Buying medical/flight insurance annual policy instead of for each trip ?

[Orangefan]

I always get the Princess insurance and the benefits are enhanced because of the number of Princess cruises I have sailed on. I also buy plane/medical insurance . Some will say it is too much insurance but I have used it once post cruise and a friend who has traveled with me before had to use the policy also. What I would like to know if anybody gets an annual insurance policy and thus not have to take the insurance out each time. Also, had did they decide one company over another company.

Thanks !

Sali

[Colo Cruiser]

I always get the Princess insurance and the benefits are enhanced because of the number of Princess cruises I have sailed on. I also buy plane/medical insurance . Some will say it is too much insurance but I have used it once post cruise and a friend who has traveled with me before had to use the policy also. What I would like to know if anybody gets an annual insurance policy and thus not have to take the insurance out each time. Also, had did they decide one company over another company.

Thanks !

Sali

 

Doesn't the Princess ins cover medivac flights and return medical flights home if needed?

[Orangefan]

Doesn't the Princess ins cover medivac flights and return medical flights home if needed?

 

What if it is weather related and your flights are cancelled and the first port is 5 days out? Unless you are booking your flights through Princess, why would Princess cover the plane fare if you can't get to the ship. A medical intervention doesn't always start from the ship. You could be traveling after the cruise when a crisis occurs.

Sali

[Colo Cruiser]

What if it is weather related and your flights are cancelled and the first port is 5 days out? Unless you are booking your flights through Princess, why would Princess cover the plane fare if you can't get to the ship. A medical intervention doesn't always start from the ship. You could be traveling after the cruise when a crisis occurs.

Sali

 

 

I agree, I thought you were talking about medical issues on the cruise.

My bad. :o

[Pam in CA]

I have an annual policy with MedJet Assist which will fly me anywhere in the world as long as I'm 150 miles from home. Princess medical evacuation is to the nearest medical center which could be (as in our case) 3,000 miles from home. We called MedJet and within four hours, they had a medical jet with nurse and medical equipment. Princess would have paid for a commercial flight which being in critical condition with a serious and contagious infection would have been impossible.

[Coral]

Doesn't the Princess ins cover medivac flights and return medical flights home if needed?

 

Most travel insurance companies will get you to the nearest medical facility. Getting you on a medical flight to your home hospital is at their discretion.

 

This is why I also buy MedJet Assist (which is good for an entire year).

 

--------

 

Annual travel insurance doesn't seem to be as common in the US as it is for Canadians. My friends who are travel agents do have a policy that covers them all year that is meant for agents.

[Orangefan]

I have an annual policy with MedJet Assist which will fly me anywhere in the world as long as I'm 150 miles from home. Princess medical evacuation is to the nearest medical center which could be (as in our case) 3,000 miles from home. We called MedJet and within four hours, they had a medical jet with nurse and medical equipment. Princess would have paid for a commercial flight which being in critical condition with a serious and contagious infection would have been impossible.

 

Pam, how pricey is MedJet Assist ? Are the premiums based on age or just a straight rate ? Do you also carry another insurance that covers missing a plane due to cancellation and not able to get you to a port ( even if you go a day in advance which I usually do ). Or your own illness causing you to cancel the flight and cruise ?

Sali

[baronessk]

The MedJet seems to just cover medical and I thought the Princess policy, per trip, was more comprehensive, flight delays etc. No?

[-Lew-]

Good question...

 

I investigated annual plans about a year ago and learned that, yes, they are available, but none provide complete coverage to the extent individual trip insurance covers. To do so would be prohibitively expensive.

 

Like Pam, we have been MedJet insured for years. AARP members get a pretty good discount on the annual premium.

 

Lew

[coo359a2]

I've just got the MedJet Assist annual policy for the first time. We are doing the Cape Town to Dover cruise plus a precruise safari and wanted to be sure we could get back to our local hospital. Still buy the Princess insurance.

[hillslife]

I was just adding our West Africa final payment amount to our travel insurance today...we are doing a precruise safari also...makes the trip expensive and the insurance is based on total price. So pricey, but a must the older we get.

 

But I have looked into the yearly policy...and it is not as comprehensive and very expensive. Works better for us to buy from a private vendor each cruise/trip and occasionally from the cruise line if we have no pre/post plans....

 

Haven't checked out MedJet.....maybe someone (Pam or Tina) can fill us in on the approx pricing.

 

Update...just looked at the website...$395 for family per year...sounds very reasonable. But only covers transport to hospital of your choice and not all the other possibilities (delayed flight, lost luggage, cancellation, missed port, medical treatment not requiring transport, etc). So I agree you would still need another policy to cover all the other issues.

 

I guess the older we get, insurance becomes imperative and part of our travel costs.

Edited January 3, 2014 by hillslife

[coo359a2]

I was just adding our West Africa final payment amount to our travel insurance today...we are doing a precruise safari also...makes the trip expensive and the insurance is based on total price. So pricey, but a must the older we get.

