Travel insurance yes or no

[slurry57]

The day after our cruise we were driving from Tampa to Anna Maria Island. My husband began having chest pains so we stopped at a hospital in Tampa. They did an EKG, gave him some aspirin, and monitored him for two hours. Yeah, no heart attack!!!!! Boohoo a bill for over 10,000!!!!! The good news was that we had purchased a vacation insurance policy and they covered everything 100%. We did not have to do any paperwork or pay anything out of pocket! They were able to negotiate the bill down to around $4,000.00 but either way we would not have paid anything. We will never travel without it! We always purchase our insurance online and immediately when booking our trip. My husband has a pre-existing heart condition (stents) and he is still covered for heart problems while traveling. Sorry this was so long!

[path16518]

So you did have to pay for everything out of pocket. What happens when it is a major medical emergency and your bill ends up being $150,000 and you don't have that in your bank account to pay them? Just curious if you know

Sorry I can't answer that. I was just thankful the hospital took credit cards. That bill was only about 200.00, where as the ship was 1,500.00 and they put that on my sail and sign card! Good question.

[roadburner]

Almost 3 years ago the DH had a PE (Pulmonary Embolism) while on Liberty out of Galveston. 8 hours in the ships' hospital $1000 which went onto our Seapass. Ambulance from Costa Maya to Cozumel plus 24 hurt in ICU in the hyperbaric hospital $10,000 on my credit card. Lear jet airlift from Cozumel to Ft. Lauderdale $20,000, paid directly by insurance as was 5 days ICU at Broward Memorial, flight home on Delta and limo & driver from airport the 1 1/2 hours home. Cost of these is unknown. For the ships med center, the ambulance ride and stay in Cozumel we were reimbursed by the insurance. They also paid for my hotel even though I could have shared the DH's room at the hospital. Broward has patient rooms set up for partners with patients evacuated from vacations. They also bring two trays every meal service.

The only piece of advise that I have is: DO NOT give anyone anything pertaining to insurance except your travel insurance policy number and contact information. If personal insurance info is given, someone WILL double-bill both travel and personal insurance.

[ssbeard1]

When my father was evacuated off the ship (by ambulance to local hospital) they charged the $9000 from care at ship medical directly to his credit card on file for cruise. That had to be paid before they transferred him. The med flight and hospital stays went through insurance first. However we had out of pocket expenses. It took about 8 months to finally get all expenses paid. It was a struggle and lots of receipts and records required. They did not make it easy. When he passed away - the travel insurance did pay the funeral home right away for getting the body ready for transport back home and paid the fee for flying him home. Those two together amounted to about $6000.

[poocher]

So I guess the questions becomes, if you don't have that kind of open balance on your credit card, do they refuse to treat you?

[CRUISEFAN0001]

3rd party insurance makes money also [emoji6]

How profound. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Every business makes money or else it goes out of business.

 

The common sense here on this topic is "how does the cost balance with the risk?" In numerous cases, the answer is - get the insurance - it's a no brainer.

 

In other cases...people roll the dice. There are plenty of posts on this site telling tales of regret (after the fact) for failing to have insurance for their trip. Sad but avoidable. Unfortunately...there will always be people who temp fate and take their chances. Based on numerous testimonies...plenty of times...things don't work out well for those who "take a chance and don't get insurance".

[shorti503]

So I guess the questions becomes, if you don't have that kind of open balance on your credit card, do they refuse to treat you?

 

 

That's what I would like to know! Even if i used both my credit cards I still wouldn't have enough to cover $10,000. So i wonder what they they do then. We've always traveled with insurance, but ive never actually thought about the fact that it seems it all had to come from your pocket before hand and then would have to wait to be reimbursed. Im glad we are all healthy in my family and guess I will just have to pray for nothing to happen.

[scooter6251]

I'm another big fan of Steve at the Trip Insurance Store. We taken about 15 cruises and have used several sources, including the cruise lines, for trip insurance. Yesterday I spoke with Steve and, in 10 minutes, learned more about this type insurance than I knew from 15 years of dealing with others. What a knowledgeable guy. He has my business for sure. They have a great website too.

[Mikeandliz]

If you have to ask, you already know the answer. It just might not be the answer you want to

Hear.

 

 

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[time4u2go]

How profound. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

Every business makes money or else it goes out of business.

 

The common sense here on this topic is "how does the cost balance with the risk?" In numerous cases, the answer is - get the insurance - it's a no brainer.

 

In other cases...people roll the dice. There are plenty of posts on this site telling tales of regret (after the fact) for failing to have insurance for their trip. Sad but avoidable. Unfortunately...there will always be people who temp fate and take their chances. Based on numerous testimonies...plenty of times...things don't work out well for those who "take a chance and don't get insurance".

