Medical Expenses

[Guest Cruisenewbie20181]

Are you charged for medical treatment received on the ship? I declined to purchase insurance at time of booking. Can I still purchase if only 39 days before we cruise?

[karatemom2]

Yes, you are most definitely charged for any medical treatment you receive on the ship and it isn't inexpensive. Do you have a health plan that will reimburse you for onboard medical expenses should you need them? 

 

Just to give you an example - my DH unfortunately got a kidney stone on a cruise earlier this year. He has had it happen twice before, so we knew that was likely the case when the pain hit. He was treated in medical with intravenous drip to help flush his system and also deliver pain medicine. They did a diagnostic work up to rule out anything more severe, but given his history, they felt confident of the diagnosis and after a few hours of treatment in the med center allowed him to go back to our cabin with a prescription pain killer and another med to help encourage the stone to pass. Thankfully it passed quickly and within a day he was feeling better. All in all, it was equivalent to an ER visit. The bill for this was nearly $4000 which was added to our onboard account.

 

I had to submit a claim to our health insurance when we returned home and they did reimburse us within about 6 weeks. So you might want to see if your health plan covers you when you are traveling, and if not, buy some insurance that does.

Edited September 22, 2023 by karatemom2

[memoak]

Princess cruise insurance will not cover medical services on ship. Many health plans such as mine will reimburse you after you are home and file a claim but you will be charged on your folio while on board

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, memoak said:

Princess cruise insurance will not cover medical services on ship. Many health plans such as mine will reimburse you after you are home and file a claim but you will be charged on your folio while on board

and "Princess Insurance" will also reimburse those 'after' the cruise - and also it will cover out-of-pocket expenses for deductibles for expenses after the cruise for followups with your primary providers.

 

I have first hand experience with this

[memoak]

The main point here is no matter what health coverage you have make sure you have room on your credit card to cover major medical issues especially if you end up hospitalized outside the US

[Babr]

You can still buy third-party insurance, but if you are concerned about medical expenses because of a pre-existing condition, it is too late to get a waiver for that.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Cruisenewbie20181 said:

Are you charged for medical treatment received on the ship? I declined to purchase insurance at time of booking. Can I still purchase if only 39 days before we cruise?

The cruise line will not process or deal with insurance claims. You need to pay "cash" for all services rendered by the ship's medical team. After the cruise, it is up to you (not the cruise line) to file claims with your primary insurance company and then any travel insurance you have.

 

You're too late to buy cruise line insurance. And if you are buying insurance because you have a condition that recently popped up that you're worried about, you may not be covered under any insurance at this point because it is a pre-existing condition and you could not get that coverage at this point. 

[Luv2cruz1000]

2 hours ago, memoak said:

Princess cruise insurance will not cover medical services on ship. Many health plans such as mine will reimburse you after you are home and file a claim but you will be charged on your folio while on board

I am reading this right? The cruise insurance purchased through the cruiseline DOES NOT cover medical expenses should you need to use their medical services? What is it used for then?

[avonlady6390]

The cruise line insurance will cover medical on board but you have to pay up front then send in a claim form for reimbursement.

[Guest ldtr]

19 minutes ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

I am reading this right? The cruise insurance purchased through the cruiseline DOES NOT cover medical expenses should you need to use their medical services? What is it used for then?

Just to clarify. Cruiseline insurance will reimburse you for covered medical expenses up to the coverage limit. What it does not do is to pay for those expenses directly. One must pay the expense themselves, then file with insurance for reimbursement.

 

Saying it was not covered was a poor way to state it, they should have said not directly pay the provider.

Edited September 23, 2023 by ldtr

[cr8tiv1]

Recent experience.  I didn't think the office visit was so bad.  $49 plus medications.  Rounded up to be about $100.  I am in the process of getting the claim filed.  

 

1.  Opened claim immediately with AON (Princess Vacation Protection Platinum)

2.  Sent paper work claim by US Postal Service to Medicare (no online submission available).  Up to 60 days for them to deny it since it was outside the United States. 

3.  Then wait for my secondary to either pay partial or also deny.  

4.  Submit EOB's to AON for final reimbursement.

 

I don't know if it is too late to purchase insurance. It will be a very long process for me.  I don't know your age (Medicare) or what other insurance coverage you have.  I didn't think my office visit was out of the norm...cheaper than an Urgent Care visit would be.  On the other hand, if it is more serious and runs up a bill, it can get expensive.  

 

I would have no hesitation on visiting the Medical Center again.  First time after many many cruises.  

