If You Had To Be Airlifted..How Do You Pay?

[Jadip]

Preferably with the travel insurance you were wise enough to purchase before the trip. Otherwise, you will pay through the nose...not so good!

[FLASHINGLIGHTS83]

my TA offers insurance threw a company she personally uses when she sails. i have gone threw her twice, and both times her coverage was cheaper then rccl, we/ almost the exact same coverage. she uses travel insured. our 1st cruise my fiance got the noro virus and was in the infirmary all night on an i'v drip, luckily it was the last night of the cruise, so she woke up, we went back to the room, grabbed our carry off stuff, and got priority disembarkation. her bills came up to over 400$. came home, found out what was needed to file a claim, filed within 2 weeks of being home, reimbursed fully 1 month to do the day we returned.

 

just as a little side note, i work for an ambulance company in orlando, fl. we do non-emergent pt transportations also, and on occasion pick up people who are flown in by medical planes. this is a cost that most people dont think of. what happens if your evaced to PR, and treated there, but when there ready to D/C you, and your not well enough to fly on commercial airlines, you have to arrange a medical plane flight, which is not cheap either.

 

i can not remember the name of the plane company, but one of there flight medics told me they have a contract w/ RCI and fly back anyone who was evaced off a RCI ship, back to the states. not sure of the costs involved, but that was very interesting to me, and figured u would like to know as well.

[eleu]

DAN (Diversalertnetwork.org) membership costs $29/year and you are covered for medical evacuation more than 50 miles from home, anywhere in the world. Plus you get a nice diver's magazine.

[emdia43]

Blue Cross and most mainstream health insurance companies do not cover Air Ambulances- please take out travel insurance to cover this as the cost would be prohibitive.

Those travel insurance companies that cover Air Ambulances want to pre-cert the flight (obtain health information to determine medical necessity) so be sure whoever is scheduling this ambulance calls to get approval. This information can be collected after the fact if circumstances are such that it would impact care at the time,but it must be done in a timely manner.

[Mrsg324]

Does DAN also cover non diving related injuries/ I've had DAN for a couple of years but never really looked into the coverage.

[MattInFLL]

I have had personal and unfortunate experience with the cost of emergency evacuation... it is exceedingly expensive, and can run as high as $50,000 if someone is in bad shape. Some travel policies only offer limited coverage, so be sure to check. We usually take travel insurance, and we also use an annual emergency medical plan that American Express offers to cover expenses when you are more than 125 miles from home. It covers air ambulances as well as flying at least one loved one to bedside. This is important because if you are in, europe for example - you will not get airlifted back to the US - you will be airlifted to a major hospital in europe.

 

While travel insurance does not apply to following situation, just to give you an idea - my brother lived and worked in Greece and was involved in a terrible fire. The Greek public hospitals were less than ideal. The burn units were full and they did not have additional respirators. To get him on the 2-3 hour flight to our military facilities in Germany (with one of the best burn units in the world) was going to cost $50K, which would have required my mom to mortgage her house (which she was prepared to do, of course, but time consuming). For me to emergency fly to Greece to be at his bedside cost $3500. Unfortunately he passed away while we were trying to figure out the best long term plan of action... and while the Greek doctors did their best, we'll just never know if he had better initial treatment if it would have made a difference.

 

When tragedy strikes it rips your world apart, and the last thing you need is to be worrying about how to get the best medical treatment to your loved ones... It could cost $50K to get someone airlifted back from Mexico or the Caribbean, too.

 

Always check your policies!

[aqhacruiser]

Phew, fortunately I was covered on my prior cruises, but I guess I should have checked in advance. Just spoke with my insurance company (Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO) and they said that emergencies are covered 100% out of the country. They said I may be asked by the treating facility abroad to pre pay, but that my insurer would reimburse 100% of the expenses once they receive the appropriate medical records if the treatment was indeed deemed an emergency.

 

Obviously insurance plans vary greatly, so everybody should check out their own plan's coverage for when abroad, but in a lot of cases it may not be necessary to purchase extra insurance as the policy you already have (assuming you are insured at home) may cover you.

