Actual cost of medical evacuation?

[Gonzo70]

I doubt that your medical will cover loss of baggage or baggage delay of more than two days. When I spend $5000 - $10,000 on a vacation, I do not have to do a cost / benefit analysis for $120 insurance policy.

 

 

The airlines themselves are responsbile for reimbursing you for lost luggage (up to a certain dollar amount). By not taking travel insurance for all my trips I have saved thousands of dollars. I am certainly not saying travel insurance is not a good thing for many people - I am just saying that for some people it is not necessary.

[negc]

The airlines themselves are responsbile for reimbursing you for lost luggage (up to a certain dollar amount). By not taking travel insurance for all my trips I have saved thousands of dollars. I am certainly not saying travel insurance is not a good thing for many people - I am just saying that for some people it is not necessary.

 

To quote the inimitable Yogi Berra about the necessity of having insurance: "When you don't have it, that's when you really need it.".:) To me, insurance is one of those things that you buy, hoping never to need it and it becomes just another cost to be included in my budget. So far we have not needed it, but with an elderly parent, health issues to be considered, it seems a sensible expense. I know several people whose insurance more than paid for itself when a last minute and totally unexpected medical emergency caused them to have to cancel their vacation trip. Luckily for them all of their pre-paid expenses including shore excursions, tux rental and other incidental expenses were reimbursed by the insurance company.

You can save money by not buying it, but you need to recognize the possibility that without insurance you may lose a substantial amount of money, and without medical evacuation insurance you might find yourself liable for significant dollars should such evacuation become necessary. Weigh all the risks before you decide and than make a decision you can be comfortable with.

[DEL67]

Three years ago my husband had a heart attack while we were docked in Panama.

 

Luckily he recovered well enough at a hospital there to fly home because my sister, a nurse in Florida, told me that to have him evacuated back to Miami would have cost $10,000 an hour from the time the Medivac unit left Miami.

 

Since then I have always bought insurance, making sure that it includes at least $50,000 to $100,000 for medical evacuation.

[djandnic]

Well I guess I am a fool then. :rolleyes:

 

Travel insurance is something that needs to be looked at on an individual basis. What is wise for one person may be foolish for another. Both my wife and I have health insurance that covers us 100% for emergency medical care while travelling, including out of the U.S. We always fly in 1-2 days before our cruise decreasing the chance of missing the ship and both (thankfully) are in good health. For us the cost/benefit analysis of purchasing travel insurance for most of our trips does not make sense.

 

In today's economy and health insurance situation, it is amazing anyone still has this kind of coverage. You must be a CEO or a Government employee!!!:D

 

Consider yourself blessed.

[broberts]

The airlines themselves are responsbile for reimbursing you for lost luggage (up to a certain dollar amount). By not taking travel insurance for all my trips I have saved thousands of dollars. I am certainly not saying travel insurance is not a good thing for many people - I am just saying that for some people it is not necessary.

 

Read your contract of carriage. My recollection is that most airlines have a maximum payout for lost luggage around $200 per bag! Barely covers the cost of replacing the luggage, let alone the contents.

 

I would not call those that do not carry travel insurance fools since everyone's situation is different. To those that think otherwise, consider that for some travelers travel medical alone can cost over $300 per cruise and may not provide very good coverage.

 

When thinking about evacuation coverage consider this. One may be faced with two evacuations. One from ship to shore and the the other to a medical facility closer to home. I've heard many different amounts suggested for ship to shore evacuation, most in the 30 - 60 k range.

[cusyl]

Not everybody can afford insurance nor does everyone even HAVE any insurance.

I agree not everyone can afford health insurance, but everyone CAN afford the low cost of travel insurance. Don't leave home without it. :cool:

[39august]

STAtravel offers very inexpensive travel insurance that includes $250,000 evacuation. The web site is for student travel, but they offer insurance to anyone at the same cost. The price is not determined by either age and/or cost of travel. It is simply charged on length of the trip. I believe up to 8 days is currently $48 pp. That is a good fit for those of us who are taking a 7 day cruise and fly in one day early!

[Mark_K]

Not everybody can afford insurance nor does everyone even HAVE any insurance.

Maybe it's just me, but I think if I didn't have basic health insurance I would consider that a higher priority for my money than purchasing a cruise.

[Richiebaseball]

A TA that I am considering using is offering free travel insurance - but this insurance only covers $20,000 for a medical evacuation.

 

Some of the "free insurance" that's offered have really poor coverage. Consider asking if they will provide an OBC instead and purchase insurance through another carrier.

[whogo]

A TA that I am considering using is offering free travel insurance - but this insurance only covers $20,000 for a medical evacuation.

Why not look at the value of the insurance offered? Compare your agent's policy with those on http://www.insuremytrip.com.

[wieslaw]

STAtravel offers very inexpensive travel insurance that includes $250,000 evacuation. The web site is for student travel, but they offer insurance to anyone at the same cost. The price is not determined by either age and/or cost of travel. It is simply charged on length of the trip. I believe up to 8 days is currently $48 pp. That is a good fit for those of us who are taking a 7 day cruise and fly in one day early!

