comfortable trying to interpret a policy try to find a good friend (or even a doctor) to help you with policy language.  A single word or phrase can impact claims in a huge way.

 

Finally, there is no one size fits all when it comes to insurance.  One needs to carefully evaluate their own situation, existing insurance, risk tolerance, etc.  What is good for me might be awful for you...and vice versa :).

 

Hank

 

Thanks.

That is very interesting, about how the incentives for GeoBlue and the patient match up pretty well in terms of "getting home".

I hadn't thought about that.

 

We should really look into that now that DH is "of a certain age" where MedJetAssist does their medical underwriting (albeit apparently not too intense).  Might be a good backup choice just in case MedJetAssist turns him down.  (We'll probably find out about that later this year.)

 

GC

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25 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Thanks.

That is very interesting, about how the incentives for GeoBlue and the patient match up pretty well in terms of "getting home".

I hadn't thought about that.

 

We should really look into that now that DH is "of a certain age" where MedJetAssist does their medical underwriting (albeit apparently not too intense).  Might be a good backup choice just in case MedJetAssist turns him down.  (We'll probably find out about that later this year.)

 

GC

I will admit that we were educated...almost on the job with the medical and evac issues.  I had spent over thirty years working in the Medical Insurance Industry (Government side) so was not naïve.  But nearly every evacuation policy specifies that one must be moving from an Inpatient Hospital..generally to another Inpatient Hospital.  In DW's case she never had to be an actual "inpatient" as she was treated (multiple times) with outpatient surgery and daily monitoring once back on the ship.  If she had been kicked off the ship by the ship's physician (and this was likely) she would have undergone major long term (weeks or months) in Japan...mostly outpatient.  But GeoBlue would have been on the hook for all the medical expenses.  Since it was possible for her to travel back to the US (with some special considerations in transport) this was considered the best decision by the ship's physician, Japanese surgeon, and the patient.  GeoBlue quickly jumped aboard this bandwagon for obvious reasons.  Many insurance companies will make exceptions when it is to their own benefit and this was one of those situations.  The trick, from the patient's point of view, is to communicate with everyone (especially the insurance company) and work towards the best solution for both the patient and the insurance company.  This can be difficult, but it is possible.  Too many folks work against their own insurance carrier and can quickly get into an adversarial situation where everyone loses.

 

Hank

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2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

I will admit that we were educated...almost on the job with the medical and evac issues.  I had spent over thirty years working in the Medical Insurance Industry (Government side) so was not naïve.  But nearly every evacuation policy specifies that one must be moving from an Inpatient Hospital..generally to another Inpatient Hospital.  In DW's case she never had to be an actual "inpatient" as she was treated (multiple times) with outpatient surgery and daily monitoring once back on the ship.  If she had been kicked off the ship by the ship's physician (and this was likely) she would have undergone major long term (weeks or months) in Japan...mostly outpatient.  But GeoBlue would have been on the hook for all the medical expenses.  Since it was possible for her to travel back to the US (with some special considerations in transport) this was considered the best decision by the ship's physician, Japanese surgeon, and the patient.  GeoBlue quickly jumped aboard this bandwagon for obvious reasons.  Many insurance companies will make exceptions when it is to their own benefit and this was one of those situations.  The trick, from the patient's point of view, is to communicate with everyone (especially the insurance company) and work towards the best solution for both the patient and the insurance company.  This can be difficult, but it is possible.  Too many folks work against their own insurance carrier and can quickly get into an adversarial situation where everyone loses.

 

Hank

 

All very interesting!

 

I wonder if this "resolution" (flying the patient home) might have been deemed appropriate with our regular travel insurance.

They would have been on the hook for all costs, too, PLUS the hotel and food costs for both of us...

If it was going to be a very extended duration and/or a costly regimen of therapy/treatment, maybe they'd make the same cost/benefit analysis.

But yes - it would certainly help to bring it up and perhaps nudge them along.

 

Thank you again.

And SO glad your wife has done so well.  That all sounded very grueling.....

 

GC

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1 minute ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

All very interesting!

 

I wonder if this "resolution" (flying the patient home) might have been deemed appropriate with our regular travel insurance.

They would have been on the hook for all costs, too, PLUS the hotel and food costs for both of us...

If it was going to be a very extended duration and/or a costly regimen of therapy/treatment, maybe they'd make the same cost/benefit analysis.

But yes - it would certainly help to bring it up and perhaps nudge them along.

 

Thank you again.

And SO glad your wife has done so well.  That all sounded very grueling.....

 

GC

It might have worked out with any insurance company.  But so much depends on the attitude of everyone involved, their patience, and ability to accurately communicate the situation.  Sometimes you will need to convince the insurance company's case manager that a particular decision is in their own best interests.  In such cases, charm goes a lot further then anger or threats.  Insurance case managers hear threats (often of lawsuits) every day and it is seldom a good strategy.  Yet many folks seem to think they can bully insurance companies.   Convince somebody to like you and they will try to move heaven and earth to help....but make an enemy and it can be very costly.

 

Hank

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 2/17/2019 at 5:25 PM, Hlitner said:

Convince somebody to like you and they will try to move heaven and earth to help....but make an enemy and it can be very costly.

 

Words of wisdom to live by. Each and every day!!

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