Travel insurance question

[lenquixote66]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Over thirty years in the medical insurance (government) industry taught me something

 

Hank

I also have over thirty years in the medical insurance industry.By government are you referring to civil service or a carrier ?

[Hlitner]

4 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

I also have over thirty years in the medical insurance industry.By government are you referring to civil service or a carrier ?

Both, worked in Medicaid and with Medicare.

[lenquixote66]

Just now, Hlitner said:

Both, worked in Medicaid and with Medicare.

I worked for Blue Cross-Blue Shield in 1966 when Medicare began.We were the only company with claims processing capability and computing power to administer the new program.BCBS processed clams of 5 million patients in that year.

[Hlitner]

26 minutes ago, aungrl said:

Based on your experience across many years and many countries, what is a reasonable total credit limit you would recommend as being likely sufficient - I understand there are no guarantees, given whatever the actual circumstances end up being, but I'm very interested in your informed opinion.  TIA

That is a great question and I do not recall it ever being addressed here on CC.  Even outpatient care can easily generate several thousand dollars in bills.  If one needs to be admitted as an inpatient, then the sky is the limit.   But if you become an inpatient, you would have obviously left your cruise and had some time to try and arrange some way to pay the bills.  My own issues (we have had two major problems over the years) both involved outpatient care (including surgery) which meant we had to be able to pay thousands of dollars of bills with very little notice.   We once needed to medically evacuate DW from Tokyo, but fortunately she could fly commercial as long as she was in a lay flat seat (to keep her leg elevated).  That single flight (Delta Airlines) booked at the last minute cost $10,000 for one Business Class ticket.

 

Hank

[klfrodo]

3 hours ago, aungrl said:

Based on your experience across many years and many countries, what is a reasonable total credit limit you would recommend as being likely sufficient - I understand there are no guarantees, given whatever the actual circumstances end up being, but I'm very interested in your informed opinion.  TIA

As Hank said, good question.

 

My wife fell in Cancun and needed x-rays and stitches. Had to put $3600 on the credit card before services began. Total charge was about $3400.

 

We're traveling to Europe next year. I'm taking a card with $25K credit limit along with a very good travel insurance policy bought thru a broker who has been very helpful in the past dealing with an emergency.

[sparks1093]

The other part of the equation is making sure that one uses care in port. Accidents do happen, of course, but some activities are more dangerous then others. I read about one fellow who had an accident on an ATV excursion and had to be admitted (with no insurance, of course). The article didn't say it but from the background given it was safe to conclude that he had never riden an ATV before, much less driven one. A lot of people overestimate their ability to do something when on vacation and it can lead to trouble. 

 

As for traveling with high limit cards it is good advice but as mentioned many folks travel with limited resources (and for many years that was us, as well). The fortunate thing is that the vast majority of people do manage to cruise without a safety net. 

[wowzz]

Our UK insurance provider offers two levels of cover. The "basic" cover for medical costs and repatriation, has a £5million maximum. The premium cover, has no limit for medical or repatriation costs. There is a minimal "excess" of £100.

All very straightforward,  so no need to worry about levels of cover when travelling. 

DW and I have an annual policy, that costs in the region of £450 (say $500), although that figure would incresse by about 50% if travelling outside of Europe. 

[capriccio]

On 11/11/2022 at 12:17 PM, Hlitner said:

And the nearest US Consulate might be hundreds of miles distant and not very helpful.

 

Even if the nearest consulate was next door, they do not pay medical bill nor can they lend money to do so.  They do maintain a list of doctors and hospitals.

 

@Rlp1457For more information from the State Department see:

• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad/insurance-providers-overseas.html
• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad.html

[Hlitner]

6 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Even if the nearest consulate was next door, they do not pay medical bill nor can they lend money to do so.  They do maintain a list of doctors and hospitals.

 

@Rlp1457For more information from the State Department see:

• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad/insurance-providers-overseas.html
• https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/your-health-abroad.html