Not sure why you think it's "unfortunate" that people "temp (sic) fate and take their chances." Not purchasing insurance has been very fortunate for me!

 

As far as the testimonials, the thing about that is, you're only going to see stories from people that had something happen that was (or would have been) covered by insurance. You're not going to see stories from people like me, that have never had anything happen, because, well, there is no story.

[nunuc2000]

That's what I would like to know! Even if i used both my credit cards I still wouldn't have enough to cover $10,000. So i wonder what they they do then. We've always traveled with insurance, but ive never actually thought about the fact that it seems it all had to come from your pocket before hand and then would have to wait to be reimbursed. Im glad we are all healthy in my family and guess I will just have to pray for nothing to happen.

 

Our travel insurance provider has made it very clear that they will take care of direct billing for any costs deemed to be excessive... and when I asked what they meant by excessive, they said "anything over one thousand dollars". For any serious issues that may require hospitalization, they need a call to set it all up, but if it's a simple dr visit on the ship for a more minor injury or illness, we simply pay up front with our credit card (on file with the cruise) and file a claim once the cruise is done and we have reasonable access to a phone to start the claim. We've done this multiple times over the last several years. BUT... it's a Canadian company, so I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

 

 

Thankfully we've never encountered a major issue on board, but we're relieved knowing we're covered up to $5 million each if needed, plus unlimited cost medical flight evacuation. We HAVE had to cancel a major cruise in the past though, just 3 weeks before our cruise date, and once again, our insurance company (we have a multi-trip annual plan that covers the medical, trip cancellation and trip interruption) was fantastic to deal with - we received every single cent back within 4 weeks of submitting our claim.

 

I can't imagine traveling without full coverage insurance! The costs we've been reimbursed due to visits to the medical centre on board have paid for the premiums several times over, and our huge trip cancellation 4 years ago saved over $14,000!!! Total no-brainer for us... but I strongly urge anyone who is interested in purchasing insurance to deal with a licensed insurance agent to determine what is right for them.

[SeaHunt]

That's what I would like to know! Even if i used both my credit cards I still wouldn't have enough to cover $10,000. So i wonder what they they do then.

 

You'll be on the phone calling relatives and anyone you can think of to come up with $$$ to help you out. ;)

 

And remember the ship will sail on time, and you will have to get yourself back home too.

 

Something as simple as tripping and falling on a cobblestone/broken pavement while walking in a port can necessitate a hospital visit, and there you are.

 

I always try and get a medical travel insurance plan marked as "primary" - (based on the plan) a primary plan can be one that will arrange advance payment to hospitals to get you admitted, etc., unlike "secondary" plans where you pay upfront.

 

Also, personally I am more concerned about medical costs and evacuation than lost luggage, delays, etc., so I can save $$$ there. I agree with the poster above, talk to Steve and tell him what you are worried about and he will point you in the right direction. Of course you don't have to buy from him but you'll learn what to look for in various policies to compare them and find one that will suit you. :D

[SRF]

So after reading the many pages of "Do I need travel insurance" I started thinking. We always travel with travel insurance and thankfully have never needed to use it. For those that have, how does that work? I was seeing people say that a Medical Evacuation could cost 36,000. Do you have to pay that out of pocket and then your travel insurance reimburses you? Or do they just bill your travel insurance? I for one do not have 36,000 sitting in a bank account or even credit cards that could get me any where close to that. So then what happens? Just curious how it all works if one were to have to actually use their insurance.

 

**I was going to ask this question on that post but thought the answer may be helpful to others that may not scroll through so many pages to find it.

 

When my Mom had to be med evaced back to the US, the RCI insurance dealt with the med evac directly.

 

The Canadian hospital bill required it be paid directly. And then that was reimbursed.

[SRF]

So you did have to pay for everything out of pocket. What happens when it is a major medical emergency and your bill ends up being $150,000 and you don't have that in your bank account to pay them? Just curious if you know

 

I think in most cases, for very large bills,they will get involved.

 

But something to ask.

[dread_pirate]

Most travel insurers (at least the 3rd party ones) will assist if you don't have a large enough credit limit for prepaid medical expenses.

 

We always get travel insurance for medical purposes any time we leave the country. We can easily self-insure the cancellation costs; I've saved more than most trips cost by not buying it for domestic trips over the years. But as everyone else says, the medical costs can break the bank.

 

We don't have any pre-existing conditions or extenuating circumstances. But just as at home, anyone can fall down the stairs or get hit by a bus. And flu or noro happens on ships, too. I'd rather not eat those costs.