 

I just want to point out something to you where you say Blue Cross will cover an emergency 100%. This is true BUT you can also get sick or injured that they may not consider an emergency. Say for example you were to get a nasty stomach virus and they do not consider that an emergency. Normally the blues in an HMO or even a PPO pays 100% in network. If you go out of network which you would be, at say the ship's doctor, they will only cover 80% after your deductible is reached. An emergency is considered a life threatening illness or injury. If you notice most insurance companys charge a fee if you go to the emergency room and its waived if you are admitted which means you have a serious illness or injury so just be careful about what the Blues or any insurer considers an emergency. If for instance you slice your foot on a shell in the water, its going to hurt, possibly get infected but they may not see that as an emergency but as just an injury. Naturally you would want to have it treated so you were not in pain on your vacation. Health insurance policys vary greatly as do deductibles, exclusions, and limitations of coverage. It may be worth another phone call to your company just to clarify what is considered an emergency and ask where in your policy can you find what they tell you as you really want to have it in writing someplace in case there is a dispute later. :)

[pediatric-rnp]

We have Blue Cross Blue Shield too. They do not pay for evacuation. They will pay for the medical part.

 

Our HMO Blue Cross policy covers evacuations as well as the medical expenses. Maybe BXBS plans vary in their coverage?

[pediatric-rnp]

Those travel insurance companies that cover Air Ambulances want to pre-cert the flight (obtain health information to determine medical necessity) so be sure whoever is scheduling this ambulance calls to get approval. This information can be collected after the fact if circumstances are such that it would impact care at the time,but it must be done in a timely manner.

 

I worked as an international nurse case manager for an insurance company for several years, and arranged many air ambulance evacuations from Bermuda and the Caribbean back to the US. They always had to be pre-certified in order to be covered, and the physicians/ERs in those countries (and onboard ship) know that and are used to making the calls they need to make for the pre-cert. It is part of the process. They also do not choose the ambulance company - the insurance company does, and the insurance company nurse makes all the necessary "behind the scene" arrangements. Whenever we got a call for air ambulance, the immediate thing I had to do was make calls to get cost estimates and availability from 3 different air ambulance companies. This was done very quickly, as these companies had this info available immediately for us when we called - it is what they deal with daily. The costs could vary widely - Bermuda to Boston could be anywhere from $11,000 - $16,000 (this was a few yrs ago).

 

The PP who mentioned additional expenses was very correct. It is at the discretion of the air ambulance as to whether they can also accomodate the spouse or second parent of the patient. Many times they simply do not have space onboard, depending on the machines needed and number of medical personnel. If it is a person requiring a ventilator, there will need to be extra machinery and a respiratory therapist as well as nurse and/or physician onboard. So the spouse or the second parent and rest of the family will need to pay their own expenses for separate travel.

 

Aside from expense, another concern is traveling during hurricane season. Most of the med-evac flights originate in the US, and the weather determines when they can fly out of the US or fly into a country. I once dealt with a critically ill baby in Bermuda, and because a tropical depression was in that area, the evac was delayed for almost a full day. If it is unsafe weather conditions, the medflight has to be delayed. I always dreaded this time of year for that reason.

[Steamboatin]

We have world wide medical insurance coverage.

 

If we have to be evacuated off of a vessel to a US port or territority the evacuation is FREE. Hospital costs are than also free.

 

If we are air evacuated to a non-US port than we have to pay 25% of the bill. Hospital costs are paid 75% and we are charged 25%.

 

Fortunately we are retired US military and have Tricare For Life FREE medical insurance for life.

 

However, we still purchase trip insurance for each cruise and trip we take. That 25% still can be a sizeable sum plus we have the normal trip cancellation and damage/loss of luggage coverage as well.

[jmf123]

I am still trying to decide which company to take out the insurance for our cruise. I read the info on each and get more confused. Any one out there that has used a company that they are very satisfied with? Thanks.

 

I always obtain a Travel Guard policy, and had a great claim experience when having to cancel one time. The extensive coverage under their Cruise, Tour, and Travel policy is excellent (up to one million $ Emergency Medical Evacuation, $50k medical expense, etc.). And their Protect Assist policy is very similar when you add the Optional Umbrella Package, but at a lower premium than CT & T.

 

Whether you have a sickness, injury, travel delay, jury duty, etc. there are many unforeseen things that can cause cancellation or interruption of a trip. And if you purchase a TG policy within two weeks of making your trip deposit, pre-existing medical conditions are also covered. Travel Guard is Primary coverage (you don't need to file with your personal HMO coverage), and has no deductibles.

 

Regarding airlifting costs, I heard about a child who was unfortunately hit by a car in a port, and she and her parents were airlifted back to the States from the Caribbean. I hope they were insured. And as many people find out too late, Medicare doesn't cover outside of the US.