 

 

Hi,

we did purchas the STA travel insurance for our last 7 day /night cruise and we did fly one day early .......... and our last day was not covered on their 8 day policy.

Day 1 - start of coverage -Saturday ( flew to destination ony day early)

Day 2 - Sunday boarded the ship 1st day / night of cruise

Day 3 of coverage - Monday ..... cruising

Day 4 of coverage - Tuesday ....... cruise

Day 5 of coverage - Wed. ..... cruise

Day 6 of coverage - Thur ....... cruise

Day 7 of coverage - Fri. ..... cruise

Day 8 of coverage - Sat ..... cruise

Day 9 - no coverage Sun morning ..... end of cruise and flight home ....... no coverage.

 

A longer term needs to be purchased to be covered for "7 day cruise and one day early flight".

 

Wes

[Spender Nui]

Well I guess I am a fool then. :rolleyes:

 

Travel insurance is something that needs to be looked at on an individual basis. What is wise for one person may be foolish for another. Both my wife and I have health insurance that covers us 100% for emergency medical care while travelling, including out of the U.S. We always fly in 1-2 days before our cruise decreasing the chance of missing the ship and both (thankfully) are in good health. For us the cost/benefit analysis of purchasing travel insurance for most of our trips does not make sense.

 

Would you be kind enough to tell us the name of your carrier? We haven't been abel to find a carrier covering out of the US coverage.

[Spender Nui]

We've recently taken MedJet Assist who will fly you from anywhere in the world to the facility of your choice with a medical crew aboard.

 

I also took out additional insurance today for a cruise we just booked.

 

Belt and suspenders? Maybe, but I'm just trying to be sure my pants stay up if problems come along.

[MNfamilycruiser]

Thank you to all who responded - we decided the "free" insurance was not for us. Because of the medical evacuation issue, and also because it was cruise only - and didn't include airfare.

 

Our airfare is a significant portion of our trip expense - we aren't anywhere near a port!:D

 

And yes, by waiting until after the free insurance deal was over - we increased our OBC by about $50 per cabin. The value of the insurance was more than that - but not worth it.

 

Including the increase in OBC - a much better insurance was available for not too much more money.

 

It took quite a bit of reasearch and number crunching on my part (we have 10 people in our group - 4 different families - each with different ages and trip values) but I think everyone will be happy!

[Giorgi-one]

The airlines themselves are responsbile for reimbursing you for lost luggage (up to a certain dollar amount). By not taking travel insurance for all my trips I have saved thousands of dollars. I am certainly not saying travel insurance is not a good thing for many people - I am just saying that for some people it is not necessary.

 

Airlines give you back almost nothing when they lose a bag. I submitted a claim once for $800 and they depreciated it to almost nothing. Funny thing was they made a mistake on the check and sent me $1250. Actually, I was talking about luggage which never gets to the ship. Does not do much good if you get it back in two weeks or get a check from the airlines in two months. Travel Insurance will give you money to buy new clothes / items you need. Just a small benefit. The Medical and Evacuation are primary for me.

[psupa]

Seven years ago my mom had to be medivaced from her cruise. It cost 20,000 for the private jet just to get her to the hospital. Costs from there increased for the hospital stay and then the flight home. Insurance paid it all, including my dad's stay at a hotel. Since then, we've never cruised without insurance.

 

Do you take insurance with the cruise line or get an independent insurer. I know there are many company's out there and from your past experience, which would you recommend (I don't know if I'm supposed to ask that). I get so confused with the insurance issue. My main reason for taking insurance is for medical coverage.

[MNfamilycruiser]

Do you take insurance with the cruise line or get an independent insurer. I know there are many company's out there and from your past experience, which would you recommend (I don't know if I'm supposed to ask that). I get so confused with the insurance issue. My main reason for taking insurance is for medical coverage.

Does cruise insurance cover airfare even if you didn't buy air from the cruise line?

 

I would say go independent - there are a lot of choices out there - and you can pick and choose to find one that meets your needs. With the cruise insurance, I am assuming you get whatever they are selling - whether it fits your needs or not.

[psupa]

Does cruise insurance cover airfare even if you didn't buy air from the cruise line?

 

I would say go independent - there are a lot of choices out there - and you can pick and choose to find one that meets your needs. With the cruise insurance, I am assuming you get whatever they are selling - whether it fits your needs or not.

 

I take the insurance to be covered for medical emergency and hope I never have to use it. From what I'm reading, some insurances only cover $25,000. I'll have to do some searching to see what is best for us.

[MNfamilycruiser]

I take the insurance to be covered for medical emergency and hope I never have to use it. From what I'm reading, some insurances only cover $25,000. I'll have to do some searching to see what is best for us.

I found the insuremytrip.com site to be very easy to use and figure out. Just a lot of comparisons because I was dealing with so many people.