[SandraLee]

Question: I’m traveling with my sister that lives in another state. Looks like we need individual plans. If one of needs to be evacuated, would it cover expenses for the other to go too?

[ssbeard1]

So I guess the questions becomes, if you don't have that kind of open balance on your credit card, do they refuse to treat you?

 

 

They had already treated him. He had to sign a form and him or family had to cover expenses - hence it was charged to his on board account. After reading the fine print on his form (much later) it said they would charge insurance and bill for remaining balance - which did not happen. He did have Medicare, but had a full coverage BcBS from the company he retired from.

[Clarea]

Question: I’m traveling with my sister that lives in another state. Looks like we need individual plans. If one of needs to be evacuated, would it cover expenses for the other to go too?

That would be a question for the insurance company.

[AlanF65]

So I guess the questions becomes, if you don't have that kind of open balance on your credit card, do they refuse to treat you?

 

emergency medical department from the insurance company should arrange guarantee of payment or wire money when you are admitted.

 

 

You need to read the policy and make sure they have this kind of arrangement and then follow the procedure.

 

 

You could also call the card company and tell them you have insurance and need to charge over your limit and ask for an increase in you credit line or use AMEX if the place takes it.

[Guest BigRoger]

Always have insurance..... it’s a no brained.... ‘a friend of ours’ became ill on a transatlantic cruise last year (in the middle).... $6,000 of medical bills on board.... would have been much higher if the proposed medical evacuation off the ship had happened and transfer to hospital! Then evacuate home...

[SRF]

Question: I’m traveling with my sister that lives in another state. Looks like we need individual plans. If one of needs to be evacuated, would it cover expenses for the other to go too?

 

It normally covers a traveling companion to go along.

 

When my Mom had her issues, the insurance paid for my Dad's hotel, meals, rental car, etc.

 

The med evac took him along at no extra cost (dedicated med evac aircraft).

[SRF]

Most travel insurers (at least the 3rd party ones) will assist if you don't have a large enough credit limit for prepaid medical expenses.

 

We always get travel insurance for medical purposes any time we leave the country. We can easily self-insure the cancellation costs; I've saved more than most trips cost by not buying it for domestic trips over the years. But as everyone else says, the medical costs can break the bank.

 

This.

 

I have paid for the cruise. If I don't go, I will disappointed, but I will not be in financial distress.

 

Medical bills, OTOH, are not budgeted and can be HUGE.

 

As I have said before, many insurance companies will sell you $0 trip cost coverage. Most of the price of the insurance is covering repaying for the whole (or most of) the cruise cost.

 

I covered myself on my last 9 night cruise, WITHOUT covering the cruise cost, for about $50.

[John&LaLa]

Most travel insurers (at least the 3rd party ones) will assist if you don't have a large enough credit limit for prepaid medical expenses.

 

We always get travel insurance for medical purposes any time we leave the country. We can easily self-insure the cancellation costs; I've saved more than most trips cost by not buying it for domestic trips over the years. But as everyone else says, the medical costs can break the bank.

 

We don't have any pre-existing conditions or extenuating circumstances. But just as at home, anyone can fall down the stairs or get hit by a bus. And flu or noro happens on ships, too. I'd rather not eat those costs.

Ship wont charge you for Noro treatment

 

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[CRUISEFAN0001]

Not sure why you think it's "unfortunate" that people "temp (sic) fate and take their chances." Not purchasing insurance has been very fortunate for me!

So you've been lucky so far - while many thousands of others haven't.

 

In contrast...I guess health and safety do matter to at least some folks.

 

You misinterpreted the comment - many people have ended up being unfortunate without insurance only to have the need for medical, evacuation, and other circumstances requiring payment out of their pockets...whereas insurance would have covered those costs. There are literally hundreds and maybe thousands of online posts who "learned the hard way" just how important insurance can be to mitigate the risks of unanticipated expenses from illness, injury, disease, accidents, and other misfortunes.

 

It only takes one such bad experience to "learn the hard way".

 

Some folks are proactive and avoid those risks...by getting travel insurance.

[CRUISEFAN0001]

This.

 

I have paid for the cruise. If I don't go, I will disappointed, but I will not be in financial distress.

 

Medical bills, OTOH, are not budgeted and can be HUGE.

 

As I have said before, many insurance companies will sell you $0 trip cost coverage. Most of the price of the insurance is covering repaying for the whole (or most of) the cruise cost.

 

I covered myself on my last 9 night cruise, WITHOUT covering the cruise cost, for about $50.

Very cool - smart move - small investment.