 

The best thing is to purchase travel insurance and not have to use it, but to have the peace of mind if something does happen- even during the cruise, such as an injury on a shore excursion or appendicitis.

[eleu]

In answer to Angela's question about DAN, the $100,000 evacuation coverage is good for diving and non-diving injuries. It includes Travel Assist. Travel ins. is available at an additional cost.

[nmcrzer]

...but that my insurer would reimburse 100% of the expenses once they receive the appropriate medical records if the treatment was indeed deemed an emergency.

 

Obviously insurance plans vary greatly, so everybody should check out their own plan's coverage for when abroad, but in a lot of cases it may not be necessary to purchase extra insurance as the policy you already have (assuming you are insured at home) may cover you.

 

Most plans define an emergency as life or limb threatening. Your regular plan at home might not cover you if you were injured or sick and just really miserable, but it wasn't threatening your life or a limb.

 

Just something to keep in mind.

[Gonzo70]

Most plans define an emergency as life or limb threatening. Your regular plan at home might not cover you if you were injured or sick and just really miserable, but it wasn't threatening your life or a limb.

 

Just something to keep in mind.

 

For conditions like that there is coverage with my plan, but a pre-approval call is necessary. For bona-fide emergency, no pre-approval is needed.

[FLCruiseGirl]

I just want to point out something to you where you say Blue Cross will cover an emergency 100%. This is true BUT you can also get sick or injured that they may not consider an emergency. Say for example you were to get a nasty stomach virus and they do not consider that an emergency. Normally the blues in an HMO or even a PPO pays 100% in network. If you go out of network which you would be, at say the ship's doctor, they will only cover 80% after your deductible is reached. An emergency is considered a life threatening illness or injury. If you notice most insurance companys charge a fee if you go to the emergency room and its waived if you are admitted which means you have a serious illness or injury so just be careful about what the Blues or any insurer considers an emergency. If for instance you slice your foot on a shell in the water, its going to hurt, possibly get infected but they may not see that as an emergency but as just an injury. Naturally you would want to have it treated so you were not in pain on your vacation. Health insurance policys vary greatly as do deductibles, exclusions, and limitations of coverage. It may be worth another phone call to your company just to clarify what is considered an emergency and ask where in your policy can you find what they tell you as you really want to have it in writing someplace in case there is a dispute later. :)

 

 

I had to use my BCBS a few years ago when I got sick on the AOS. Because I was considered to be out of the country at the time, my medical expenses were covered 100%. That included the deductible. My total bill was about $600 with the ship's doctor. It was put on my seapass card because they don't take insurance. When I got home, I called BCBS and told them what had happened. They sent me an international claim form which I later submitted with my receipt. I received a reimbursement check for the entire amount I paid within a few weeks.

 

I don't know if this was covered by anyone else, but if you are in a US port (I was - we had just returned to San Juan - I was sick when I woke up that last morning), if you get off the ship, you are then considered to be in the US and that coverage applies. Since I had not gotten off the ship to obtain treatment (I wasn't able to), my location was considered to be "international" and the higher coverage applied.

 

I had also purchased travel insurance through RCL, but didn't need to use it. My first call was to them when I got back. The lady I spoke to was really nasty on the phone. She told me I had to go through my own insurance company first and then submit any uncovered charges to them. And, for some reason, she felt the need to tell me that I would have to prove this had happened and that they would "check". She acted like I was lying to her. She was very rude.

 

Everyone should check with their insurance company before they get travel insurance to find out what is covered and then decide what additional insurance they need to purchase.

 

Also, don't expect that the staff on the ship will help you if you get in a situation like this, because they might not. You may be on your own to make any arrangements you need due to an illness or injury. So, be prepared to take care of everything yourself.

 

We had a pretty bad experience with the staff that morning and we WERE on our own. They wouldn't let my husband use a phone to call the airline to reschedule our flight. Outside access from the phones in the rooms are turned off that morning (so charges aren't incurred???) And they told him that if he got off the ship to make a call, he couldn't get back on to come back to me in the infirmary. We didn't have a cell phone at the time, and he didn't want to leave me and have no way to contact me after he left the ship, so we took our chances and got off together later. We will never travel without our cell phones again. Also, the doctor had called and made arrangements for someone to take us to the airport, but no one ever showed up.

 

It's an awful feeling to be in a situation like that and be treated with such disregard. My guess is that, once the cruise was over they didn't feel the need to provide any service! It was "out with the old, in with the new (passengers)"!!!