AJB1970 Posted April 1, 2011 #1 Share Posted April 1, 2011 Hi - could anyone help me with a query? My parents are looking to cruise on Independence of the Seas but are concerned that the EHIC card that they have won't provide cover for emergency assistance on the IoS as it's an American-owned ship and the EHIC is only meant for European countries. They know that should anything happen whilst on land in a European country, they would get medical assistance, but don't know how they would stand if, say, they were at sea - as we seem to think that international law would take precedence - but not sure if this depends on whether they are in international waters or not? I appreciate that this may seem a bit extreme, but my parents are concerned as one of them has a heart condition and they don't want to end up in a situation where they find themselves not covered for an emergency. They wish to establish whether they would have sufficient cover with just the EHIC or whether they need to price up separate medical insurance cover, but they expect that this could well cost more than the cruise itself!! :confused: Be glad to hear from anyone who has knowledge about this...:) Many thanks AJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Caroline Posted April 2, 2011 #2 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Hi - could anyone help me with a query? My parents are looking to cruise on Independence of the Seas but are concerned that the EHIC card that they have won't provide cover for emergency assistance on the IoS as it's an American-owned ship and the EHIC is only meant for European countries. They know that should anything happen whilst on land in a European country, they would get medical assistance, but don't know how they would stand if, say, they were at sea - as we seem to think that international law would take precedence - but not sure if this depends on whether they are in international waters or not? I appreciate that this may seem a bit extreme, but my parents are concerned as one of them has a heart condition and they don't want to end up in a situation where they find themselves not covered for an emergency. They wish to establish whether they would have sufficient cover with just the EHIC or whether they need to price up separate medical insurance cover, but they expect that this could well cost more than the cruise itself!! :confused: Be glad to hear from anyone who has knowledge about this...:) Many thanks AJ They need to call or email that company directly IMHO for clarification on an issue as important as this and keep the email response or get name of person they talk to... while we all try to help here with our best effort and knowledge, this is a technical question that you should address directly with the company.. we hope they don't need the coverage etc. but I wouldn't gamble on that sort of potential monetary claim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinGerman Posted April 2, 2011 #3 Share Posted April 2, 2011 Dear friends: The EHIC card will get free emergency treatment in public facilities in the EU on land. A ship's medical facility is considered a private facility -- they charge an arm and a leg, especially from the standpoint of us Europeans (a simple visit or medical treatment that we get for free or at a symbolic cost could cost $300 or more at the medical facility of a cruise ship). You should probably purchase private insurance cover for things such as acute emergency medical care, evacuation, etc. If you go to the European website moneysupermarket dot com and type in travel insurance with pre-existing conditions, you will get a whole list of providers. IHI Bupa (ihi dot com) is probably one of the most efficient providers of this type of travel insurance. Let us know what you find. Kind regards, Gunther and Uta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJB1970 Posted April 4, 2011 Author #4 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Hi Many thanks for the responses received so far to my query. I will pass this information onto my parents and suggest that they speak with the relevant cruise company and to check out the IHI website for medical cover. Would still be glad to hear from anyone else who has information about this topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinGerman Posted April 4, 2011 #5 Share Posted April 4, 2011 Dear friends: I was happy to provide a response to your direct query. That is, EHIC is a public system that grants free emergency care at a public facility on land in another EU country. If the local country in question where care is sought charges a co-payment to its own nationals, the EHIC holder will also have to make that co-payment even if the care would have been provided for free in the home country. So even when dealing with the public health system, it is wise to carry some sort of travel medical insurance. A cruise ship medical facility has absolutely nothing to do with any public health facility on land. It is private and EHIC does not apply at all. Kind regards, Gunther and Uta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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