Reasonable Medical/Accident and Evacuation Limits

[SailBreakaway]

Anyone have any info as to whether 75K for Medical Expenses and $250,000 for Evac is reasonable for a Western Caribbean 7 ni itinerary? Cayman, Jamaica, Mexico and Bahamas. 

 

Seems the premiums go up substantially after those limits and some plans that have more to offer with cruise line induced changes and cancellations pretty much max out those limits there. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, SailBreakaway said:

Anyone have any info as to whether 75K for Medical Expenses and $250,000 for Evac is reasonable for a Western Caribbean 7 ni itinerary? Cayman, Jamaica, Mexico and Bahamas. 

 

Seems the premiums go up substantially after those limits and some plans that have more to offer with cruise line induced changes and cancellations pretty much max out those limits there. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Have you checked with an insurance broker such as www.TripInsuranceStore.com to see what other choices (coverage and costs) there are?

 

You should *call* and not just read online summaries, as the fine print can REALLY matter with insurance.

 

GC

[SailBreakaway]

3 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Have you checked with an insurance broker such as www.TripInsuranceStore.com to see what other choices (coverage and costs) there are?

 

You should *call* and not just read online summaries, as the fine print can REALLY matter with insurance.

 

GC

I did call, and had discussions with two vendors, both of  which came highly recommended, one being the agency you’ve mentioned. Again, I’m looking to determine what a reasonable amount would be to carry for this type of itinerary without going overboard. We’re not sailing to Antartica, or over the Pacific. Just the Caribbean and GOMex. 

 

Thanks for your feedback though. 

[FlightMedic555]

Those amounts should be fine.  Evacuation would cost no more than $100-150k and I would think that if you needed more than $75k in care that you would be evacuated back to the States as soon as it was medically appropriate.

[SailBreakaway]

On 5/6/2019 at 8:21 AM, FlightMedic555 said:

Those amounts should be fine.  Evacuation would cost no more than $100-150k and I would think that if you needed more than $75k in care that you would be evacuated back to the States as soon as it was medically appropriate.

 

Thank You! You are exactly the person and info I was looking for.  I appreciate it.  

[Walfam]

Read the policy and look if medical evac is to the nearest adequate facility.   Not all will get you back to the U.S. unless it specifically says so.

[GeezerCouple]

3 minutes ago, Walfam said:

Read the policy and look if medical evac is to the nearest adequate facility.   Not all will get you back to the U.S. unless it specifically says so.

 

Correct.

 

It could be worded something similar to the "nearest suitable facility", which means it would be appropriate IN THE MINDS OF THOSE MAKING THE DECISION.

*YOUR* idea of "suitability" might be quite different, if it is a small-ish hospital in a rural area, or anything "less" than whatever hospital is your regular choice at home, etc.

 

GC

[SailBreakaway]

21 hours ago, Walfam said:

Read the policy and look if medical evac is to the nearest adequate facility.   Not all will get you back to the U.S. unless it specifically says so.

 

It specifically states evacuation to the United States, Steve did good! Thanks, good point.

[GeezerCouple]

2 minutes ago, SailBreakaway said:

 

It specifically states evacuation to the United States, Steve did good! Thanks, good point.

Great!

 

Yes, Steve offers amazing help.

Which insurer/policy did you get that has this?
 

In less than a year, we hit an age where MedJetAssist requires medical vetting, although it doesn't seem too onerous.

On the off chance that we "flunk" 😱 - we'll be looking for a policy that will get us back to the USA, even if not to the "hospital of our choice", etc. 

And yes, obviously we'll discuss this with Steve as we start insuring trips that might go past our membership.  Hopefully, we'll both still qualify for MJA, but just in case...

 

Thanks!

 

GC

[Hlitner]

Ok, I will bite (answer the actual questions).  The $250,000 evac is more than adequate which is why you often see high limit evac policies.  The risk of having to pay out over $100,000 is very low so the insurance (and re-insurance) for the higher limits actually adds very little cost to the insurance company.  Very few evacs cost more than $100,000 which would should even cover a private med evac jet in the Caribbean.  

 

As to $75,000 of medical,  I often suggest that $100,000 is a minimum that makes me feel comfy.  But $75,000 in the Caribbean would cause me no heartburn.  

 

By the way, take a look at the insurance options sold by most cruise lines.  They are often wholly inadequate by any medical insurance standard but yet, millions of cruisers buy those cruise line policies (which are very profitable) without ever thinking about the limits.  

 

Hank

 

[SailBreakaway]

On 5/9/2019 at 1:55 PM, Hlitner said:

Ok, I will bite (answer the actual questions).  The $250,000 evac is more than adequate which is why you often see high limit evac policies.  The risk of having to pay out over $100,000 is very low so the insurance (and re-insurance) for the higher limits actually adds very little cost to the insurance company.  Very few evacs cost more than $100,000 which would should even cover a private med evac jet in the Caribbean.  

 

As to $75,000 of medical,  I often suggest that $100,000 is a minimum that makes me feel comfy.  But $75,000 in the Caribbean would cause me no heartburn.  

 

By the way, take a look at the insurance options sold by most cruise lines.  They are often wholly inadequate by any medical insurance standard but yet, millions of cruisers buy those cruise line policies (which are very profitable) without ever thinking about the limits.  

 

Hank

 

Thanks Hank, you hit the nail on the head so, thank you.  We took a different policy that was a bit more pricey but upped the medical limits.  I used to fly as a pilot in Gulfstream II,III,IVs for charter clients and we used to charge 5-6k$ per flight hour plus fees.  You had to buy a round trip even if going one way, so double the cost.  A one way with fees from the south-western most point on our trip (COZ) would fall under the 100k$ point, and of course med fees on top of that, and Medivacs aren't usually in Larger biz-jets, typically small and mid sized.  The helos off the ship are where there big $$ is.  You'd have to add both if taken off the vessel and taken to the US.  When we do transatlantic or Europe, yes the higher limit and a ride home are important!  

 

Thanks all.  

[SempreMare]

On 5/7/2019 at 9:34 PM, Walfam said:

look if medical evac is to the nearest adequate facility.   Not all will get you back to the U.S. unless it specifically says so.

 

That is a great nuance to point out.  Thank you @Walfam