 

But I have looked into the yearly policy...and it is not as comprehensive and very expensive. Works better for us to buy from a private vendor each cruise/trip and occasionally from the cruise line if we have no pre/post plans....

 

Haven't checked out MedJet.....maybe someone (Pam or Tina) can fill us in on the approx pricing.

 

Update...just looked at the website...$395 for family per year...sounds very reasonable. But only covers transport to hospital of your choice and not all the other possibilities (delayed flight, lost luggage, cancellation, missed port, medical treatment not requiring transport, etc). So I agree you would still need another policy to cover all the other issues.

 

I guess the older we get, insurance becomes imperative and part of our travel costs.

 

We got MedJet Assist primarily to fly us back to a US hospital while we are in the middle of nowhere while on safari and the cruise. Plus, it covers all travels we do in a year. Bought another insurance (T.G.) to cover us from home to safari and to Cape Town and then Princess insurance for the cruise. None were cheap but after spending almost 5 weeks in the hospital from a ruptured appendix with other complications, I wanted to be sure to make it back home for hospital/doctor care..

[Tweedy]

I always get the Princess insurance and the benefits are enhanced because of the number of Princess cruises I have sailed on. I also buy plane/medical insurance . Some will say it is too much insurance but I have used it once post cruise and a friend who has traveled with me before had to use the policy also. What I would like to know if anybody gets an annual insurance policy and thus not have to take the insurance out each time. Also, had did they decide one company over another company.

Thanks !

Sali

 

 

We take annual insurance since we drive to the states quite frequently. We also purchase the Princess insurance.

Edited January 3, 2014 by Tweedy

[Roses2]

Having lived in South Africa for almost 5 years, the medical support available there and the hospitals are as good or better than that available anywhere in the United States.

 

South African's performed the first successful heart transplant and leads in many medical specialties.

 

Certainly having appropriate coverage for medical evacuation back to the US may be prudent, but it is wrong to denigrate the absolutely first class medical support available in South Africa. One of us was hospitalized in South Africa three times and the treatment was as good or better than that in the United States

[Pam in CA]

The MedJet seems to just cover medical and I thought the Princess policy, per trip, was more comprehensive, flight delays etc. No?

For me, it's an add-on in addition to specific cruise insurance. If you travel extensively for pleasure or business, I think MedJetAssist is a good idea. If you're sick or injured while away, the last thing you want to worry about is how you're going to get home to your own doctors.

 

Don't forget, if you suddenly have a medical condition that can't be treated on the ship or needs surgery, you will be disembarked at the first port with a medical facility.

 

Insurance is for the unexpected. On my Coral cruise a few years ago, a woman was walking on the sidewalk in Acapulco, tripped, fell and broke her arm in 3-4 places. She was treated on the ship and flew home a couple of ports later for surgery. Another time, I was on a riverboat cruise in China and we were going to walk down into a cave. I opted out but a young woman slipped, fell and broke her shoulder. She was in agony and had to fly home commercially (it was at the end of our trip and I was on the same flight.) She would have been far more comfortable on a MedJet flight.

[Pam in CA]

Having lived in South Africa for almost 5 years, the medical support available there and the hospitals are as good or better than that available anywhere in the United States.

 

South African's performed the first successful heart transplant and leads in many medical specialties.

 

Certainly having appropriate coverage for medical evacuation back to the US may be prudent, but it is wrong to denigrate the absolutely first class medical support available in South Africa. One of us was hospitalized in South Africa three times and the treatment was as good or better than that in the United States

No doubt. However good South African medicine is, and I'm sure it is, if the patient is stable, being home among family and friends can make a big difference. If you're in the hospital for 4-5 weeks, that's a huge financial drain and stress on family members having to live in a hotel and deal with everything so far from home. Cruise insurance covers just so much.

[Christine Frances]

For me, it's an add-on in addition to specific cruise insurance. If you travel extensively for pleasure or business, I think MedJetAssist is a good idea. If you're sick or injured while away, the last thing you want to worry about is how you're going to get home to your own doctors.

 

Don't forget, if you suddenly have a medical condition that can't be treated on the ship or needs surgery, you will be disembarked at the first port with a medical facility.

 

Insurance is for the unexpected. On my Coral cruise a few years ago, a woman was walking on the sidewalk in Acapulco, tripped, fell and broke her arm in 3-4 places. She was treated on the ship and flew home a couple of ports later for surgery. Another time, I was on a riverboat cruise in China and we were going to walk down into a cave. I opted out but a young woman slipped, fell and broke her shoulder. She was in agony and had to fly home commercially (it was at the end of our trip and I was on the same flight.) She would have been far more comfortable on a MedJet flight.