Since this forum is about cruises, lets stick to that part of the equation.  When things go bad on a cruise, folks are generally at the mercy of the cruise staff.  We have been down that path (twice) and with medical emergencies there is seldom time to start thinking about finding certain doctors, hospitals, etc.  In practice, what happens on a cruise, you will generally interact with the ship's medical center.  The ship's physician will call many of the shots including whether you must leave the ship to get treatment ashore.  The ship will generally make the arrangements and, although you ultimately could say no, most folks will go along with the "program" with a feeling of helplessness.  We recently went through that procedure when DW needed to see an orthopedic surgeon, the ship's physician made the arrangements, and we were off to see that physician within minutes.  There was no time to "shop around" for a doctor or make alternative arrangements.  And that is the way most emergencies work.  On our recent visit to a Mexican hospital (and orthopedic surgeon) I had about 5 minutes to rush back to my cabin, grab our Passports and wallet, and then we were on our way off the ship.   To make things even more interesting, the ship had called for an ambulance only to be told that none were available.  In the end they wheeled DW off the ship, the staff had no idea where to go, and I had to direct them a few hundred yards to the closest street where I waved down a van/taxi!  But more often than not, the ship's local agent will have made all the arrangements and you go along with the program.  Also keep in mind that the ship's physician has the power (with the Captain's approval) to disembark any passenger for health reasons.  You immediately find yourself in a strange country, may not speak the language, have no clue about the local healthcare, etc.   Contrary to what many cruisers think, the cruise lines do not generally do much to help you once you exit the ship.  They rely on their local Agent....for better or worse.

 

Hank

[wowzz]

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Since this forum is about cruises, lets stick to that part of the equation.  When things go bad on a cruise, folks are generally at the mercy of the cruise staff.  We have been down that path (twice) and with medical emergencies there is seldom time to start thinking about finding certain doctors, hospitals, etc.  In practice, what happens on a cruise, you will generally interact with the ship's medical center.  The ship's physician will call many of the shots including whether you must leave the ship to get treatment ashore.  The ship will generally make the arrangements and, although you ultimately could say no, most folks will go along with the "program" with a feeling of helplessness.  We recently went through that procedure when DW needed to see an orthopedic surgeon, the ship's physician made the arrangements, and we were off to see that physician within minutes.  There was no time to "shop around" for a doctor or make alternative arrangements.  And that is the way most emergencies work.  On our recent visit to a Mexican hospital (and orthopedic surgeon) I had about 5 minutes to rush back to my cabin, grab our Passports and wallet, and then we were on our way off the ship.   To make things even more interesting, the ship had called for an ambulance only to be told that none were available.  In the end they wheeled DW off the ship, the staff had no idea where to go, and I had to direct them a few hundred yards to the closest street where I waved down a van/taxi!  But more often than not, the ship's local agent will have made all the arrangements and you go along with the program.  Also keep in mind that the ship's physician has the power (with the Captain's approval) to disembark any passenger for health reasons.  You immediately find yourself in a strange country, may not speak the language, have no clue about the local healthcare, etc.   Contrary to what many cruisers think, the cruise lines do not generally do much to help you once you exit the ship.  They rely on their local Agent....for better or worse.

 

Hank

Hank - you are a mine of information,  but a few paragraphs would help !

[Joebucks]

14 hours ago, sparks1093 said:

The other part of the equation is making sure that one uses care in port. Accidents do happen, of course, but some activities are more dangerous then others. I read about one fellow who had an accident on an ATV excursion and had to be admitted (with no insurance, of course). The article didn't say it but from the background given it was safe to conclude that he had never riden an ATV before, much less driven one. A lot of people overestimate their ability to do something when on vacation and it can lead to trouble. 

 

As for traveling with high limit cards it is good advice but as mentioned many folks travel with limited resources (and for many years that was us, as well). The fortunate thing is that the vast majority of people do manage to cruise without a safety net. 

 

I think this is lots of good advice. People will do all sorts of things that are dangerous in port. ATV, scuba, waterfall tours, etc. Just be careful. Wear the appropriate attire. Don't go nuts on things you aren't familiar with. Accidents can still happen though.

 

Obviously, not everyone can travel with a big CC limit. However, it's at least important to understand what's what. The whole "just get the insurance" leaves a lot of people with false hope. 

[sanger727]

12 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

I think this is lots of good advice. People will do all sorts of things that are dangerous in port. ATV, scuba, waterfall tours, etc. Just be careful. Wear the appropriate attire. Don't go nuts on things you aren't familiar with. Accidents can still happen though.

 

Obviously, not everyone can travel with a big CC limit. However, it's at least important to understand what's what. The whole "just get the insurance" leaves a lot of people with false hope. 

Agreed, I think that especially with cruise only travelers, there's a lot of naivete in how things work outside of the US. AFAIK, most travel insurance plans require you to pay upfront and reimburse you for the cost later. So, traveling without an emergency fund or CC is just a bad idea of a number of reasons. I can guarantee you that when your airline cancels your flight and you have to re-book with another airline (been there done that), no one is going to be asking for your travel insurance number and putting you on that flight for free. And when it comes to medical expenses abroad, the most important thing is whether or not the hospital is even willing to bill insurance. We have plenty of medical providers in the US that won't bill insurance anymore and make you pay upfront and get reimbursed later. When you find yourself with no choices, you need the flexibility to pay for things upfront.