Wondering about onboard medical services

[sail7seas]

Lazey.....

 

Keep in mind that MedJetAssist does not cover medical bills. It is evacuation coverage.

 

We have had a MetJet policy for years and all reports I've heard of them have been positive.

[SeaBands]

and I did several times and was rejected each time. The office in Jacksonville didn't seem to understand the Fort Lauderdale was in the US or even in Florida.

[SeaBands]

please kill that bug!!!!

[Hlitner]

Our quote from TravelGuard for mec/evac was over $1400.00 which we do not consider reasonable.:eek:

We will look at Med-Jet.

 

Hlitner... thank you for the link and as someone who spent over 40 years in the field of liability insurance I second your caution to read every word of the policy.:p

It appears from a quick reading of the highlights of geoblue travel insurance we would not be eligible because we have a Medicare H.M.O. instead of a Group Health Insurance.

 

Not so sure the HMO would create a problem with their annual Global Trek policy. They do require that you have a primary medical plan and we would think the HMO easily satisfies that requirement. When outside the USA the Global Trek plan becomes primary (although they do try to coordinate with your regular health insurer). This is the kind of technical question that would certainly require a phone call to the insurance company.

 

Hank

[DRS/NC]

ahhh, au contraire mon ami. Medicare actually will cover medical claims that occur while the ship is in the USA or within 6 hours away from a US Port whether or not the services are an emergency. In fact, a lot of cruisers have probably never filed claims because they were not aware of the long-standing 6 hour rule. It will even cover medically necessary services delivered on the ship if it meets those parameters. And if the services are delivered on the ship Medicare does prefer that the physician submit the claim. But if the physician/ship refuses to file the claim then Medicare will accept a documented claim from the recipient.

 

It can even more interesting if the claims processor (who works for a fiscal intermediary) is not aware of the rule (and this can happen). One might have to appeal and remind Medicare of their own rules :)

 

Hank

 

Thanks! I just copied this info into my FYI Travel file!

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

ahhh, au contraire mon ami. Medicare actually will cover medical claims that occur while the ship is in the USA or within 6 hours away from a US Port whether or not the services are an emergency. In fact, a lot of cruisers have probably never filed claims because they were not aware of the long-standing 6 hour rule. It will even cover medically necessary services delivered on the ship if it meets those parameters. And if the services are delivered on the ship Medicare does prefer that the physician submit the claim. But if the physician/ship refuses to file the claim then Medicare will accept a documented claim from the recipient.

 

It can even more interesting if the claims processor (who works for a fiscal intermediary) is not aware of the rule (and this can happen). One might have to appeal and remind Medicare of their own rules :)

 

Hank

 

Thanks for this and I do believe you - is this 6 hour rule in the Medicare Handbook we get every year?

[Typhoon1]

We had a chance to chat with the doctor on one of our cruises. He works part time for HAL, six weeks per year.

 

His full time job is in an emergency room in Montreal. I think his ER experience makes him qualified to handle just about anything.

Edited April 11, 2014 by Typhoon1

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the info ..

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I want to be very careful to keep you (and others) fully informed so please read carefully. My prior post was referring ONLY to travel medical insurance and DOES NOT include any kind of trip cancellation coverage. That begin said, there are several companies that issue single trip and annual travel med policies with pretty high limits. AMEX has an annual policy available to its card holders, although we had problems with their previous 60 day limit per trip policy.

 

Our current policy was obtained through HTH Insurance, but HTH recently turned their underwriting over to GeoBlue (part of the Blue Shield family). So I am giving you the line to GeoBlue's direct web site:

 

https://www.geobluetravelinsurance.com/products/multi-trip/trekker-5-overview.cfm

 

And I will issue a general heads-up/caution to all of our fellow cruisers/travelers. As painful as it may be, do yourself a favor and take the time to read all the fine print of any trip cancellation or travel med policy. Not all policies are the same, and the difference is often in the fine print. If anything sounds strange or not understandable, pick up the phone and call the insurance company (they always have a toll free number) and ask for an explanation. But also keep in mind they are bound only by the written policy and if they give you incorrect info on the phone and do not confirm it in writing it can be near worthless.

 

Hank

Hank thank you ,We are going to buy this asap..