 

Lots of fine print with MediJet = You don't have as much control as you think

 

All arrangements for medical evacuation and repatriation must be made by MEDJET ASSISTANCE. Since MEDJET ASSISTANCE is an membership program and not an insurance plan, we will not reimburse members for expenses they incur on their own. Decisions regarding urgency of the case, the best timing and the most suitable means of transportation will be made by the MEDJET ASSISTANCE medical department after consultation with the local attending physician and the patient's receiving physician.

 

And as for the pax with the shoulder injury

 

Aircraft used for the medical transport of MEDJET ASSISTANCE members are fully equipped intensive care aircraft staffed with specially trained medical teams. However, if the member's condition permits, the member may be transported by scheduled commercial airline, while in the care of a MEDJET medical team.

 

Plus Medijet would not have flown her home unless she was to be admitted to a hospital when she got home.

You must be hospitalized as an inpatient more than 150 miles from your primary residence as listed on your enrollment application and continue to meet inpatient criteria at the receiving hospital.

 

An option to consider but read the Certificate. I think I read also that you have to be stable so if you are too critical they won't transport you either.

 

http://www.totaltravelinsurance.com/tti/company/medjet/medjet-assist-short-term.htm

[Roses2]

We have MedJet Assist for just such eventualities.

 

However, from some of the posts here, there was the impression that being on safari in South Africa imposed some sort of higher medical risk than being in other places in the world.

 

 

From our experience, as well as that of many of our friends, nothing could be further from the truth and we hoped to dispel the impression.

 

The Department of State evacuates sick and injured Foreign Service Officers and their families from other posts in Africa to The Republic of South Africa for treatment.

 

 

.

[Pam in CA]

I think I read also that you have to be stable so if you are too critical they won't transport you either.

If you are very critical, even on death's door, but stable, they will fly you. I know that for a fact because they flew my brother-in-law from FLL to Orange County (CA) after being in Dade County for a month in critical condition. There was nothing more they could do there. He was flown to Mission Hospital where he passed away a couple of days later after having been able to see family and friends beforehand. I've heard other stories but I won't repeat them because I don't want to get the facts wrong.

 

As for being on safari, when I did it two years ago, we were 40-50 miles from the nearest village or landing strip most of the time. One of our guides developed a nasty toothache and had to endure a rugged drive for two hours over rough track to a bush plane flown in to a dirt "runway" (actually, a field) to take him for treatment. I figured that if I got sick or one of us had a problem, we'd go wherever they took us. I didn't think further than that. I have to laugh... one of the women in our safari group told us one night that she's an insurance broker and had found a wonderful insurance policy that would cover everything -- medical, evacuation, transportation, airfare to/from the US, internal African flights, etc. -- for a total of $50/pp. The rest of us looked at each other and thought, "Would you buy insurance from this person?" Hell, no! :)

[cruzsnooze]

I use medjet too. I do not buy any other travel insurance. If i add up what insurance would cost on 5 or 6 cruises per year it is cheaper to just eat a fare if i had to cancel in the no refund period. The real expense is to medivac you home from the amazon River or Antartica not a lost suitcase or missed flight.

[donaldsc]

I use medjet too. I do not buy any other travel insurance. .

 

My understanding about MedJet and I may be wrong is that Medjet is for evacuation only. It does not cover medical care at the place where you were injured.

 

Medjet may be good but you also need medical coverage and evacuation to the nearest appropriate medical facility.

 

I agree that all of the rest of the stuff that many policies cover such as cancellation, delay, luggage loss, etc. is a waste of money.

 

DON

[Pam in CA]

MedJet is medical transportation. It's not medical coverage nor evacuation from the ship. They take you from hospital A to hospital B in a medically-equipped jet. That's why I have it to supplement my personal medical insurance and cruise insurance.

[Wehwalt]

MedJet is medical transportation. It's not medical coverage nor evacuation from the ship. They take you from hospital A to hospital B in a medically-equipped jet. That's why I have it to supplement my personal medical insurance and cruise insurance.

 

I just bought MedJet membership. Well worth the money.

[newport dave]

Annual policies are very popular in the UK, and provide the same cover as individual trip policies. I've just renewed ours, it cost just £67 for both my wife and I. This is includes comprehensive medical cover plus all the usual trip cancellations features.

[land lover]

Don't count on any insurance solving all issues.

The country the injury occurs in can determine your future.

 

The story I am relating was on a small river boat, but if you are on a shore excursion from a large cruise liner you could have a similar experience.

 

We were on a river cruise in Russia a few years back. A person we had grown very fond of fell on the ship and sustained a head injury,the Doctor on our ship knew he needed immediate attention. We shopped at the nearest port. Due to thunder storms he, his wife and a guide could not be airlifted by helicopter so took an 11 hour trip by ambulance to Moscow. There he was put in a hospital where no English was spoken, the guide only stayed until he got settled and they(the hospital, doc.) refused to allow medjet to come in and get him out because he was not stable.

Edited January 3, 2014 by land lover