Travel Insurance

[BizzyAr1]

Can anyone tell me if there is a type of travel insurance that pays on the spot and doesn’t require me to pay? 

We will be traveling on a very small budget, with no credit cards. 
Any help will be much appreciated. 
Thanks. 

[Babr]

There are some policies that will advance payment if required in order for you to be admitted to a hospital, but none of the comprehensive policies will pay “on the spot” otherwise.

 

GeoBlue is a medical only policy that has a network of providers worldwide that will treat you as necessary without cost. The problem is that your emergency has to happen where you have access to them. The other problem is that it does not include cancellation or interruption coverage.

 

I’d suggest you talk to a professional who can advise you if there is a solution for you. People on these boards often recommend Steve or one of his associates at The Trip Insurance Store.

[BizzyAr1]

Thanks so much 🙏

[sparks1093]

I have seen such policies at www.insuremytrip.com but they are generally pricier and limited in what they will pay up front. The vast majority of insurance policies are set up for you to pay the bill and then be reimbursed. You can also check your personal healthcare policy, some of them do provide some coverage overseas (my plan does but only if I am using an in-network provider). But even if you do happen to find such a plan it is possible and even likely that the hospital treating you is still going to want some sort of payment from you up front.

 

 

[ColeThornton]

8 hours ago, BizzyAr1 said:

Can anyone tell me if there is a type of travel insurance that pays on the spot and doesn’t require me to pay? 

We will be traveling on a very small budget, with no credit cards. 
Any help will be much appreciated. 
Thanks. 

 

Cruise/Travel Insurance Forum:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

[pe4all]

When dd was admitted to hospital in Belize and I called my trip insurance from the hospital the person we spoke with from Travelguard asked if we needed $$ for the hospital, and they would handle the bill if necessary.  We went through our health insurance - paid nothing to hospital, though they did ask for a credit card as a hold.   However, all the other expenses - airfare back to MCO, hotel, food, etc. - we had to pay up front and send all the bills/receipts in.  Got everything back except $5.  Took around 2 weeks to get re-imbursed, which I thought was pretty good.  

[ngrund]

31 minutes ago, pe4all said:

When dd was admitted to hospital in Belize and I called my trip insurance from the hospital the person we spoke with from Travelguard asked if we needed $$ for the hospital, and they would handle the bill if necessary.  We went through our health insurance - paid nothing to hospital, though they did ask for a credit card as a hold.   However, all the other expenses - airfare back to MCO, hotel, food, etc. - we had to pay up front and send all the bills/receipts in.  Got everything back except $5.  Took around 2 weeks to get re-imbursed, which I thought was pretty good.  

Great that everything worked out, and of course DD  being treated is of prime importance, but I just have to ask what was the $5 that wasn't covered?? LOL

[Drazil65]

We always use insure my trip (for land and sea vaca) and look for policies with primary medical care (most of them will be secondary payers so you need to weed through and read some of the certificates to make sure it is primary med coverage) as they tend to advance the hospital requirement for admittance if needed. 

 

They will generally take care of things directly being the primary medical just make sure you follow claim and notification protocols laid out in requirements. We feel the insurance cost for this is reasonable for the 3 of us and worth having "just in case".  

[pe4all]

51 minutes ago, ngrund said:

Great that everything worked out, and of course DD  being treated is of prime importance, but I just have to ask what was the $5 that wasn't covered?? LOL

We have no idea!  Couldn't figure it out from the bills.  However, if only $5 out of a $15,000 bill wasn't covered I am not going to question it - lol.

[ngrund]

1 minute ago, pe4all said:

We have no idea!  Couldn't figure it out from the bills.  However, if only $5 out of a $15,000 bill wasn't covered I am not going to question it - lol.

absolutely-

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Yes, there are.  I would refer you to the travel insurance forum, and for expert advice call Trip Insurance Store.  They are very professional, always straight answers and no pressure to make the sale.  

[Babr]

1 hour ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Yes, there are.  I would refer you to the travel insurance forum, and for expert advice call Trip Insurance Store.  They are very professional, always straight answers and no pressure to make the sale.  

Yes is a rather broad statement. As noted, some will advance payment if necessary for hospitalization, but none of the comprehensive policies or even your own health insurance will pay on the spot if you need incidental care elsewhere.

[iamtrustworthy]

On 8/18/2023 at 7:26 AM, Drazil65 said:

We always use insure my trip (for land and sea vaca) and look for policies with primary medical care (most of them will be secondary payers so you need to weed through and read some of the certificates to make sure it is primary med coverage) as they tend to advance the hospital requirement for admittance if needed. 

 

They will generally take care of things directly being the primary medical just make sure you follow claim and notification protocols laid out in requirements. We feel the insurance cost for this is reasonable for the 3 of us and worth having "just in case".  

Hi Drazil65,

 

Primary (First Payer) isn’t better than Secondary (Excess). The only difference is the order in which the medical claims are paid. If you aren't old enough to be on Medicare, in most cases you are better off getting a plan with Secondary medical because of how group or individual health plans account for deductibles and co-pays.

 

You can also process a claim on a plan that has Primary medical as Secondary. Your broker can advise you how to do this when they help you with your claim.

 

And, whether or not a plan has Primary or Secondary medical, all the plans I know will advance payment to a medical facility if needed.

 

Steve Dasseos

Edited August 20, 2023 by iamtrustworthy
typo

[Drazil65]

iamtrustworthy:  Thank you for your additional input on the subject.  It has been our experience that many people we know (and relatives) do not have medical coverage outside the country and they always get at least a travel medical policy, 

 

Many people do not obtain travel insurance and they are sometimes naïve to the requirements of other countries such as money advanced for admittance.  Although we are not old enough to have Medicare, we do have immediate family that have it and I think my MIL said something in the past about her not being covered outside the country.  Any way you look at it some type of travel insurance should be on everyone's checklist when traveling.  

[iamtrustworthy]

On 8/20/2023 at 6:32 PM, Drazil65 said:

iamtrustworthy:  Thank you for your additional input on the subject.  It has been our experience that many people we know (and relatives) do not have medical coverage outside the country and they always get at least a travel medical policy, 

 

Many people do not obtain travel insurance and they are sometimes naïve to the requirements of other countries such as money advanced for admittance.  Although we are not old enough to have Medicare, we do have immediate family that have it and I think my MIL said something in the past about her not being covered outside the country.  Any way you look at it some type of travel insurance should be on everyone's checklist when traveling.  

Hi Drazil65,

 

You're welcome.

 

> many people we know (and relatives) do not have medical coverage outside the country

 

Unless they have Medicaid, some Medicare Advantage plans or a non ACA-compliant plan, they should at least have some limited medical coverage outside the USA. They probably won't have any Medical Transportation coverage.

 

I agree that it's good to have at least some travel medical insurance when traveling out of the plan's network area. Or, when someone has a high-deductible health plan.

 

I wrote this a few days ago on my Blog that you might find helpful:

https://tripinsurancestore.com/blog/is-it-worth-paying-more-to-have-500000-medical-coverage/

 

Steve Dasseos