Edited September 23, 2023 by cr8tiv1

[JoRoy218]

I need to add my two cents here. DH was diagnosed with Covid on the Regal in January this year. Since we were out of the US our plan stated they did not cover. Once we got home, we filed a claim with AON (as mentioned above) and a large portion of the medical expenses incurred was covered. It didn’t take as long as we expected. (PS Hubby did fine, we’re both boosted, he took Paxlovid and turned neg by day 5).

Princess even credited him with 5 days worth FCC). 😎

[lahore]

On 9/23/2023 at 2:06 PM, JoRoy218 said:

I need to add my two cents here. DH was diagnosed with Covid on the Regal in January this year. Since we were out of the US our plan stated they did not cover. Once we got home, we filed a claim with AON (as mentioned above) and a large portion of the medical expenses incurred was covered. It didn’t take as long as we expected. (PS Hubby did fine, we’re both boosted, he took Paxlovid and turned neg by day 5).

Princess even credited him with 5 days worth FCC). 😎

Could I ask please what Paxlovid costs on the ship?  Thank you.   If you don't have the itemised cost for the Paxlovid, an idea of what the covid treatment cost in total would be helpful, thank you.  (Reason for asking, buying Paxlovid in Australia to take 'just in case' costs over $1000 so wondering if it's worth it).  Thanks for any help you can give.

[lahore]

Sorry, just posting so I can follow...forgot on previous post.

[memoak]

When we got Paxlovid a year ago on ship it was $700 per person

[lahore]

Just now, memoak said:

When we got Paxlovid a year ago on ship it was $700 per person

thank you: USD 700 I presume, which makes it roughly equivalent to the AUD price.  Thanks 🙂

[seagunthera]

Wow, this is shocking! I'm in the US and always travel with a round of Paxlovid that I got via insurance for $30. I'm sorry it's so darn expensive in your neck of the woods. 

[cr8tiv1]

11 minutes ago, seagunthera said:

Wow, this is shocking! I'm in the US and always travel with a round of Paxlovid that I got via insurance for $30. I'm sorry it's so darn expensive in your neck of the woods. 

 

I paid $5 for my Paxlovid.  So glad I had it with me when I caught covid on the ship.  Ship doctor was glad I had it too.

[JoRoy218]

1 hour ago, lahore said:

Could I ask please what Paxlovid costs on the ship?  Thank you.   If you don't have the itemised cost for the Paxlovid, an idea of what the covid treatment cost in total would be helpful, thank you.  (Reason for asking, buying Paxlovid in Australia to take 'just in case' costs over $1000 so wondering if it's worth it).  Thanks for any help you can give.

Just looked up ship Dr charges: Paxlovid was $750., charge for Dr $99.
AON took care of the above, lots of paperwork and receipts of course but it all worked out.  This was from Jan ‘23. 

[Lucky TGO]

Hi to all my Cruise Critic Friend‘s I just like to say my wife got sick a few years ago and by the time we got home all the bills came to over $10,000 so all I would just like to tell everyone is don’t go on a cruise without taking out some kind of insurance through Princess or whoever you pick

The Captain of The Rowboat,

Tony

[memoak]

1 hour ago, seagunthera said:

Wow, this is shocking! I'm in the US and always travel with a round of Paxlovid that I got via insurance for $30. I'm sorry it's so darn expensive in your neck of the woods. 

My insurance company took care of it after the cruise. Fees are always high in a cruise. I paid a goodly amount just to get some X-rays when I broke 2 ribs about 10 months ago. And no I do not remember the total but again I got reimbursed 

[Torfamm]

6 hours ago, lahore said:

Sorry, just posting so I can follow...forgot on previous post.

FYI - you don’t have to post to follow. Just scroll down to the last post and click the follow button that appears below. Then select your preferences 

 

Edited September 26, 2023 by Torfamm

[Worldtraveler 4727]

There is a forum dedicated to this subject.   Link:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

There is excellent advice in the Subforum on that page!

Edited September 26, 2023 by Worldtraveler 4727
added info

[lahore]

Thanks for the input everyone.   @Worldtraveler 4727 unfortunately the vast majority of that sub form relates to USA insurance which is utterly different to Australia.  I had a look though, so thank you.

[lahore]

 

22 hours ago, seagunthera said:

Wow, this is shocking! I'm in the US and always travel with a round of Paxlovid that I got via insurance for $30. I'm sorry it's so darn expensive in your neck of the woods. 

 It's actually free in Australia if you have covid, but very expensive if you buy it 'just in case' for overseas travel purposes.